Sunday, May 25, 2008

Six Random Things

I had the honor of being tagged by my gluten-free friend to list six random things about myself. Here goes!

1. I love watermelon. My grandpa had a hidden watermelon patch in the sandy soil of his cornfields. After he cut sample squares to taste a few with his Case pocket knife, he would cut me large pieces with his machete on the tailgate of his pickup, and we would feast! It was warm, but very sweet and extremely juicy.

2. My wife and I were house-parents for 11 years: seven in a sorority and four in a group home for pregnant teens.

3. We served as missionaries for six years, stationed state-side, but have traveled throughout India.

4. Rodeo Clown: I think a lot about this profession—how they step into the bull to avoid the horns. Probably my true calling or a reflection of the way I think about life.

5. This weekend marked 22 years for Mrs. 23 Degrees and I. I truly found favor with the Lord by finding her—and she still laughs at all of my jokes.

6. An Etch-A-Sketch, a wheat penny, Stone Crossings, a small bust of Abraham Lincoln, an "I Love you daddy" note from my daughter, and a photo of my son on the football field: a few things on my night-stand.

If you are game, I would love to tag:
Laama Momma
LL Barkat
A Reluctant Blogger
And I tag Kirsten back, because I know she has six more random things she has thought of since this post that she wants to share.

17 comments:

christianne said...

i was totally in that moment with the watermelon story. you really evoked the entire scene for me. wow! i felt like i could even taste the watermelon and feel the juice dribbling down my chin.

um, and yes . . . i did notice the addition of a rodeo clown label to your cache. :)

congrats on 22 years! that is so sweet. it sounds like you two have lived a lot of different kinds of life together, too!

ps: 80 inches of snow?!?! i don't think i could handle that.

23 degrees said...

THG (tilty-headed girl) thanks for stopping by and having some melon. It was SO cool to do this with my grandpa, and I am glad that I have this memory of him.

Yes, 22 years. We have had a very interesting life thus far!

How about 79 inches of snow? :)

terri said...

you think a lot about rodeo clowns? hmmmm. as a counselor i have all kinds of things i'd like to say about that, but i'll take a pass for now.

this was a fun look at who you are. and i'm only kidding about the whole rodeo clown thing. you're probably not psychotic. ;)

Jena said...

I am not surprised your family uses a machete to cut watermelon. What, no karate chop or sword?

kirsten said...

yeah!! thank you for writing this. i knew i could count on your post to be filled with humor & appropriately random. so here goes my random response:

you had me at watermelon. congrats on 22 years. and why doesn't the rodeo clown reference surprise me?

and dude, you KNOW i've got six more random things up my sleeve. how could you tell?? ;o) christianne was saying that it would be fun to do this periodically. i think it's a great idea!

your gluten-free friend,
kirsten

23 degrees said...

Terri, I would love any insights, especially on the multi-colored socks and suspenders I am addicted to (and why do I feel the need to jump into a barrel all the time?)

Jena, thanks for the visit and for your great melon-cutting ideas, they might work better than the nun-chucks.

My gluten-free friend...thanks for the tag! I know I am lax on my blogging and this helps me get on the board. I will be looking for your next six. (And we all know about your flannel sheets, so...)

btw, I love how you say, "dude."

terri said...

i'm way ok with the wardrobe and the barrel thing...but if you start to feel compelled to throw yourself in front of raging animals with sharp horns, we probably should talk. ;)

23 degrees said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
23 degrees said...

Terri, then how would I ever stay married?

KIDDING!

I interviewed for a job a number of years ago and I was asked what my ambitions were, and well, I let my interviewer know that could see myself leaning in the rodeo clown/(got to say "slash") notary public direction.

She wasn't amused and I walked out of Victoria's Secret Inc without a job, but with my head held high, and my multi-colored suspenders safely hidden under my sport-coat.

True story. Well, some names have been changed and I was not in suspenders.

terri said...

i totally would have hired you.

kirsten said...

shoot. well, i'll just have to try & come up with something at least as interesting as my red flannel sheets ...

... dude.

;o)

p.s. i think i want to work for terri.

23 degrees said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
23 degrees said...

Terri, thanks. I think a rodeo clown would come in handy around the counseling office.

My interview: she actually was 45 minutes late as well, and although I didn't land the position, the next interview/offer was a great fit and (35% better salary.)

Kirsten, I look forward to hearing more. I was going to try and guess a few, but I have the crazy idea that the best is yet to come and you were just getting started.

L.L. Barkat said...

Always fun to read these. Congratulations on the long-loved love. :)

And your nightstand contents made me smile (not just because my book was among the bits and pieces). Hey, how sweet of you though to display the cover so proudly here.

Lastly, it really tickled me that you re-tagged Kirsten. I just did this tag, so I may not do it again too soon (and hope you'll forgive me if I don't).

Great to hear about your creative process over on Seedlings btw. Now, if you could just get your boss to let you bring Little One in for inspiration! :)

kirsten said...

more random things are up for your reading enjoyment ... ;o)

happy friday.

L.L. Barkat said...

Hey there... I would LOVE for you to add something to my "Links for Art" offering. I'm always wishing for more of your art on-line.

And, just generally, you are missed! :)

23 degrees said...

Laura, thanks for the invite!

I have been re-reading Stone Crossings again, taking my time to ponder each word, each idea. Best book I have read in a long, long time. Thanks for writing through the pain and being willing to share such intimate parts your life.