25 Random Things About Me

I was tagged a number of times to do this on Facebook, so I thought I'd repost it here. I'd love to learn 25 new things about each of y'all on your own blogs!

1. I was born in England, where my dad was opening a UK branch of a South Carolina-based company; we flew home when I was six months old. As a result, I can't donate blood - something about Mad Cow disease?

2. My first name is after my maternal grandmother, who was German. Watching a teacher's face as she tried to pronounce it on the first day of every school year was terrible! Thankfully Anne is a lot easier to say.

3. I don't sing in the shower but I do sing constantly in the car.

4. I'll reread a well-loved book until it falls apart.

5. I'd rather change a diaper than a tire. I sincerely hope that doesn't make me a stereotype.

6. I believe 2009 is the year of the scarf.

7. More than two years after I got it, I still stare at my engagement ring well more than anyone should. I got a new ring for Christmas, so now I'm staring at both hands and looking straight crazy...

8. I have never smoked a thing.

9. The only beer I'll sip is this delicious raspberry Belgian concoction, Lindeman's Framboise. I think it's 1% alcohol and 99% juice, but it's fabulous!

10. I don't drink coffee but love Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. Nothing helps me get through a work day quite as effectively as popping open a cold DC.

11. I don't eat cheese except on pizza.

12. I wish I was Italian; pasta and gelato are two of my favorite things!

13. I eat everything plain. No ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, salad dressing, alfredo or other heavy sauces. Essentially I'm a preschool eater in a grown up's body.

14. I used to wear way more pink and green than you can imagine. I'm broadening my accessory choices these days, though, and leaning towards a lot more purple. (And orange, of course. Go Tigers!)

15. My dog Blue is one of my favorite people (yes, people) on Earth.

16. A DVR has been both the best and worst thing ever to happen to my free time. I follow way too many TV shows - Mad Men, LOST, The Office, 30 Rock and The Bachelor.

17. My favorite places in the world are Paris, Clemson and Charleston - or any South Carolina beach. I'd rather hang out at home with friends than alone anywhere else, though. I'm a total extrovert and a believer that who you're with matters more than where you are.

18. I could sleep 10 hours a day if left to my own devices. During the week I aim for eight.

19. I've spoken at my college and high school graduations, plus a few other big events that left me more excited than scared. Speaking in front of a small group of people, particularly those who mean a lot to me, gets me much more nervous than 11,000 people in Littlejohn Coliseum ever could.

20. I'm trying really hard to learn to cook. It's a work in progress. My two favorite cookbooks are one devoted solely to breakfast and another to soups.

21. I eat grits as a meal any time of day. I have also been known to drink sweet tea with brunch. Life without those two staples is hard to imagine.

22. I've adopted Dolly Parton's mantra from Steel Magnolias - no one cries alone in my presence. That entire movie is pretty much quotable genius. I can't even discuss "two pigs fighting under a blanket" without laughing 'til I cry.

23. I generally refuse to cry in front of people I'm not extremely close to - so I guess that's a compliment to you if you've ever seen my splotchy, crying face.

24. I always carry hand sanitizer, Burt's Bees, lip gloss and a tiny hair brush. At work I usually stock Shout wipes, too. Don't laugh - everyone always asks to borrow my "grandma" supplies!

25. As loud and over the top as I can be, my husband Bradley and my friends are still the funniest people I know. Believe it or not, I tend to be silently sitting, listening and bent over laughing when we're all together.