100 Things About Me ~ especially for Cherie

 
 
 

This should teach you to be careful what you wish

for, Cherie. There is no doubt in my mind that you know I

would not have done this for anyone else!  (of course, I was

also shamed into it by so many of your friends doing this

for you ~ guess we just all are crazy about you)

music by Keb Mo ~ Life is Beautiful

  1. My name is Linda Darlene
  2. I was born on July 3 (in my mother's 6th mouth of
      pregnancy) in Springfield, Ohio
  3. Weighing in at 2 lbs and 3 oz.
  4. My mother was an RN and after 6 weeks of being
       in the hospital and running up a pretty good bill ~
       they told her to take me home that I wasn't going to
       live anyway. And that she did ~ put me on
       homogenized milk and I have never been below
       normal weight since.
  5. Grew up the eldest of 4 children (two sisters and
       one brother) in Florida (we moved there when I was
       not quite two)
  6. My mother lost a baby when I was in high school
      (the baby was still born) they let me name her ~ I
      gave her the name Melody Ann.
  7. My Mother raised us mostly by herself so it was my
      job to take care of the younger ones. Something I
      really loved doing, by the way. I have a wonderful
      family (wait maybe I should have used that for # 8 ~
      lol ~ cuz this is tough)
  8. I can remember a time when my Mama opened a
      can of beans and split it between the four of us, she 
      didn't eat anything herself.  So I've been really poor.
  9. Just a few years later, we lived in a 5 bedroom house
      with each of us having our own room but we wanted
       to share the same room so my Mom went out and
       got two sets of bunk beds and stackable dressers
       and let us all move in together ~ I had to have my
       record player and the younger two had a  tv ~ It
       was so much fun and so much confession ~ That
       lasted one month and we were back in our own
       rooms.
 10. I had my own horse ~ He was a Palomino Pinto and
       17 hands high ~ he was a big guy! His name was
       Fancy ~ Gosh, he was beautiful! The rest of the
       family had horses but to me Fancy was the most
       special. He threw me once and stubborn me, I got
       right back on!!!
 11. Always loved music!!! Still do!!!
 12. Always loved reading!!! Still do!!!
 13. An incident where a mother and a daughter were
       staring at me and the mother came over to me to
       tell me why, changed my attitude about telling
       people what you are thinking about them when you
       think it. I was 14 at the time. Had just bought a
       simple white cotton dress. She came up to me and
       told me that her daughter and her were staring at me
       because they thought I looked so beautiful in that
       dress (she didn't know that my boyfriend was in the
       same room and heard all that she said to me ~  put
       the biggest smile on my face and put me on cloud
       nine!) You should never miss an opportunity to tell
       someone nice things you are thinking about them
       and I never do! It just might make their day.  It just
       might make their life.Yes, I stop perfect strangers
       to tell them how good they look in a certain color.
       Or what great hair they have or what a beautiful
       smile they have (like my friend, Cherie  ~ by the
       way, her heart is just as beautiful)
 14. I never missed a day of school until my senior year
       and than I was home for a week with my baby
       sister, we had the flu.
 15. When we could eat, my Mom brought us each a
       sandwich and I ate mine like I was suppose to but
       my sister didn't want to so when My Mom came
       back in to get our plates - my sister switched them
       and told my Mom that I had not eaten mine  (you
       would have to know my baby sister - to this day -
       she can tell the most convincing stories - lol - and
       she is just the cutest thing - you have to believe her).
       So when my Mom left the room I asked my sister
       why she lied to my Mom as I reached over behind
       my back and turned on my tape recorder....  Than
       I played it back to my Mom. (guess this means I
       am sneaky ~ or does it mean that I like to get to
       the truth of the matter?)
 16. I was in the National Junior Honor Society. No, I am
        not smart ~ I studied VERY HARD!
 17. I played the trumpet in the band and sat first chair.
       One of my greatest loves.
 18. I was the first girl captain of our band.
 19. Was Drum Majorette of the Junior High band
 20. Co-Drum Majorette with my sister (the one 11
       months younger than I am) in the High School Band.
 21. Was voted Most Friendly in my Senior Year.
 22. I lied about my age to get a job at 15
 23. With my first two paychecks I brought the prettiest
        new dresses for my mom and my sister.
 24. By the end of the summer I had brought a car ~ a
      1956 Buick Special (that was in 1965) I had to work
       several shifts over time so many days to get it.
 25. I was so proud of that car but driving it home there
       was a large roach ran across the floor board.....
       In Florida they are large roaches called palmetto
       bugs ~ they are huge and I have a fright of them
       because one flew across the sun room when I was
       eight and landed on my bare skin ~ and I was not
       a quiet child about it (but than that could have been
        number 26 and I would have been closer to 100)
       So on the way home with the car I stopped and
       got a bug bomb like you get for the house and set
       it off in the car that night. Never saw another bug
       in that car!
 26. The Buick was my second car, the first one (a
       1929 Model A) was given to me before I had my
       drivers license by my Mom but when my step-Dad
       ran away from home, he ran away in my car (But
       than that is another story).  LOL - might have been
       worth the loss of the car!
 27. The first time I held hands with a boy was when I
       was 13 (It was with a younger man, even than ~ he
       was 12). It was at the movies and my sister was
       with me ~ she told my Mom ~ lol
 28. My first kiss was at 15 with the most wonderful
       kisser in the world (or so I thought at the time......
       (Lol, yes, he was younger also ~ two months
       younger). And it was after a Sadie Hawkins Dance
       and my Mom had driven us so she saw it (the first
       thing I thought was, "Oh no, she is going to think
       I do this all the time!").
 29. I met my husband to be when I was 15 but I
       wouldn't go out with him because he thought I was
       older so he told me that he was 22 and than ask
       me out ~ I said that my Mom would never let me go
       out with someone that old. Of course, he told me
       than that he was 18 but I wouldn't believe him. (He
       was). My Buick Special broke down one night and
       I couldn't get home from work so he gave me a ride.
       (He would go to college all day ~ work all evening
       and came every night to where I worked and sat
       until I got off of work.) (Our whole yard had a chain
       link fence around it and when we got to my house,
       we sat on the driveway (me on the inside ~ him on
       the outside of the fence) and talked for hours until
       my Mom got up and came to the door. I introduced
       him to her and that was the end all the rules I had
       ever had. When it came to me being out with Larry
       they seem to not apply to my Mom ~ my family
       loved him so much, but not any more than I did.
 30. We did so many fun things ~ My first older man in 
       my life (2 years, 3 months) and only one of just
       two. We would go to his fraternity parties and they
       would tell jokes and everyone would laugh
       (including me) and than when we got out in the car
       Larry would explain the joke to me and I would
       have a really good laugh. (I was very naive). (I've
       learned a lot since then)
 31. We were married two months after the day I turned
       18 on September the 3rd. To this day it is one of
        my favorite days.
 32. I was a virgin when I got married ~ use to embarrass
       me to say that ~ doesn't matter now.
 33. Our first Child, a daughter, LeAnna , came along
       two years and three months later. She was and
       is a beautiful child. She looks so much like her
       Daddy.
 34. We raced sports cars and I had eleven first place
       trophy's for this. We raced in auto crosses (they
       were held at old airports) and gym canna's (held in
       parking lots).
 35. When I was eight months pregnant with LeAnna I
       spun the car out in an auto cross (no problem I
       knew how to handle the car so we were not hurt
       nor the car (my time wasn't as good as it could
       have been but I still came in first) but no more
       driving for me until after She was born as it was
       too rough on Daddy's nerves.
 36. At 21, most my friends smoked, my Mother
       smoked , I thought that I should smoke too, so I
       got a pack of cigarettes and lit the first one - I took
        that first big puff and nearly chocked to death.
       Made an absolute fool out of myself. Of course in
       front of all my friends, I tried and tried. Every time I
       just coughed my head off. It was awful so I would
       take a puff ~ not inhale but just hold it in my mouth
       and after a respectable length of time blow it out
       real cool like I had inhaled. That got to be so much
       trouble after a week ~ I gave up smoking for life.
 37. My husband went into the service and I found out
       we were expecting our second child the next year.
       At four months we lost the baby ~ My doctor
       walked in and said, I hear, I have to be family,
       husband, doctor to you as my family was 650
       miles away and of course, Larry was in boot camp.
       The doctor wouldn't tell me if the baby was a boy
       or a girl - said it would only hurt me more to know
       (go figure - like that would make a difference) but
       in my heart I felt it was another girl.
 38. When I was expecting the third time, I just knew it
       was a boy and would only wear blue and only get
       blue baby clothes. And was it ever a boy - all 10 lbs.
       13 1/2 oz. of him ~ the most beautiful boy ~ yes,
       he looked like his daddy too! I had really beautiful
       babies!
 39. When the children were only 10 and 12 we lost
       their daddy to colon cancer. (I couldn't believe it..
       It was just not a reality ~ he was only 34 years old).
 40. My sister (the one closest to me in age) decided
       we needed to get away after Larry died so she took
       my mother and I to the Bahamas for a week. Now
       that is a story I will have to blog about sometime ~
       as we were put under house arrest (their mistake ~
       not ours. Matter of fact they sent a basket of fruit
       up to our room with champagne and gave us a
       free day in the hotel)
 41. Love people and enjoyed having my children's
       friends over ~ many called me Mom. We use to get
       my old 69 cameo (the drivers door was stuck so I
       had to climb in the window or when I wore a dress
       slide across from the passenger side) and pick up
       eleven of their friends and go to the skating rink on
       Friday Night's. There were legs and skates every
       where..... It was so much fun.
 42. Went to nursing school after my husband died and
       went to work in a local hospital here. It was a life
       long dream of mine to be a nurse, but my mother
       had been one and said that I could go to school f
       or anything I wanted but that ~ a doctor, lawyer, etc.
 43. First job after of nursing school was in an icu unit
       and I was a nervous wreck ~ had worked on
       computers in the job before that and my boss had
       told me the first day on the job that there wasn't
       anything that I could do to that machine that
       couldn't be fixed. I took one look at that unit and
       thought that there was no room for mistakes here
       ~ there would be plenty that I could do that couldn't
       be fixed. Worked with the best girls on that unit and
       it was an education for me. I have always loved
       my job.
 44. I taught both of my children to drive ~ we lived out
      in the country at that time ~ and they never hit a
      single tree ~ lol. They ask me (since they knew
      that their daddy had taught me how to drive a stick
      shift) if Larry had that much patience with me. He
       had more ~ He had taught me in down town
       Cocoa Beach ~ we heard a lot of horns blowing as
       I restarted the car or hopped along~ lol
 45. I remarried for a short time finding that all marriages
       are not created equal.... That was when I learned
       that even though I have always been a sharing
       person that it is better to be alone than with the
       wrong person. Because you are more alone with
       the wrong person than you are by yourself.
 46. I have been single for 22 years ~ almost messed up
       that number but I came to my senses.
 47. I dated a fighter pilot for 8 years. Still occasionally
       "Throw a nickel on the grass ~ save a fighter pilot's
       a$$" When I was working in the ICU and he would be
       flying I would throw a nickel out the window to the
       grass below.
 48. We went to England for a week ~ what an
       experience. Rode the train and drank Baileys and
       coffee. Walked in the country side and through old
       Churches and grave yards. Stayed in a Bread and
       Breakfast and went shopping at the locals little
       shops ~ it was wonderful.
 49. Around this time we also traveled to California
 50. Spent some time in Las Vegas
 51. Spent sometime at Hoover Dam ~ it was awesome!
 52. One of my favorite places I have visited and that was
       when Larry was alive ~ was Denver, Colorado. Said
       when we were there that if I was ever going to move
       some place for no reason at all (like for a job or
       something) that it would be  Denver but that was
       many years ago.
 53. One of the favorite times of my life came long about
       1993 and I had a blind date (set up by a friend that
       I had introduced her to her husband) This date was
       9 years younger than I was and so much fun. He
       loved out doors, too. Would get just a little upset
       when people were surprised when they found out I
       was older than him.
 54. Yes, I love out doors. Back packing, camping,
       fishing, just being outdoors.
 55. Sometimes when my best friend of 30 years, Steve,
       comes over, we even have a picnic in the back yard
       as with his job his time is limited. I sometimes sit
       in my car when I am about to leave for work and
       just stare at my back yard thinking how beautiful
       it is (you would have to see my back yard to know
       how funny this statement is. It is not a place out of
       House and Garden ~ more like " Into the Wild".)
 56. My daughter was married for 13 years before she
       was expecting my first grandchild. So, in Dec. of
       2002, my name changed to Nanna. It is the
       prettiest name in the world!
 57. My first granddaughter came along in Jan. of 2004
       and she is her Daddy's girl for sure. Just as
       beautiful. She speaks 4 languages already at 3
       and her Nanna is studying to catch up!
 58. In 2000 we made the trip to Santarini Greece for my
       son's and daughter-in-laws wedding. We were there
       for 10 days. (Well, in Athens for two nights and
       Santarini for 8) My daughter cried every night we
       were there because she is not like my son and I
       in liking to travel and her husband couldn't make the
       trip. The last night she was so happy we were
       going home and was all smiles. She said to me,
       Can you believe we are going home tomorrow?
       And I started to cry. Didn't want to leave there ~
       would go back to live.
 59. I love to fly ~ I work a 7on - 7off schedule so that I
       can fly to see my Mom and Sis's on my week off.
 60. I also love to drive. The first person I ever met on the
       internet on a dating site (stay away from those
      places now) had put that he wanted to meet
      someone with in 25-50 miles of home and I had put
      1000 miles. I actually think there are no amount of
       miles that make a relationship impossible ~ just
       a little more difficult sometimes. But driving, flying
       what ever ~ I enjoying getting there. This to me is
       one example where it is the trip as well as the
       designation that can be wonderful.
 61. We lost my brother to colon cancer in 1998 when
       he was 43 years old. The whole family thought it
       was the end of the world ~ my brother was the
       kindest person I have ever known. This was a big
       lesson in my life. I call my family everyday (that
       is why I have unlimited long distance on my home
       phone) but I just always thought that we would
       spend so much more time together when we retired.
       You can't wait for anything ~ you may never get
       there. You have to find a way to do it now.
 62. I am an early morning person. Love early morning
       ~ think it is the prettiest time of the day.
 63. I love water ~ drinking it, bathing in it, swimming in 
       it ~ boating on it, watching and listening to it. Yes,
       I even love the rain.
 64. Love walking ~ could walk all day ~ it is especially
       fun with someone but even nice alone.
 65. I was born a Methodist, I Married a Baptist, and
       converted to Catholic (One thing I know without a
       doubt and that is God is God ~ He loves you and
       is there for you no matter what you call yourself).
 66. Feel closest to God when in the woods...
 67. Think that there is something beautiful about
       everyone ~ there are some you have to look really
       hard to find the beauty in but it is there. Of course
       there are many that it hits you a mile away.
 68. I believe that attitude is everything as the saying
       goes. We can't help what happens to us, but we
       have control of our attitude about it or should.
 69. I don't judge others ~ don't feel I have the right ~
       besides you may think you would know what you
       would do in their shoes but until you are there you
       really never know. I don't judge as I said but that
       doesn't mean I always like what they do because I,
       for sure, have issues with some things. We just all
       have our own mistakes to make ~ it is a learning
       progress. I should be the smartest person around
       but that isn't true.
 70. I am a little anal about some things. LOL. My spices
       in my kitchen cabinet are in alphabetical order. You
       may break your neck getting to the cabinet
       because of something I have just sat in the middle
       of the floor but you wont have any trouble finding
       the spice you want. My sock drawer has the socks
       fixed so that like colors are together as are my
       panties and bras in their drawer.
 71. I love fresh flowers in the house even if I am the only
       one going to see them (And on my week to work,
       I will most likely be the only one to see them).
 72. Love to get mail. Miss the days of going to the mail
       box and finding cards and letters on a regular basis.
       I use get so excited about the mail man showing up
       each day. Use to write and send cards and letters
       all the time too. The computer has taken over now
      (but I love it too)
 73. My Mom says that I have more friends than anyone
       she knows but that is not true ~ I just have some
       wonderful and close friends that I wouldn't trade for
       any thing in the world.
 74. I mentioned earlier my friend, Steve, that has been
       about one of my best friends for 30 years, but my
       very best friend I have never seen in person
       (although that will change and very soon) and she
       lives some 2000 miles away from me. Guess it is
       no secret that it is Cherie. I have people that IM
       me and say, "tell Cherie hello" as they know we
       are on the phone 90% of the time when possible.
 75. I love to do things on the spare of the moment. One
       of those nights that I had taken a group of the
       children to the skating rink, my friend Steve called
       and said "Let's go to the beach" so I called the
       mother to my daughter's best friend and told her
       we were going to go to the beach, to throw some
       clothes in a bag for Paula and we would be by to
       get them. Picked the children up from the rink and
       headed for Florida. They were so surprised and
        excited. It was no surprise, we had a great time.
 76. I love to make baskets, weave them and than fill
       with goodies to take to patients and friends.
 77. Love to sew but haven't in awhile. Made my
       Daughters first coat and one of her prom dresses ~
       made me so happy that she was so proud of it.
       Made a co-worker a dress for a big date she had ~
       I can still picture her smiling face in my heart. Had
       a patient that I made the pillows for the ring barrier
       to carry the rings on for her wedding - she was from
       Mexico and I wanted to go to her wedding so much
       but couldn't get off work. Also made my God-child's
       Christening dress.
 78. Love animals ~ especially dogs and cats. Have a
       65 gallon aquarium but it is not set up at this
       moment (but love it when it is ~ you know the
       water thing!).
 79. Am a lover ~ am a cuddlier and a kisser. If I love
       you ~ I love you always (friend or lover) ~ don't think
       real love goes away but if I need to go away and give
       you your space I know how to do that too. But I am
       a toucher and a hugger ~ one thing my job has
       taught me is to tell who is comfortable with being
       touched or not. I always hug my friends and family
       when I greet them.
 80. I am a very lucky person, seems no matter what I do
       good things always happen to me.
 81. My mother has always told me to tell the truth (not
       because that is what a mother is suppose to do
       but because she said it shows all over my face
       when I am lying. And yes, it is true I have terrible
       guilt when I do what I consider wrong ~ It is almost
       impossible to live with ~ not that it has stopped me
       from doing wrong at times ~ lol.
 82. I talked about my grandson being born and being
       called Nanna and my granddaughter ~ I am a
       grandmother of 4 now and they have my heart
       completely. My daughter now has two sons and
       my son two daughters.
 83. If I haven't already mentioned it ~ I love my son-in-
       law and my daughter-in-law. I would have picked
       them myself if I could have. Like I have always said
       ~ it is difficult to not love someone that loves the
       people you love.
 84. I love movies ~ especially old ones, adventure
       movies or ones that show the outdoors a lot.
 85. I have 4 tv's in my house and I never watch tv
       unless it I am watching a movie, the weather
       channel, the history channel or the travel channel
       (all but the movies are when I am interested  in the
       particular thing they have on)
 86. I love to cook but not just for myself. My husband
       use to call all the time and say he was bringing
       someone home to dinner ~ I loved it. Just don't
       enjoy cooking for only me. Use to bake bread all
       the time and give it to the neighbors but the little
       bit I kept was going on my hips ~ lol ~ had to stop.
 87. Love to eat ~ lol ~ just call me Mikey ~ will try
       anything once and so glad I did with raw oysters
       as they are my favorite seafood (those and lobster)
       and I love all seafood! Love vegetables too ~my
       favorites include broccoli, asparagus, and snow
       peas. Love cooked cabbage.. Love Greek (well,
       most mediterranean), Italian, and Mexican food!
       And of course, I am one of those chocolate lovers!
       (Have I mentioned I love good food?)
 88. I always wanted 6 children (my husband wanted two
       ~ shows you who the boss was) I never said I was
       smart ~ remember I said I studied really hard!!!!!!!
 89. I always wanted to sky-dive one time (figured if I
       was lucky enough to have my shoot open that time
       that I wouldn't push my luck again and then I would
       know what it feels like. (Gave that dream up after
       Larry died as I figured if my shoot didn't open that I
       was the only parent my children had left!)
 90. Want a motorcycle to ride to the lake when I go to
       visit my friends at their lake place (and maybe to
       work the way the price of gas is going). My son
       was going to help me find one when my budget
       permitted ~ that hasn't happened yet ~ lol.
 91. Hate to have my hair cut ~ get really nervous about
       it BUT it is important to me for it to be healthy. I
       love my hair really long (always said I wanted it
       right above my waist and right below my boobs ~
       lol ~ but the longer it grows the more they sag and
       it can't seem to  catch up!!! (Did I mention my Mom
       and some of my friends think I am really funny)
 92. Just like all us woman (maybe humans in general),
       there are things about my body I sometimes don't
       like, but as I get older I find that those things are
       really not so important.
 93. Have always wished I could sing ~ you know I love
       music ~ was a music major when I first went to
       college ~ was going to teach band. (My husband
       and I were in an auto accident and I had to drop out. 
       Was majoring in music and English). I can't carry a
       tune in a bucket and that is the nicest thing you can
       say about my singing even though I have sang in the
       Church choir and took Chorus in high school.
 94. Love to have my toe nails done ~ don't paint my
       fingernails but love to have my toe nails painted!!!
 95. REALLY LOVE TO HAVE MY HAIR BRUSHED or
       touched.  Have always said if I were wealthy that I
       would pay someone $500.00 a week just to brush
       my hair when I wanted. The rest of the time would
       be their own (they could just carry a beeper and I
       would supply that so I could beep them when I
       wanted ~ lol)
 96. I hardly ever wear make-up and I have always been
       that way. When I do put it on for special occasions,
       I always feel like it is too much and rub some of it
       off ~ lol.
 97. My pet peeve is chain letters or email's that say if
       you don't send this to so many people in such
       amount of time the world will come to an end or
       your nose will grow ~ lol or one of those ridiculous
       things. (Now, why would a friend want to take a
       chance that you might not send it on than you
       would have all those terrible things happen to you?)
       I never send them on UNLESS they say  something
       really beautiful or worth reading and then I take the
       part out about if you don't send etc.
 98. At this point I probably don't need to put this one in
       here, but I am a bad speller!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 99. When I was younger (up until probably 30
       something or 40) I was an open book ~ if I felt it
       or it happened to me I said it. Finally I learned to
       keep my mouth shut, listen mostly and then Cherie
       ask me to do this.
100. ((Fireworks ~ bells and whistles going off)) I am a
       very rich woman!!!!!!! So very rich in love, both to
       and from family and friends.