Friday, October 21, 2011

25 Random Facts About Robert’s Sister (yeah, that’s me)

The other day I posted 25 Random Facts about Robert and promised a few random facts about me too. Random facts in random order. I wonder how many of these are a surprise to my friends and family?

1. When I was 13 I had a pencil thrown at me by a little girl I was babysitting and the lead end was briefly stuck in my eye. (What is it about my family and getting poked in the eye? Obviously, Mom should have made us all wear protective eyewear).

2. I have two younger brothers. Robert is 5 years younger than me, is disabled and has epilepsy. Other Brother is not quite 2 years younger than me and is a very successful partner in an actuarial firm. Robert beats us both at cards.

3. I had heart surgery when I was 18 months old to repair a hole in my heart that I had been born with. My daughter had a similar problem when she was born and had her heart surgery when she was only 2 months old.

4. I still have a few baby teeth and I never got any wisdom teeth. (No comments from the peanut gallery, please). :-)

5. I volunteered at the Suicide Prevention Center when I was 18 years old even though their minimum age to volunteer was 21. I was able to talk my way into the job (if you read my book, you'll know why).

6. During college, I worked for Greenpeace soliciting donations door to door and was yelled at numerous times. My favorite thing yelled at me was “nuke the whales!” People can be crazy!

7. I failed beginning French in college and now worry how I’ll manage to get around when I go to France one of these days.

8. I had two majors in college: Psychology & Peace/War Studies. I thought working at the UN would have been a pretty cool job.

9. In my twenties, I acted in local theater productions and was an extra in a few movies and television shows. It was a blast!

10. Until the 6th grade, I was called Patti. I decided I didn’t like that name any longer so asked everyone to start calling me Tricia. Now it’s just Trish.

11. I really like cows. It may have something to do with the fact I grew up in Nebraska.

12. One of the houses I grew up in was across the street from the famous Boys’ Town farm in Omaha. We could smell the “fertilizer” when the wind shifted.

13. I love making snow angels.

14. I love animals and currently have 2 dogs, 2 cats and an aquatic turtle.

15. I was the oldest and only girl cousin on my dad’s side of the family until I was 12. This meant I wasn’t afraid of boys and could hold my own in a game of touch football.

16. The smoke alarm usually goes off when I cook something. My mom gave me a fire extinguisher as a present once.

17. In high school, I was chosen as an alternate on the flag team. (My family moved to California so I was unable to fulfill my duties but I am still proud to have been chosen).

18. I love old cemeteries and enjoy reading the ancient headstones.

19. I eat way too much chocolate and exercise way too little. (Okay, pretty much never, but I intend to start very soon.)

20. In college, I worked at McDonalds and was in charge of the french fries. During one shift, I accidentally forgot to salt a basket of fries which was served to someone in the drive-thru. I’m sure he wasn’t happy with his order but I like to think I contributed to lowering his blood pressure. I lasted there two weeks.

21. I broke my arm when I was 5, my collarbone when I was 11 and a few toes here and there.

22. I’ve written and published a book (Forever a Caregiver). (Did you think I wouldn’t take this opportunity to pitch the book?). I am working on a book about Robert and also resource books for caregivers.

23. I love football! The Nebraska Cornhuskers are my favorite team whether they are winning or losing. I love them just a little more when they are winning.

24. I was bald until I was 2 or 3 which so concerned my parents they took me to the doctor about it. At weekly visits, the doctor put me under a lamp to help my hair grow. Kinda like you do with a Chia Pet.

25. I have been blessed with an amazing daughter and was blessed again when I gained two more fantastic kids by marrying my husband. (Oh yeah, he’s pretty wonderful too).

Will you share a few random facts about you?

10 comments:

bill austin howe said...

One more try at commenting. I truly loved doing this fun little exercise. What a great way to get to know things about each other that might not come up in a normal conversation.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who can break a bone. I did know about the name thing but now everyone gets to know. I do heartily suggest a pocket translator when travelling in countries where English is not common. Jon and I had ours programmed for our trip to India but discovered that everyone speaks English there. It stayed in my pocket. Loved the plug for your wonderful book. Hasn't everyone read it already? I passed on both copies that I bought and they have since been passed on again. Sorry that that makes for fewer sales but....

Loved this post and you too.

Austin/Bill

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Bill, So happy your comment finally made it! :-) Thank you for sharing my book -- that is the highest compliment if you ask me. India sounds like a fun trip; I'll add that to my list of "places I'd love to go." You should do a blog post about your travels!

Franziska San Pedro said...

Hi Patti ;-)

oh how interesting! One would never know if we hadn't done this awesome exercise! You had a hole in your heart and I had polio when I was 2 1/2. Our poor parents! But luckily it all went well for both of us and your daughter, too.

And I was pretty bald, too when I was little. That blondish-almost-white fussy hair that just did not want to grow. I think I had my first hair cut when I was 4, there wasn't anything to cut really...

So much fun to read about you!!

Franziska

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Franziska, I had my first hair cut at 5 and it was from the neighbor girl down the street! My mom was livid -- we were due for family pictures and I was off playing "beauty parlor" and volunteered to be the customer. :-) From the horror on my mom's face when I returned home, I don't think the girl was destined to be a hair stylist . . .

Judy, The Reflective Writer said...

Trish - Or should I sat Patti? I find the idea of changing a name so intriguing. Much more daring than I ever would have been? But oh dear, a hole in your heart and almost in your eye, plus broken bones. You are apparently quite hardy, which is a good thing.

Now what is this about cows? They were on Louise's list too! I thought girls were supposed to love horses. (I'm neither a cow nor a horse person. Just cats.)

I think what's most interesting to me about these lists is how much deeper everyone's experiences run than we could imagine. We get to know each other on-line in a certain way and don't realize how much is hidden in our histories. I'm just loving finding the deeper side of you, Trish! Of course, knowing you as the caregiver you are is a huge part of knowing YOU. Just glad to expand on that.

Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
http://www.thereflectivewriter.com
Personal-Professional Balance Through Writing

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

I loved doing the list and also reading everyone else's lists. It does "round out" these online friendships which is so much fun. I'm tickled you called me hardy! I love it. Can't explain those cows but you know I love cats (and dogs) too. :-)

keepupweb said...

Getting to know more about you was a lot of fun. Like you, I've broken my share of bones. The first bone I broke (and by far the most painful) was my kneecap. Fortunately, it was my left knee and I was able to drive myself to the ER.

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Ack! A broken kneecap sounds awful! You are quite the superwoman to have driven yourself to the ER after that. I read that people, on average, break 2 bones in their lifetime. I think we've done more than our fair share. :-)

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed reading your posts so fare and look forward to following you on FB. I have a 27 year old daughter who has suffered from a "seizure disorder" (so-called because no medical tests have shown a reason for the seizures) since she was 11 months old. She has been lucky in that her seizures are pretty well-controlled by medication, but she struggles with wanting to lead a "normal" life - driving, swimming, trips with friends, etc. My husband and I have accepted that she will probably remain with us for quite a while, but we all agree that she could possible live on her own at some point, as long as she remains in close contact with family. She has been told that pregnancy will not be in her future, although should she find the right person, they may choose to adopt. I am thankful that she is able to live a fairly normal life, with only a few disruptions from the seizures. Thank you so much for sharing your story - as my younger nieces and nephews grow and begin to drive, go to college or marry, it is just a reminder of things that my daughter may never be able to have. I am reminded that her situation could be much worse, and am thankful for what she brings to my life. thanks again

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Thank you for sharing your story and for reading Robert's story. You are a wonderful mom to your daughter to help her navigate through the challenges she faces living with the seizure disorder. It is hard to be reminded of the things they cannot do but I learn so much from Robert's attitude - he never seems to have regret so I try not to have it either. Your daughter is lucky to have such a caring mom as you! Looking forward to talking with you more. Take care.