FIFTY!

Okay, so I'm not 50 years old ... I'm actually 58 today (it is my birthday). But, this is my 50th post. So, here are 50 facts about me - whether you wanted to know them or not!

1. My middle name is Louellen. My grandmother's name was Sarah Pearl Louellen Womack Bennett.

2. I have lived in Georgia (born there), Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Arizona.

3. I had two miscarriages, and 4 children, even though the doctors told me I would never be able to have any children.

4. Each of my children was conceived in one state and born in another (half way across the country from where they were conceived).


5. Each one was born in a different state than the others - so they were born in 4 different states.


6. I have a brother (George) and a sister (Joye) and their families who live in Georgia. My mother wanted a happy family (hence, Joye and Merrie). I am the youngest.

7. I love computers and typing.

8. My first real job was at Sears Roebuck on Ponce de Leon Ave. in Atlanta.

9. I had to wear high heel shoes and a black or brown dress everyday.

10. I worked in the drapery department and cut shades to fit.

11. I also made keys.

12. I worked as a wallpaper hanger once.

13. I sold paint.

14. I worked at Rich's at Lenox Square in the jewelry department

15. I worked at a flower shop owned by my aunt-in-law.

16. I worked as the paid Church Secretary in three places and as the "volunteer" secretary now.

17. I was Night Administrator at a Technical College

18. I have been to 8 different colleges

19. I am working on my Doctor of Naturopathy

20. We have served in 10 different appointments (churches) . We have had 26 different Churches in those 10 appointments . We have had 4 appointments with only 1 church.

21. I love to sing and have sung at a wedding and a funeral (not the same event). Neither one was my idea, but forced on me. I am not that good. I just love music. (Notice, I only sang at ONE of each, haha - THAT speaks very loudly of my ability)

22. I was very shy in school and would not answer questions or give oral reports. I did not speak to anyone walking down the hall. I did not want to be singled out or put on display and would just not go to school if or take a zero rather than give a report.

23. Both my parents are still living and married to each other... They say they have loved each other for over 70 years!

24. I love homemade cookies - peanut butter are my favorites, but anything with NUTS is wonderful... cookies are probably my favorite food of all. Given a choice of anything, I go for cookies, especially if they have nuts in them.

25. I love nuts of all kinds - pecans and peanuts are my favorites, almonds are next in line- walnuts are okay IN something, but not as good just to eat - but, you put chocolate on them and they are all good!

26. We used to buy 50 pounds of pecans a year just to eat like chips - then we went into the ministry and could not afford to buy them anymore.

27. I tried to sell Tupperware. In my only 3 parties NO body showed up - not even the person who was training me!

28. I have colored my hair since I was 16 years old. I did it myself until I was in my 50's! Now I have someone do it for me.

29. I love boiled peanuts. I got that love from my daddy and granddaddy. Every time we visited my grandparents, he had a pot of boiled peanuts on the stove.

30. My husband was not a pastor when I met him or married him. I did not plan to be a pastor's wife. I guess that was God's plan. He just had me fall madly in love with him and THEN called him. sneaky!!!!

31. My daddy, uncle, and brother are all pastors, and my two sons are also.

32. I wear contacts. I love the gas perm (or hard ). I tried the soft ones but could not see as well. I tried bi-focals, but can see better with my gas perm contacts and reading glasses... I have worn contacts since my teens.

33. I had 3 cats and a dog when I married. I got rid of all of them, and it took me 31 years to get an inside dog of my own.

34. I weigh 20 pounds more than I did 2 years ago. (and I'm NOT happy about it and am doing something about it - cutting out the cookies and nuts!)

35. My favorite color is red - even though most all the clothes I buy are a variation of coral or turquoise.

36. I love to crochet. I make baby blankets for all the babies born in our church and my grandbabies... of course!

37. I love chips and salsa and tex-mex food - not so crazy about oriental foods

38. I did not like to play with baby dolls when I was a little girl. I loved Barbie and horses.

39. On my 7th birthday I got a solid black cat named Lucky. That was before I did not believe in "luck".

40. I used to love to read, but since I started back to school I have a hard time reading anymore. It has been several years since I read a novel. I miss those, maybe I'll pick up one off the shelf and read something fun!

41. I love sweet tea (with Splenda). I do not like hot tea! I like coffee if it is cold weather (flavored coffee is the best!). I especially like it if I have someone to drink it with. Coffee is something that should be shared - like a good glass of wine - except I don't drink, so coffee will have to do.

42. I am not especially fond of cake. I rarely make one and rarely eat a piece. If there is a cake around I might eat one piece. It is usually thrown away after that. I don't eat cupcakes much either. If I eat cake it is usually a good pound cake or something with nuts.

43. Breakfast foods are good for supper. Please don't put an egg in front of me in the morning!

44. I have directed weddings. I don't get paid for it and so I quit. It is too much work and stress to do just because I am the Pastor's wife! But, I am very opinionated about how a wedding should be done. There are just certain things that are very important and usually left undone and that bothers me. So, I try to stay out of it.

45. I love to shop sales and get a good bargain. A real "high" for me is finding a good deal. It bothers me to have to pay full price for anything. Not that I'm cheap or don't want the people to make money - I just get a real thrill when I find something at a great price! I love church rummage sales and bazaars - that's the best place to find deals.

46. I have been looking for a good pair of navy shoes for years! I am even willing to pay full price for a pair that I like... I don't know if they even MAKE navy shoes anymore because I have not seen any navy dress shoes. (what do YOU wear with navy????)

47. I have a clock on my desk that tells me the temperature in "my" room. I also have a thing on my computer that tells me the temperature outside. I used to watch the weather channel all the time to keep up with the temperature, but now that we have satellite, we don't have local weather so I don't watch that anymore. The kids used to call me long distance to see what the weather was like where they lived because they knew I knew.

48. I rarely watch the news. My favorite tv channel is the GOD channel. (365 on Direct TV). It is much more fun than the traditional Christian shows. I also watch Food network and HGTV and I love good movies on Hallmark. My sister-in-law thinks I'm a horrible person because I don't know what's going on in the world. I figure that if it is something life changing, someone will tell me. I just pray over the world everyday and don't worry.

49. I took piano lessons when I was in high school. I wish I had practiced and learned more. I love the piano and can play chopsticks and heart and soul. My right hand can do pretty well, but my left hand does not want to cooperate.

50. My most favorite place in the world - besides being with my kids and grandkids - would be the beach. My dream house will be right ON the beach - large enough for all my family to come and visit as often and as long as they like. For now, I am content in whatever state I'm in!