I've been Tagged

My friend Katie tagged me to post seven random things about myself.

1. My name was supposed to be Courtney. According to my mom (and unverified by my dad) there was a discussion shortly after my birth, while my mom was in recovery from a 36 hour labor and delivery, that changed Courtney to Sharon. Blah. No one under the age of 50 has the name Sharon in the United States. Seriously. The name stopped being popular in the fifties. Where'd it come from then? How did they choose (old-fashioned) Sharon over (cute and cheerleader-esque) Courtney??? My aunt. What's amusing is that she doesn't like her name either. It's one of those strange things that is true in life. Everyone named Sharon dislikes her name.

2. Related factoid, but separately random is that during high school I unofficially changed the spelling of my name. Every document I ever turned in during high school (including information for the yearbook!) has my name spelled Sharyn.

3. I have a bible in my glovebox (or jockey box as my dad call it). It's the bible I had in high school and is ear-marked and highlighted all over the place and I use it much more than you would think. It is probably the most used item in my glove box, aside from my gps Tom Tom which I share with my husband. I pull out my bible while I am waiting for Irene to get done with youth group or...

4. When I am angry or upset or stressed out, I drive. This is the most effective way I have found for me to refocus and calm down. In Washington, I had a place I would always go after an argument or a rough day at work. I'd drive into the mountains and pull off at an overlook. Then I'd pull out my bible and read and pray and read and pray until I found peace. I'm still looking for my special spot here in Virginia.

5. I love to cook. Finding new recipes and creating them for my family is one of the ways that I show my love for them. It makes me feel good to know that I can make somthing healthy for them that they will also enjoy. I'm really hoping that one day, after Irene leaves our home, she'll come back for a visit and say "Mom, I really miss your cooking. Could you please make your ______ tonight for dinner?" Now understand, this is my aspiration. I still need lots of practice! Don't get your hopes up too high if you come to my house for dinner!

6. I didn't go to college. It's a very long story and something I much regret (although I don't regret the life lessons I learned during those years).

7. I used to hate spinach and lima beans. Hate is really not too strong of a word in this sentence. I was honestly revolted by both of them my entire life. Apparently somthing changed while I was in Guatemala because now I find lima beans tolerable and I really like spinach. Weird, eh?

Side note: Bella, however, is NOT a fan of spinach. Today at lunch she had her first gag response to a food (spinach). At our dinner table, spitting out food is not allowed. The poor baby tried really hard to eat it, knowing the rules, and gagged repeatedly, until she couldn't hold it in anymore. Yes, I felt horrible. No, I won't serve her any spinach for a while.