An Update--PLUS--Top 8 Ways I'm a Big Ol' Weirdo

I figured I'd better post something soon or I'd forget how. Don't get your hopes up, this is a random musings of a sleepy mind post, not a glorious return to scintilating content.

First, I should say that our trip to the 503 was great. It reaffirmed my determination to invest in air conditioning when we move back to the area, but otherwise, it was great. We got to see so many people! And Bennett pretty much charmed his way through half my address book. There are still a few people we weren't able to connect with, but that's just more motivation to move home soon.

Steve's last day with the Air Force is August 7, and things are swiftly hurtling towards the unknown. He's found a couple of job postings listed that seem very promising. One of them would be just perfect for him--it fits his talents and experience, but also has enough challenging aspects that he wouldn't get bored. Please pray that things will fall into place and that he'll end up in the work situation that will be best. Also, pray that we can sell our house--it's been on the market a month or more and we've only had two people look at it. We really need to sell it by mid fall or we're going to be in trouble.

Okay, now that the updates are out of the way, here are a few silly things that I do that will probably get me mocked, but I'll admit to them anyway...

1.) Our TVs have volume controls with numbers that indicate the sound level. I am incapable of leaving the volume level at an odd number (except one ending in 5--5s are different). That's right, even if 19 is the perfect volume, I'd rather leave it at 18 and strain to hear it or at 20 and strain to hear the other things going on in the house. I know it's weird. I literally cannot help it.

2.) Bennett gets his baths on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Nothing weird about that...until I admit that it's because those are the days mentioned in "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills and Nash.

3.) Some people are Theme Eaters. They eat all of their potatoes, then all of their green beans, then all of their steak. I am the opposite. I eat a bite of steak, then take a drink, then eat a bite of potatoes, then take a drink, then eat a bite of steak (because I don't eat many vegetables...doctor's orders). My dad and Ty do the same thing. When we're at a restaurant where our server isn't on the ball about refilling our drinks, our food ends up getting cold while we wait for refills because we can't stand eating without something to drink. Yes, we're weird.

4.) I can still remember the birthdays of friends from grade school and boys I had crushes on for a few weeks in high school, and I still remember the addresses of pretty much every place I've lived since Kindergarten, phone numbers included. But I've been with Steve since February 2002 and I can't remember his work phone number to save my life. (I blame cell phones.)

5.) I graduated from high school as Salutatorian and college as Valedictorian. The head of the English department hired me to correct papers for him, and I was one class short of having an English degree. I used to work as a technical writer and editor. But there are tons of simple words, like niece, exist, or probably that I can't spell without really concentrating and double-checking a few times. I used to get teased because I was a walking Thesaurus, but I think I developed that skill because I couldn't spell the word that I wanted to use, so I needed to find a spellable substitute. Often, the substituted word is harder to spell than the original, but I have no problem with spelling most things--I just have a certain set of words that I have a mental block with and I simply cannot spell them.

6.) I alphabetize my CDs and DVDs. When they get out of order, I get really irritated. But I secretly enjoy having to reorganize them when Steve messes them up beyond all recognition.

7.) I can't sleep unless my head is pointing towards a wall or something nice and solid. I hated the old cabins at camp because half of them left me nowhere to put my head and it creeped me out.

8.) I have a nice, big pantry full of canned food and dry goods, and ever single label is facing forward. All the spices are stored on a two-tiered Lazy Susan in alphabetical order, savory spices on the top and sweet on the bottom. If I was a little meaner, I'd turn into the evil husband from Sleeping With the Enemy every time someone other than me puts away the groceries.

I'm sure there are other weird things I could confess to, but this should do for now. Let the mocking commence!