Here we go...
ONE: I spent my entire childhood twirling a baton. I was a member of the Modernettes. We were the Grand National Baton twirling champs every year! Seriously! We would go every summer to Notre Dame University to complete and we won just about every year. The picture below is 1983 after we won and got our medals. I am the one far right in the grey shirt.
I was out of the group after high school but they continued to win every year they competed! They have just disbanded :-(
The owners (below) passed away - our beloved Clem and Ruby Daugherty
- and it was too much for their daughter Sherry Daugherty to go on with the group - so the legacy is over :-(
TWO: I ran and completed the full Pittsburgh Marathon in 2014!! I trained really hard and I finished!!!! It is something that I knew at mile 24 I would NEVER do again! I honestly did not think my legs would keep going but they did! LOL! So, never again which works out well anyway due to...
THREE: I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I was mountain biking and fell on my pedal and got a large gash in my ankle around the age of 31. The gash would not heal! It was the strangest thing! Then, next thing I knew; anytime I would get scratched or have my skin punctured it would not heal! So weird! So finally, after years of having these unhealed patches on my skin (I honestly looked like a contagious leper) I went to the dermatologist and found out I had psoriasis. No one knows what triggers it to start but it is usually a traumatic event to the skin (ie: my bike pedal injury). Anyway, over the years I tried everything from light therapy to creams to clear my skin. Currently, my skin is clear using biologic medicines - meaning I get a shot monthly to keep my skin clear and it is working - yippee!!! My skin is clear but my joints are deteriorating due to the arthritis part of the disease. So, needless to say, bad joints means NO MORE RUNNING (thank goodness that bucket list item above we done earlier).
FOUR: I am single!! I was married once when I was 26 and it only lasted a few months! I am happy and much better off alone! (One a side note: I was a horrible wife and I always thought I was the bad one that made the relationship fail but I recently ran into my ex-brother-in-law and learned that my ex-husband is 52 and living in his parents basement so maybe he was just as much of the problem-LOL)
FIVE: I am 50! It is hard to believe that even as I type it! I feel so young aside from aches and pains (LOL) that it is hard to believe I am 50 but it is true. It just happened last month so I am still getting used to it! I have three other cousins that also turn 50 this year so we decided to have a family reunion and joint party for the four of us this summer! I will post pictures as I am sure it will be a crazy party knowing my family!
SIX: I currently live in a condo and am looking to sell and get a house! I love my condo and it would be perfect if it had a garage...well, more than anything I want a yard with a garden and a garage! I live in Pittsburgh and the winters suck when you have to clean your car off everyday from snow and ice! UGH!
SEVEN: OH Dang! I just gave away Seven in Six! LOL - I am a Pittsburgh girl! I love it here-I love the season and I love my teams - Go Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates and Penguins!!!! Have been here all my life!
EIGHT: I currently have 4 cats - am I the crazy cat lady?!?! I think maybe....and I am okay with it! I have two brothers that are 2 years (Nermal and Trouble) and two girls that are 1 years old (Grace and Faith)
NINE: Beaches are my jam! I love beaches and everything water! My family goes to vacation every year to Stone Harbor, NJ and now I have thrown in a yearly trip to Aruba with my flight points! Traveling for work does pay off in that area!!!
TEN: When I though about saying "I am dieting now" as a fact I realized that my whole life I have been on a diet! That's crazy but so very true! My whole life has been a roller coaster-lose weight, maintain a while and gain, etc....UGH! Apparently my need for MORE applies to food also! :-)
ELEVEN: My favorite color is yellow...and purple...and green...LOL! I have a lot of favorite colors!
TWELVE: I drive a Honda Civic. I always drove Chevy's until they quit making the Cavalier! Then I switched to Honda since both my brother and brother-in-law work for Honda. When I was traveling for work I drove a really cute Jeep Renegade rental so now I want a white Jeep! They are adorable!
THIRTEEN: I secretly want to find a sugar daddy, retire, and travel on his dime. If you know of someone looking for a travel companion that will foot the bill - send them my way! Joking...but maybe not!
FOURTEEN: Most important of all!!! I got sober on December 9, 1996! I have not had a drink since! Life was NOT headed in a good direction and that needed to change desperately!! I found recovery and an amazing life! If you know anyone that is struggling with addiction and wants to find another way - there is hope and help!!!! I can definitely tell you what I did! And, if it worked for me for the past 21 years, it will certainly work for anyone!
FIFTEEN: Last, but not least, I quit smoking cigarettes in August 2008!! Best decision I ever made also!! Wow - I just realized it is coming up on 10 years! YIPPEE!!!
That is all I have! I hope you found something interesting that you can relate to! I can not wait to get to know you all better!! Thanks for all of the support you all give! This is an amazing community with the greatest people!!!
What decision did you make that changed your life? Have you quit any addictions? What was your "thing" growing up? Sports? Hope you learned something new about me!
Have a great rest of the week everyone!!!!!
Ann, I loved learning all these things about you. Although I haven't lived in Pittsburgh since 1976 and haven't been to visit since 1988, Pittsburgh will always be in my blood and hold a place in my heart. My family had been there for several generations; in fact, through my maternal grandmother, we have Revolutionary War blood. I am heavy into genealogy, and I want to make a trip back there to do some cemetery wanderings.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on being alcohol and smoke-free for so long. Job well done in beating those addictions!
You are slightly younger than I am (I'm 57), so even though we are both South Hills girls, we probably never were at the same place at the same time. I took baton lessons (and ballet and tap) from the Shade Sisters Dance Studio. They had Pleasant Hills and (maybe) Dormont locations back in the 70's.
Do you remember going to Kennywood? Or to the pools in South Park?
Oh, finally, another job well done on the marathon!
Have a great day!!
Awesome! Thank you for the congrats but I am just doing what everyone else does on a normal day! LOL!
DeleteI still LOVE Kennywood although it has gone down hill since then! and we used to hang out at South Park every night and just drive back and forth looking for boys! HA! Probably started my love of drinking there too! It is great to hear of someone else that twirled and danced!!!
Have a great night! We miss you here in Pittsburgh and come visit anytime - most will probably be just like you remember!
Thanks for letting us know more about you! 50(+, for me) is not that bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up - every time I cross a milestone; I realize I get a little wiser so how bad can it really be, right? Hugs!
DeleteGetting married changed my life. In it for 25 years guess I'll just stay there haha.
ReplyDeleteLOL! You are too funny!!! Hugs! :-)
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