Unlocking the Doors

100. I was 4 when I started kindergarten.
99. I took ballet and tap dance from ages 4-9.
98. I stopped to play sports at the recreation center.
97. I played basketball, softball, and volleyball.
96. I wanted to play football, but they wouldn’t let me.
95. I wanted a dirt bike for my 12th birthday.
94. I didn’t get one. Mom said they were too dangerous. Whatever.
93. I became a Christian when I was 16.
92. My parents got divorced when I was 2.
91. My mom met my stepdad when I was 4.
90. They got married when I was 9.
89. I have 3 brothers, 2 older & 1 younger.
88. Their names are Joe(23), Gabriel(22), and Mickey(18).
87. Joe was born 3 months early, and has cerebral palsy.
86. Mickey is my stepbrother.
85. My maternal grandmother died on Superbowl Sunday in 2002 due to diabetes and an infection in her lungs.
84. U2 played “Beautiful Day” during the half time show.
83. Every time I hear that song, I can smell her perfume. Weird I know.
82. When my family went Christmas shopping to the mall, I would sit in the Walden Books and read all the Boxcar Children books they had in stock.
81. I did this from ages 8-11.
80. I tried out for the volleyball team both years in middle school. I didn’t make it either time.
79. I made the team my freshman year of high school, but not my sophomore year.
78. I didn’t even bother trying out my junior year because I realized that both coaches had favorites.
76. I’ve lived in North Carolina in the same town, Maiden and the same house since I was 6 months old.
75. I graduated with the people I went to kindergarten with. Which is kind of awesome actually.
74. My town is known as the “biggest littlest football town in the world.” I’m not kidding.
73. My senior year, the team was 14-0. 1 game away from a perfect season!
72. I got a Fender Squier acoustic for my 17th birthday.
71. I’m still trying to learn how to play it.
70. I had 2 dogs growing up, Maxine and Bernard.
69. Maxine “Max” was a Siberian Husky/wolf mix.
68. She had 1 blue eye and 1 brown eye.
67. She died my junior year of high school. I miss her alot.
66. Benard was a German Shepard.
65. When we got him, he was a trained guard dog.
64. My family turned him into a big softie, unless one of us was put in danger.
63. He died my freshman year of college. I miss him alot too.
62. Thanks to my uncle Scott, I am a Washington Redskins fan.
61. I grew up watching Duke basketball also due to the influence of my Uncle Scott.
60. HOWEVER, I became a hardcore Carolina fan in high school. They’re just so much more exciting to watch.
59. I am a first semester junior at Southern Wesleyan University.
58. I am majoring in Human Services with minors in Youth Ministry and Psychology.
57. I want to be an outreach counselor in the inner city.
56. I worked as a cashier at Bi-lo from July 2004- June 2006. (Btw, the name really doesn’t fit.)
55. I know how to somewhat “booty” dance.
54. I wasn’t able to express this talent until oddly enough, coming to SWU.
53. I get self-conscious though.
52. My musical tastes range from Ray Charles to Hawk Nelson to Kanye West. Basically everything except most country.
51. I am a really big CROSS MOVEMENT RECORDS fan. Especially of The Ambassador.
50. I could eat Chic-fil-a everyday.
49. My order always is 2 original sandwiches with extra pickles and a Cheerwine.
48. I didn’t start to paint my toe nails until the summer of 2007.
47. The summer of 2007 was spent traveling on ministry team with SWU.
46. My teammates were Justin Donnahoo, Kristen Hodges, and Kristie Rhodes.
45. I definitely miss the summer ALOT. Shades of Grace baby!
44. I only buy clothes from Wal-Mart, Goody’s, Goodwill and Old Navy.
43. And generally, it’s always on clearance with the exception of Goodwill.
42. One of my closest friends in high school, died in a car accident in December of our senior year.
41. We were only a day apart, her birthday on October 2nd, mine on the 3rd.
40. I have to thank God for getting me through this, healing is definitely a long process. I still miss her, but don’t dwell in it anymore.
39. My maternal grandfather lives as a hermit on a houseboat in the Gulf of Mexico.
38. He and my grandmother divorced when my mom was 7.
37. They stayed close friends, and the day after he remarried he called my grandmother and told her that it was the biggest mistake of his life.
36. Well, my grandmother was remarried too, and apparently the other woman was pregnant.
35. I had a mullet from age 3 to first grade.
34. Then I got a bowl cut. I kept it till almost 4th grade.
33. My step grandmother is from England.
32. We call her Nanny. So, I have a British nanny.
31. My one and only youth group that I was actually a youth in was the uPPER rOOM at Maiden Wesleyan. I became a sponsor after a year though.
30. We had a huge church split in which both the senior and youth pastors were basically forced out.
29. I still have some anger issues with that especially since my family still goes to MW.
28. I love listening to the Moulin Rouge, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and RENT soundtracks.
27. OH, and singing to them generally at the top of my lungs in my room or my mini-van.
26. My first car was a 1990 Suzki Swift, and well it was a piece. I still miss it though.
25. For music, I put a boombox in the backseat. Which might explain why I love anything boombox affiliated.
24. I don’t know how to work a lighter.
23. I currently drive a 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager mini-van.
22. I used to love playing Legend of Zelda, Duck Hunt, and Spy Hunter.
21. And the original Metal Gear before Playstation got ahold of it. Boo yah! I need to get my Nintendo out of storage!
20. I love BBQ with mustard based sauce and porkchops. I know I’m from the South.
19. I’ve been writing poetry and short stories since I was 8 years old.
18. I used to be a HUGE fan of professional wrestling.
17. Shawn Michaels and The Hardy Boyz are my favorites.
16. I grew up listening to the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Queen, The Eagles, and The Beatles. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
15. The first time I had ever went to the beach was in 2003. I stayed in a camper.
14. I didn’t think I was going to SWU until 3 months before I graduated high school.
13. Originally, I was going to Queens University in Charlotte to be a journalist. It’s great how God works things out.
12. All of my Disney Classics were bought on VHS in those big plastic cases. My favorites are Robin Hood, The Great Mouse Detective, and Beauty and the Beast.
11. The last time I saw my real dad was when I was 15. And that was for child support and insurance issues. Before that, I was 8 or 9.
10. I loved fried and/or smoked oysters. So good!
9. Sometimes, I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.
8. I didn’t become an extrovert until I became a Christian.
7. I can still be pretty quiet sometimes, and I definitely still need some time to myself.
6. I tend to be funny when I don’t mean to, and then there are the times when I try too hard.
5. I usually am pretty chill, it takes alot to get me angry.
4. I have 2 snaggle teeth. I’ve never gotten braces though.
3. I have unusually large tonsils. Every doctor I go to tells me that.
2. I had more guy friends than girls in high school. Now, it’s about an even mix in college.
1. God has shown me, and continues to show me that he will never let me go.