Consider Lily

Throughout this year we will feature “Re-Considering Lily” where we will bring back by popular demand one of our previous topics. Sometimes the Consider Lily bloggers will add new comments and we will even invite previous bloggers to pipe in.

A few weeks ago, I was talking with some students when the subject of one of my favorite past-times (obsessions?) came up in the conversation. I was sharing excitedly this new-found love of mine and the students were staring at me bewildered … eyes WIDE open … amazed. They had no clue that I enjoyed this thing that I was sharing about and wanted to know more about it. It occurred to me that of the women I know who are posting here, probably each one of us has some hidden piece of knowledge that our readers might be surprised to know … or maybe even find comfort in knowing about us. For instance, who is to say that just because I write here about [insert topic] that I don’t also enjoy [insert the opposite topic]? Aren’t we all, in some form or fashion, true dichotomies?

Okay … I’m not trying to be weird (I’m waiting for some backlashing here … KJ – that’d be a role for you or Nicole right?), but I do want our readers to have an opportunity to know us better. We are not just women who are friends and seeking to encourage this younger generation of women coming up through college about faith and finding identity in Christ. We have individual personalities, interests, and desires that make us, in all reality, quite different from each other. So … my question is this: What is something that you like to do that not many people know about? Maybe it’s watching a certain TV show, or eating a certain food, or doing a certain hobby. Maybe it is an obsession with cutting your toenails … I don’t know! But this is a judgment-free zone so fill us in!

p.s. Okay … I guess I’ll share mine: I am a HUGE UFC fan … if it’s a Mixed Martial Arts competition, I’m there watching it. One of my 2007 resolutions (sorry Nicole – forgot to add this one on your previous post) is to actually make it to a UFC event to watch it live! Anyone have any connections out there??? Anyone???

UFC … what the Fred is that? I’m totally out of the loop on that one, Nik.

Who else will go first, because I feel really weird writing about myself.

You all are WIMPS! Come on! This is not a hard question!!

UFC stands for “Ultimate Fighting Championship” and is really just the organization’s name for Mixed Martial Arts competitions. It is the fastest growing sport in our country right now — pulling more viewers (of males 18-34) than the NBA, NFL, or MLB combined. But trust me, Jenn, you are not the only one out there who would not know of the UFC. I find that VERY few women like the sport.

I hope to hear from more of you … you’re really crushing me here … (Nicole – stop smiling with satisfaction!)

Okay, I will break the standoff. No judment here Nikki! Martial Arts rock. (You just gave me a “Say Anything” 80’s flic flashback with that one … anyone catch that reference? I would be most impressed if so. Rent that movie, young readers.) Anyway, I myself, love to go to a class at my gym called Body Combat. It is a kickboxing class. I like to think of myself as Jennifer Garner on “Alias” when I’m there. I have a killer jump kick. What else …? I am passionate about lip balm, dessert, food in general, my kids, adoption since some of my kids are adopted, good coffee, certain reality shows, that if my DVR blew-up and they didn’t tape I would probably cry, like American Idol and The Amazing Race, and evidently, run-on sentences.

How’s that?

Love it! Thank you Jenn for being so brave — we’ll see if our other bloggers are as courageous as you …

And for the record, I just TODAY got asked about a t-shirt I was wearing while working out at the gym. The t-shirt read “I (heart) UFC.” It was a girl who was a fitness trainer there and she informed me that she, also, is a huge fan so I am NOT ALONE!! YIPPEE!!

p.s. Did I mention that I just got asked by my mixed martial arts trainer (don’t ask) to “corner” a fighter at the Golden Gloves Boxing tournament this weekend? HOORAH!

Okay, now you’re speaking jibberish again. Corner a fighter? I’m trying to picture you doing such a thing, but it’s very hard since I don’t know what that means. Please give me a mental picture. Does Kevin know about this?

Is this just a conversation between the two of us Nikki? Good talking to you. I’m learning new things about you.

Hilarious! Yes – it seems to be just the two of us talking — where are the rest of our faithful CL bloggers??? HELLO? ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE???

Okay, okay! Gimme a break – my laptop hard-drive crashed so I was without a computer for awhile. And, I have to admit, sharing my “quirks” with you all is right up there with going to the dentist. But I’ll do my best …

I am a loyal American Idol fan (all five seasons), and I make popcorn on the stove every Tuesday night while I watch the Hollywood auditions through the final show. I set my alarm for odd times, like 5:43am or 6:27am. It’s more motivating than 5:30am or 6:30am. I am a stay-at-home mom, but in my free time (haha!!) I am a songwriter, a natural childbirth instructor, a mentor, and a voracious emailer. I’ve been abroad twice (Israel and Tanzania). Favorite treat: Biscotti’s and coffee with lots of fru fru creamer. Collegiate confession: In college, I decided Rugby might be fun, so I went to the first practice … after getting tossed around and rammed into a bit, I told the coach I had to go to the restroom … and never came back.

I think you are all sleeping by now so I’ll let someone else go!

It’s hard to find something as odd as a woman obsessed with watching men fight to the bloody end in a cage, but none-the-less, I’ll stop avoiding the blog and confess my own obsession (although, just some friendly advice Nikki … I’d be careful who you tell about “cornering” a half dressed man in a cage fight … just a thought).

Anyway, I am a 24 fanatic. Yes, the show 24, with Jack Bauer saving the world from terrorism … hands down the best show on television. Nevermind that less people died on D-day than in one episode of 24. Season 6 just started and we recorded the first four episodes on our DVR and planned to watch them all together with some friends (on a Friday night, none-the-less, which I’m sure officially makes me a loser). The night before our scheduled watching, our DVR crashed and we lost the episodes. I nearly had a nervous breakdown, which my husband says is a sad commentary on my character.

I also set my clock 23 minutes ahead because it makes me feel like I’m not getting up as early in the morning as I really am. I eat peanut butter and jelly for breakfast every day (and sometimes for lunch too). Oh, and as you know from my New Year’s post, I consume all of my fruits and vegetables in pill form. I guess Nikki might not be the weirdest one among us after all.

Alright … this is my very first CL post so here goes …
I don’t really have any weird interests or anything like that. But I have a lot of weird things about me. It’s very humerous to me that my first posting will have to do with personal quirks, as I could be one of the most quietly quirky individuals around. So now all that anyone will know about me is that I’m very quirky. Great.
I would like to do mine in a list form, as I like lists.

• 1) I can’t STAND blinking lights or repetitive noises. They drive me COMPLETELY INSANE. Also, the loops in “sleep machines.” Seriously … does no one else hear them?
• 2) I frequently catch glimpses of myself and don’t recognize it’s me for a split second and think, “whoa, she’s really pretty.” And then I realize it’s me. I do the same with my car, which isn’t even that cool. Funny. I have ridiculously high self-esteem. It’s a blessing and a curse.
• 3) I have Opposite Body Dismorphic Disorder. OBDD … I just made that abbreviation up. It’s where you think you’re skinnier than you really are. I’m the only person known to have this disease. Part of the symptomology is that at the exact same moment someone takes my picture, my face swells up to about 25% larger than its normal size. Then it goes down as soon as the flash goes off. Surprisingly, there’s no stretch marks. It’s a very rare disease.
• 4) I make up roughly 1 new abbreviation per day. Some of my favorites are: CCD (Crazy Cursive Day), BYH (Bless Your Heart), I made up CCG yesterday (Crazy Christian Guilt) and apparently, OBDD is the latest disease added to the DSM.
• 5) I have a COMPLETE INABILITY to remember ANYTHING I do which is not super cool. It’s as if I have not-cool amnesia. I’d give examples, but I can’t think of any!
• 6) WET PAPER!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH KILL IT. I’M GAGGING RIGHT NOW! Straw paper, napkins, you name it. I just had to pause and put my head down! How this started for me: When I was little, my mom would never let me wear a two piece swimsuit because she said they were “slutty.” So … picture me, four years old, hopping out of the pool with a sense of panic after having waited til the absolute last minute to pee, and running to the bathroom, peeling off my entire swim suit, and finally peeing in the appropriate place. (No one taught me the easy way to do this until much later.) Then, I would reach for the toilet paper and because I hadn’t dried off from the pool, my little chubby wet hands would get that wet single ply toilet paper stuck ALL OVER THEM. HOW DISGUSTING. OH GOSH.
• 7) I LOVE washing/waxing/detailing my car. I’m pretty great at it, too. It’s one of the few things I get to do that really helps me unwind.
• I think putting the new trash bag in the trash can is a THOUSAND times more disgusting than taking the old one out. It makes me gag just thinking about it.
• 9) I have perfect pitch in E-flat, which is basically worth nothing.
• 10) I don’t like odd numbers. Except for 5.

Okay, well that’s me in a nutshell.

PS … Nikki, I have known about your obsession with MMA for awhile now, but the thought of you slapping the ring and yelling and dealing with excessively sweaty people is slightly hilarious but really more frightening than anything else.

Jenn,
“I’ll bet you didn’t know” that we were separated at birth … but our mutual affection for Lip Balm, The Amazing Race (LOVE Phil and his little eyebrow pop), and run-on sentences makes it very clear.

Allie,
American Idol? … Really? I CAN NOT STAND the auditions … no seriously. I have to cover my head with a pillow if I want to have any chance to get through them. Thinking about it right now makes both my eardrums and my eyedrums bleed. That’s right: American Idol gives me hysterical blindness … Can. Not. Deal. With. It!!!!

Kel,
Do we even have any secrets from each other? … I don’t think so. I already knew about your INSANE 24 thing … you know about my ridiculous “jeans justification” (and the fact that I have NOTHING to fill them with … thank goodness for the flap pocket) … I love you “Don.”

Allison,
Welcome to our little party. Please feel free to spread your high self esteem and OBDD all over the place! Love. It.

Nikki,
OK … here’s the deal. Your UFC-mania isn’t new to me. I SAW YOU IN THE SHIRT! At first I was a little surprised, but later, when I heard you were waiting to commit to our girls’ weekend until after you found out if your favorite fighter had made it to the championship round in Vegas, I knew … it’s not just a hobby with you. I’ve already scheduled your Intervention.

Oh fine! … about me:
I love fantasy football (and I rock at it). Ray LaMontagne makes me cry. I have always had a weird auto response crushy-deal with left handed men … I don’t know. I hate horror films … but I like sci-fi TV. Speaking of TV: Prison Break? … every Monday, no matter what. Desperate Housewives? … hate. Those people who sniff incessantly? … I believe that they do it INTENTIONALLY to irritate me. I love bubble gum (and still get it in my stocking every Christmas). “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted as much to be ‘free’ as I’ve longed to be ‘known.’” I’m afraid of spiders. I love when it gets cold enough to see your breath. I eat hominy but I don’t eat carrots. I’m a homebody … where you’ll find me in tank tops and “comfies” (yoga pants). I don’t really care for ice-cream (except, of course, for Ben and Jerry’s Oatmeal Cookie Chunk, which WILL change your life). I cannot apply eyeshadow. I love to laugh but I wish I had a girly giggle.

I’ll bet you didn’t know …

I’m feeling glad I went first, and disclosed the least, because I’m starting to think we are a big bunch of freaks. Which most likely reflects poorly on Nikki, since we all have her in common. There are additional disturbing facts about myself, but I think we’ve scared the readers enough.

Well, girls, I don’t know that I need to add to the freakiness, but … here goes … I guess this is the perfect opportunity to re-introduce myself. I’m Val. Remember me? The all around slacker and inconsistent blogger. Other than that … I have a touch of OCD, although I am not that neat, just particular about where the clutter is. I will not touch raw meat in any form. I love to do laundry, read an insane number of magazines, and cry watching sapping Hallmark movies (and the commercials that accompany them). I watch WAY too much TV, but don’t try to deny it. My favs are The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, and Gilmore Girls (although this season is particularly disappointing). Anderson Cooper is my hero. I read anything by Lauren Winner. I’m one of those annoying people who must read every sign in a museum or historical marker at tourist attractions. Every personality test I’ve ever taken says I manipulate people through relationships. (I’m sorry if I’ve done this to any of you. Apparently, I am unaware of it when I do it.) I am a sucker for clever packaging and will pay a ridiculous amount of money for cute notecards, coffee drinks, and concert tickets. That’s me!

You guys are amazing … I am truly blessed to count each of you as a friend (wait … I think a tear is forming in my eye …). Thanks for indulging me and responding to this question.

And now, I think it is probably safe to say that I bet we didn’t know how much of a freak we all are … So thanks for posting, my freakish sisters, and letting everyone see a little bit of something I’m sure they didn’t know …

p.s. Nicole and KJ … you may act like you don’t like the UFC, but we all know that you are hiding a hidden love of the sport … you’re not fooling me.

p.p.s. … Do you guys think I use the ellipses too much? …

you all KNOW that I love a good “three dot” … I’ve joined “ellipses annoymous”… Nikki, you can come with me to a meeting … if you want … the meetings tend to last a very … long … time … y’know … because of all the pausing …