Chapter Eight

More Mom Trivia

"Before I got married, I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories." - John Wilmot

Trivia questions are in bold:

Have you ever been told that you look like someone famous? If yes, who? It wasn't too long ago that I drive up to the window at Wendy's to pick up an order to bring home. The girl at the widow began screaming ... "Paula Dean is here!" I could only laugh and assure her I wasn't Paula Dean and, if I was, I most likely wouldn't be using the drive-up window at Wendy's in Willard, Ohio!

What is your morning routine? I typically get up around 7a, give or take. If I'm the first one up, I'll head to the bathroom, let Josie out, make coffee, and settle in my chair with a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. I don't have a big and involved routine in the morning and I remain flexible depending on how I feel or how well I slept.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure? I decline to answer. Don't allow your imagination to run away with you! LOL

Which television family most reminds you of your family? The Brady Bunch has always resonated with me since they were a mixed family – Carol Brady had 3 girls and Mike Brady had 3 boys; they blended the family to become the Brady Bunch. Our family is/was somewhat similar in that we had three biological children and then adopted three more children to become our patchwork quilt sort of family. I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

Did you have braces? If yes, how old were you when you got them? I was about 14 when I got my braces put on. My mouth never hurt so bad in all my life! It was a long and painful experience due to the condition of my teeth. The orthodontist (Dr. Sadler & Shallcross) finally took them off the day before my senior pictures were taken when I was 17.

Do you like roller coasters? I've always been a brave soul (at least in my self-opinion) and loved roller coasters. Did they scare me? Of course! Was I nervous? Absolutely! But, I rode them anyway! I wouldn't dare do it today, but love watching people ride the big, mean coasters. They're incredible!!

What name would you choose if you had to change your first name? When I was a child, every doll I had was named Linda. I'm not sure why since no one in my family was named that and I'm not even fond of it now. Must be something deep within me that caused me to choose that name again and again. Today, if I had to change my name, it wouldn't be one of the most common names but I really couldn't choose unless I had to. Even then, it would have to be at least two syllables to go with the one-syllable last name. Crazy, isn't it?

Did you ever skip school? Well, yes! In fact, I did! But it wasn't as sneaky or clandestine as one would imagine. Our school sanctioned a "Senior Skip Day" that excused all seniors on a day close to graduation to "skip" the day. If yes, did you get away with it and what did you do during the time you should have been in class? I remember driving my car that day and, once we checked in, heading out to the car with my girlfriend (Linda Burnham). We decided to have lunch at McDonald's completing our fun day without the bells ringing, kids running you down in the hall, lockers slamming shut, and teachers yelling at everyone! It was still a bit crazy. My stomach was in knots because I wasn't where I was supposed to be (I didn't tell my parents I was going to skip classes that day). I look back and see how silly it all was. But just thinking that we were doing something we shouldn't be doing was a sort of thrill in itself!