Just for fun, I thought I’d give you a list of twenty-five (or so) things about me. I didn’t want to title this “25 Things You Don’t Know About Me”, because I’m telling you…so that title only makes sense for about three minutes. Also, maybe you do know a lot of these things about me so, again, that title doesn’t work.
Also, I’m risking sounding completely vain here, and if you do know me, I hope that’s not one of the things you “know” about me. I love hearing quirky things about people and as I’ve been working on Dearly Loved thought this type of “sharing” sounded like a good idea…though now I’m not so sure.
But here goes:
1) My name is Marilyn Lorene (rhymes with chlorine). I’m named after my grandmothers, Marilyn Ann and Edna Lorene, so I guess I could have also been named Edna Ann.
2) I’ve grown up on Disneyland, and have been more times than I can count. I’ve visited Walt Disney World four times, and have just been on my first Disney cruise. I have plans to do both of those again in a couple years. I’d also love to visit the international Disney parks, and am currently trying to budget for a family trip to Tokyo Disney. 
3) I met my husband when I was just 14 years old in a co-ed science and engineering club that was an extension of the Boy Scouts. I have no interest in science or engineering, but meeting Jon seems to have turned out pretty well.
4) I have always been fascinated with sign language. As a girl I found myself a class by flipping through the Yellow Pages at Phoenix Day School for the Deaf (pre-internet, y’all). I was 10 years old in a room full of adults. I continued taking courses and, in junior college, one of my instructors was actually deaf. Pretty cool, until one of our assignments was an interview. For some reason I was paired up with the professor and one of my questions for her was, “What is your favorite type of music?” Awkward!
5) I’ve had three cesareans.
6) I day dream about people watching on Main Street at Disneyland, and can spend embarrassing amounts of time doing this. Case in point, my aunt and I spent over two hours watching cast members divert guests at California Adventure when a swarm of bees took up residency in a lamp post. They had to cancel the parade and everything…good times! 
7) One of my closest friends I’ve known my entire life. The other, I’ve known since I was 12 years old. What I lack in volume, I make up for in longevity.
8) I had the chicken pox on my wedding day, and am a huge proponent of vacation insurance because of this.
9) Singing’s my favorite.
10) But I’m also a fantastic whistler.
11) I’m a native Phoenician. 
12) I lived two hours north of Phoenix in Flagstaff, Arizona for close to a decade while attending Northern Arizona University with that fella I met in the co-ed Boy Scouts. Flagstaff is home to the Lowell Observatory, where Pluto (the planet, not the dog) was discovered.
13) My favorite attractions at the Disney parks are the horse-drawn carriages on Main Street, the Storybook Land Canal Boats in Disneyland’s Fantasyland, and the PeopleMover in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. 
14) I collect children’s books, and my favorite is a first edition of The Boxcar Children.
15) I struggle with depression, but am on great meds and am saved by an even greater God.
16) In the daytime I work as a CPA. Does that sound sordid? Like, what do I do at night? Is it even possible for an accountant to sound sordid? Anyway, I’m pretty good at it, whether I like it or not, even getting the second highest score in the state of Arizona when I sat for the exam back in May 1999.
17) I’m not ticklish.
18) I have a problem with collecting animals. This is why I refer to parts of my life as We Bought a Zoo. I’m always thinking of my next pets. Right now it involves chickens and a Flemish giant rabbit that I will name Lewis.
19) During a rain storm I love the moment of silence that happens when you drive under an overpass.
20) I’m envious of people who need less than eight hours of sleep at night.
21) If I lived closer to Walt Disney World in Florida, I would spend an immense amount of time watching the gorillas and giant fruit bats at Animal Kingdom. I’d either get pegged as a lunatic, or they’d hire me as a docent…possibly both.
22) I have an unusually large adenoid pad, and am able to plug my nose at will without pinching it.
23) I once found myself in the ER on Christmas Eve after getting a fondue fork stuck in my hand.
24) My body temperature is more than a full degree lower than normal.
25) My favorite things to eat are Mexican food, pizza, a loaded baked potato…pretty much, food.
So what’s on your list? Let me know via email or on social media!