Weddingbee Blog

Are you ready for it?! The secret side of Miss Meerkat? Here goes nothin’!

1. I am an adrenaline junkie!

If it goes fast, count me in. I think Sister Meerkat and I must have got it from Father Meerkat, because Mama Meerkat likes to keep both of her feet on the ground. During my junior year of college, Sister Meerkat got me hooked on skydiving. I did it for a couple summers until it just got too expensive, but OMG the adrenaline rush is awesome! This photo is of Sister Meerkat and I in our skydiving rigs going up for my first jump. Look how happy I was:

Photo by Father Meerkat

2. I coach a kids’ robotics team called the Blue Cheesy Flamingos.

For the past 8 years I have coached a robotics team for kids ages 9-14. Each year we compete in the international FIRST robotics competition. The kids build and program a 100% autonomous (no human controlling it) robot to complete 10 missions on a 4’ x 8’ competition field. It’s a lot of fun and I get to be a big kid right along with them.

How did they come up with the name, you ask? We actually were brainstorming for a team mascot and one kid wanted a cheese hat, one wanted a blue monkey, and one wanted a flamingo. As a compromise they decided to have a blue flamingo who wears a cheese hat.

Our team being goofy last year.

3. My sister and I are 17 years apart in age.

You’re wondering right now if I was an ‘oops’ baby, aren’t you? Well I wasn’t. I was 100% planned. Sister Meerkat, on the other hand, wasn’t. My parents had my sister in their teens and then waited 17 years to have me. While Sister Meerkat wasn’t planned, she was one of the best things that ever happened to my parents. Not to mention growing up I had the cool older sister who took me shopping and to the movies and I got to grow up with my nephew and niece (who are 8 and 10 years younger than me). So, when they were growing up I was the cool teenage aunt with a car.

4. There was a time my parents worried if I would even graduate high school.

No lie. I know what you’re thinking: “How the hell did you become an application engineer then?” It wasn’t so much a lack of brains as a lack of motivation. I would not complete homework, pass the tests with flying colors and average out a C or sometimes a little less. I did this right up until they threatened to toss me off the softball team midway through my junior year for not maintaining a B average. Surprise, surprise, that sure got my butt motivated. I ended up not only graduating, but with senior honor points. I can still remember my dad’s face as I walked up during our award banquet to get my honors certificate. He kept motioning for me to sit down because he thought I was lining up for the wrong award. The expression on his face when they announced my name was priceless!

And there you have it. The secret side of Miss Meerkat. Anyone else surprise their parents with your grades in high school (good…or bad)?