As a break on a Monday, let’s talk about something non wedding related. (Sometimes you just get burnt out on wedding stuff, you know?) I love these Secret Life of Bees posts, so I thought I would contribute—even though I have a very boring life, so how about we just make this a “Things You Don’t Know About Me” post? Maybe I’ll have to post about Mr. Lemur later.
1. I am a huge Packers fan.
Personal photo
I grew up less than 30 minutes from Lambeau Field as an ardent Packers fan. (Umm, that’s pretty much a requirement if you live in Wisconsin.) I am now moving less than 30 minutes from Ford Field—that’s where the Detroit Lions play, for those of you who aren’t as interested in football—and marrying a Lions fan. Trust me, this rivalry only works because the Packers keep winning. If the Lions were ever better than the Packers (not going to happen), we might have severe marital problems.
Bonus secret life: I had bangs and cut my hair short my freshman year of college. This is several months grown out. Looking back, I’m not sure if I miss it or not.
Well, Hive, we did it—we got married! And now that we are far away from the internet on our epic Disney honeymoon, I am reasonably safe from ridicule for what it is that I’m about to post.
That’s right, I’m putting on some Gryffindor courage to share a big, embarrassing secret with y’all in a Secret Life of Bees post.
Deep breath. Here goes.
I…am a Harry Potter fan.
I know what you’re thinking—”um, duh, we saw your invites“—but I don’t think you quite grasp what I’m saying. I’m a Harry Potter fan. As in, fanatic. As in, borderline unhealthy obsession.
Unfortunately (well, okay, fortunately for my mental health) I’m not quite as obsessive as I was in high school when we were still in the thick of book releases, but I did dress as Hermione for a Halloween party…at work. Last year. As in, during the workday.
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| yup, this is a 23-year-old // {personal photo} |
I don’t think I’m really getting the point across here, though.
I love this series! It’s so fun to learn more about each Bee’s life outside of wedding planning. 
As I started thinking about this series, I began to curse myself for being such an open book. Don’t I over-share already? Won’t everyone know this or that by now? Of course that’s a silly way to think, because there’s always more to share!
And then I stumbled on the real reason I don’t have many secrets: I’M LAME. I don’t have a tattoo, a strange addiction, or a unique talent, or a weird family situation, but luckily I’m a trooper and I was able to scrounge up three embarrassing tidbits to share with the hive. You’re welcome.
1. I have “chronic bitch attitude” when I walk down the street alone. It’s a bit like chronic bitch face, and please reference the ever-hilarious Mrs. Unicycle for her take on chronic bitch face. Have I said chronic bitch enough times yet? Geez.
The thing is, when I’m walking with Mr. Sword, my nanny kiddos, or a couple of girlfriends, I’m one happy gal. I’m friendly and I smile; life.is.good. But for some reason, when I walk alone, I encompass this rude big city ‘tude and I’m kind of unpleasant.
To make matters worse, I walk around Chicago daily. I mean, I do a lot of walking. And because I walk by a ton of people, I end up getting hit on a decent amount. It’s bizarre but true, I still get hollered at despite looking like I’m walking around with a stick up my ass. Instead of feeling complimented (like I am when I’m not alone), I usually make the “Eww” face and continue on my way with a shudder. HOW DARE THEY HIT ON ME!?!?!
Mrs. Hawk resurrected the Secret Life of Bees tradition in August and I thought I’d continue with my own version. I thought I’d share three things about me that I haven’t been able to share in the past.
I’m a politics and news junkie.
I am fascinated by politics and the media. While I remember loving current events when I was young, I think my interest in the media stems from a short stint working at MSNBC just after my freshman year in college, when it was a brand new network. My job was purely administrative, but I was in awe of the staff of The News. The News was Brian William’s old show and his staff occupied the area of the newsroom next to my desk. I would FedEx plane tickets to producers or prepare shipments of MSNBC swag to be given out at the DNC while listening to his staff talk about how they would cover the events of the day. I loved being a fly on the newsroom wall.
While many are getting tired of the media’s coverage of our candidates’ every moves, I’m amped up for the final weeks of the election season. I only wish Tim Russert was still around with his white board.
I sometimes drive an animal taxi.
Our love of animals isn’t a secret, but I’ve never discussed some of the rescue work I do. One of the activities in which I’ve loved being involved is called rescue transport. Rescue transporters relay homeless animals, often from kill shelters in the south, to new homes in the north. A coordinator assembles a list of drivers by putting an itinerary out on a listserve. Drivers sign up to cover a segment of the trip, meeting the next driver on the list at a designated spot where a transfer is made. At the end of the day, there’s usually an update about the passenger getting to his or her new home.
On the left, my first passenger (from years ago…look at my short hair!) and on the right, my most recent one.
I love dramatic haircuts.
It’s been quite a while since the last post in this series, but I’ve always enjoyed reading more about my fellow bee bloggers. Y’all already know so much about the planning that went into my wedding, and soon you’ll know all about the big day when I begin my recaps. Even though I’ve shared a few little secrets with the hive, I think that I still may surprise you…
I have a serious obsession with music. So much so that my iTunes library has over 5,000 songs. That’s enough to play music for over 15 days straight. (And that was after a major cleanup of music I hadn’t listened to in years!) I honestly believe that this obsession has lead to music lyrics taking up more than half my memory. I mean, who the heck still remembers all the words to Raffi songs at my age?!
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Image via Amazon
“Baby Beluga”? “Down by the Bay”? All still stuck in my brain. And I’m childless. From my first concert (Amy Grant!) to my most recent (Avett Brothers!), music has always just stuck with me.
Before I start on my next series of posts, I wanted to share some juicy tidbits about myself. I know you are all dying to know all of the skeletons in my closet. Because you all have been so supportive of my failings as a blogger and a bride, I felt that you all deserve to know some little-known things about myself. Who knows? Maybe you will share some of my secrets and it will allow you to be brave enough to let it all air out!
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
#1: Life is a musical.
The songs in my head make me think that my life is a lot like this! / Image via The Examiner
I treat life like it’s a musical. I sing, dance, boogie, and belt it out on a regular basis. I sing to my cats, I sing in the shower, I sing to my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I make up ridiculous songs and dance to them as I let them out to be heard by my loving fans (AKA, Mr. D and my cats who both immediately find other rooms to be in).
To join in on the fun in this series of bee posts, I’m going to let you in on a deep, dark secret: I’m a geek. Not surprised? Most people aren’t when I just say that.
Let me just preface this by saying that I’m geeky for many things: knitting, Harry Potter, craft supplies, Sherlock Holmes, but nothing, NOTHING as much as my first true love (sorry, Cinnamon Buns), Lord of the Rings. It is well known among my friends that I have a passion for all things hobbity. The thing is, very few people know how deep the geekiness actually goes. I always kept some of the geekier stuff private, just so people wouldn’t think I was too insane. Now I’m embracing it by telling you the story, hive!
I am loving this series, so I thought I would join in the fun and share some of the secret oddities that make up Miss Waffle and help her “Keep Austin Weird.”
