Tag I'm It

So, Ihatetoast tagged me to write about Six things you Might not know about me. But before I jump in to that..I hve to tag some people too! So..Gyeong, Michelle and Deborah..YOUR IT!!

So..the trouble with this task is that some people read my blog that have known me since kindergarten and others have recently met me..so the depth of knowledge varies greatly. So I am going with what the recently acquired friends may not know. ;-)
1) How Jason and I met/got married- Nothing as crazy as traveling across the world for each other or anything. After a bad and lengthy break up with he who shall not be named, a good friend of mine scoured her address book for eligible bachelors. We partied and hung out late for months..stretching all semblence of reality. It was great fun. Then..one night..she said..you know..there is this one guy I had forgotten about. We should call him and see if he will come out. He did..wearing BLACK LEATHER PANTS! (please remember..jason and I were in a LOT better shape then). He made quite the impression that night. After a few weeks of hanging out in groups, he finally asked me out and the rest was history. We dated for 3 years. On year two, we vacationed in California..San Fran, Monterey adn Napa Valley. I knew I would get married there one day! So when we decided to get married (it went like this..Me: Want too? Him: Let's Git R' Done), I phoned Napa Valley elopements who set up the whole things for us! (the rest can be read/veiwed in the last post)
2) How did Kristen and Gyeong fall in to my life? This one..I don't think I have ever hit upon. All my blog readers see that we spend a lot of time with the Parks..but we did we meet. You will find it interesting that it was LONG before greyhounds, Jason, marriage and houses. Nine years ago I moved from BAltimore to Richmond to change jobs. I met someone who I started dating (he who shall not be named). He worked at the same place but in a different lab. He introduced me to his friends, Kristen and Gyeong. He had worked with Kristen and had technically taken Gyeong's position in the lab. We started hanging out a lot. Shiloh and Parker became fast friends
I don't know what year this was..maybe 2000? We were in Gyeong's Richmond apartment (he and Kristen were just dating) and had just finished playing some darts..and drinking Smirnoff Ice! (and yes..I had really short hair for a long time)
This was new year's 2001 (or was it 2002?) when we went to Florida on vacation together. We stayed in Clearwater, FL (this was way before Greyhounds..so no tracks or compounds were involved) and took a Gulf Cruise for New year's eve When my relationship took a massive nosedive, Kristen picked me in the divorce. Kristen and Gyeong even accompanied me down to my parents house post-break up for some R&R..
My dad let us join him in his therapeutic activity
I know..scary, huh?The rest is history. We have been through the thickest of waters involving so many things...but one thing has remained..we are the bestest of friends and we have certainly proved no one and nothing can change that! ;-)
3) I am a redneck hillbilly by birth (as evident by the last few photos)and have been riding horses for years. I grew up in far southwest Virginia on a 30 acre farm a long way away from cities, movie theaters, sushi and 'difference'. Actually we moved to that when I was 12..my family was ultra poor when I was very young and we lived in a small house on 5 acres. But then my dad got a better job (and quit being a trucker) and we were able to move to a bigger plot of land. But at both locations, we had horses. We always managed to find hand me down saddles and horses..but we always rode. I started when I was 7. I participated in my first horse show when I was 9. I had many horses. One bucked me off and broke my upper arm, putting me in a sling for 4 months. I didn't get truly involved in showing until I was about 14 when I received Catawba Star a registered Tennessee Walking Horse for free (no lie.). She was a born show horse and had a bum rap at the end of her life.
We showed locally, on the state level and eventually nationally. We were number 1 in the state in our division for 3 years in a row and usually ranked top 5 every year nationally. Star and I were a great team! She died November 2006 at the age of 38 and I had owned her for 18 years. She is buried on the hill at my parents house with a cherry tree marking her grave.
I also was a horse show judge. I participated in 4-H horse judging competitions (where you judge every breed of horse for it's standard). This was a HUGE part of my life. I made the 'Virginia State Team' meaning I was top 8 in the state for 3 years. Being part of this team meant I travelled all over the united states participating in National Judging competitions. I did this when I was 15, 16, and 17. I travelled to Tulsa, Ft.Worth, Albuquerque, Louisville, etc. This made me enough scholarship money to pay my half of my freshman year of college!
4) I am a crossword and suduko junkie. I subscribe to the newspaper simply to get them. I rarely actually read the paper. I can entertain myself for hours with a crossword puzzle.
5)I am a gear head by birth. My dad is a gearhead..and growing up in the middle of no where meant you had to fix your own car, drive tractors, learn to drive at an early age and operate large machines with spinning blades! ;-) I have always been in love with cars. I have had many cars and can't imagine not having a car payment! I subscribe to Car and Driver and read it cover to cover. I used to love to just go test drive cars..and yes they are usually fast, exotic and unattainable. I think a lot can be told by what you drive. But most of our road trips are spent talking about cars we see, new models, etc. And Jason and I spent a lot of pre-greyhound time autocrossing our Subarus (we have rally inspired cars). Jason is the Black STi and I was in the Red WRX (I have since traded it for the grey WRX wagon). Autocrossing was a race set up as a pattern of cones that had all sorts of maneuvers (slalom, figure 8s, 90 degree turns, etc) that we did at speed one at a time racing the clock. We modified our cars and spent many sunday's on pavement.
6) My job..how in the hell did I become a molecular microbiologist? I graduated from a small school with a BA in Biology (Emory & Henry college). I had always worked at a vet's office so I assumed I would become a wildlife biologist. But then I remembered..I hate bugs, sweating and they don't make any money! So I started applying in labs. I got a job with the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore, MD. Country mouse moved to the BIG city. Shiloh and I were in it together and we survived the year there (barely). Then I started applying for jobs elsewhere..which lead me to my current job in Richmond for Virginia Commonwealth University. My boss agreed to pay for graduate school..I started in Education, then went to Biology and finally switched to Microbiology. That is what I actually do..so it was only fitting. I ended up getting my MS in Microbiology from VCU. I currently work in a Microbiology lab studying Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)..I pretty much study the molecular (aka genetic) reasons they are resistant and how to treat them..so I stare at tubes, petri dishes and use instruments with really big names. ;-) I love what I do.

So there you go..a wordy answer to 6 things you might not know about me.
Now pictures of Greyhounds....enough touchy feeling crap. ;-)

Cali and Dana enjoy some foster/boarder free time (it didn't last long)We had FS Ghostly Spook for one night before she was adopted. She was CUTE CUTE!!
And now I have Phantom Rumble, a 18 month old boy. he still has his manberries until tomorrow! Hopefully he is getting adopted next weekend. He reminds me of Brady , a foster from a while ago.