Ice Cream Is For Sissies

Now that I have spent a complete week acknowledging and wallowing in my "Anti Birthday" (Urban Dictionary it!) I am slowly coming to terms with the reality of the big event.

The reality is that NOTHING will change when the clock strikes 12:01 am (3 hours from now- YEAH!! I'm not a senior citizen yet! Hey, I'm not perfect, I said I was slllloooooowwwwwllly coming to terms with it)

I've spent all of today, the last day in my 30's, thinking about my life. Where it has been, where it is going...

And quite frankly, 

I've had an INCREDIBLE life!

The more I had thought about it, the more I had realized that I've done more things in my ONE life, and have had more experiences that most people only dream about!

So CHEERS to me! 

And in celebration I will (quickly) list the top 40 things in my life that have made it a memorable ride.

(In no particular order!)

#40. (This one is one of my 2 "Claims to fame"):  I can suck start a waterbed off a 50' hose. When I was 20 and had my first apartment, I had a super single waterbed. When I was moving out, it of course needed to be drained. I screwed one end of the hose to the bed, and the other end I ran into the bathtub in the other room. Being young/dumb I didn't have an electric pump to get the bed to start to drain. And so I sucked, and sucked, and sucked, on that hose until the siphon started and the bed drained. A HUGE feat! I damn near passed out trying to get that bed to drain! 

#39. (This is my second "Claim to fame"):  My ass caused a car accident. Yes, you did read that correctly! When I was in my early 20's I was a C.S.O (Community Service Officer) for a local Police Dept. I was bent over outside of an officer's vehicle talking to him through the window while he was parked along side a busy intersection. Moments later you heard the crash. Being right there, he of course went directly to the accident. The driver of the car confessed right away that the reason he hit the car in front of him was because he was staring at MY ass. Hey, what can I say.. Everyone is HOT in their 20's- including me!

#38. I've puked out of a Police Squad car I was in early pregnancy with my first child when I was completing my ride along hours for school- The Sheriff's dept. I was riding with was located in a very hilly, windy road community. Motion sickness got the best of me- made the officer pull off the road, I opened the door and heaved my guts out! Not a proud moment in my life. lol! 

#37.  I've rolled (with) a monster truck tire down a big hill while holding two $20.00 bills.  I tripped. The huge tire, the money, and I went flopping all the way down the hill. While laying on my back at the bottom of the hill I held my arm in the air- and long behold, I NEVER dropped the money! My friends laughed hysterically because I never dropped the money :) 

#36.  I've seen my father cry, and saw my first dead person. When I was a pre-teen, my parents and I were at his company's summer picnic in a park, on the lake. A couple of kids came running up to the table that my parents and their friends were at. They were frantic and said that one of their friends didn't "come up". The kids were trying to float across the channel on a picnic table. My father and his friend quickly jumped into the water to search for the missing boy, but they searched without success.  Luckily, one of my father's friends was an avid diver and again as luck would have it, had his dive equipment in the trunk of his car.  The diver fished the drown young boy out of the bottom of a "V" shaped channel. My mother then proceeded to do CPR until the ambulance had arrived. I remember standing watching this horror story unfold. I saw the blueness of the boys lips, his lifeless body, and his blue fingernails. I also watched the wailing mother of the dead boy lose control of her emotions over the loss of her son.  That was the first and only time in my life I have seen my father cry. 

Ooof! That's a sad one, let's get back to happier times!

#35.  I shot my first deer (hunting) when I was 12, with a 222 cal. ONE shot, 200+ yards through the heart. Oh yeah! Made my daddy proud!  I grew up shooting from around the age of 9. My father was (is) an expert marksman and had always made sure I knew how to shoot/use firearms. I grew up shooting, even being on a youth shooting league. 

#34.  I was fortunate while driving one night to look in my rear view mirror at the exact moment to watch a car flip end over end.  Late one night a friend and I were driving out of town to go to a friend's house.  I just happened to check my mirror.  No cars were immediately behind me, only the one I saw flip about 100' behind us.  I was dumbfounded at what I saw. I quickly turned around. When we arrived, I jumped out of the car, and had my friend take my car back into town where we had just passed an officer running radar. I ran up to an upside down SUV on it's roof. It had gone off the road and hit a driveway culvert dead on, and flipped end over end. Luckily, there was only one adult male occupant in the vehicle.  The car was still running and leaking gas. Fortunately, the driver wasn't hurt- Just drunk. I spent what felt like eternity trying to keep him from fleeing the scene until the officer arrived to haul him away. 

#33.  I passed my Paramedic State & National Registry Exam on the first try. I spent quite a few years as a licensed Paramedic. Unfortunately, because I wasn't willing to relocate to find a job... I never could find a job in that field, and let my licenses lapse (stupid, stupid, stupid move on my part!)

#32.  I've jumped off a 40' cliff. Yup, at the local quarry. Some friends and I had a "dare" to see who would jump off of it into the water first. After lots of rounds of teasing, I made a run for it and was the first to jump. Granted, I hurt myself BAD on the landing (my legs hit the water and I hyper extended both knees). I couldn't walk for almost a week. And to this day I still have pain in my knees when the weather is bad. 

#31.  I went to school for Law Enforcement.  But then decided to go to school for EMT & Paramedic. People love the girl with the Band-Aid far more then they love the girl with the gun! 

#30. My old CB radio "Handle" is still my email address to this day. Um.. not really proud of that one, just thought I'd toss it in here :) 

#29. I've had the COOLEST cars! My first car was a German made 1973 Opel GT. I got it right after my 16th birthday (paid for it myself) It was my first adventure at driving a manual car. My second car was a 1971 Ford Maverick "Grabber" 302, V8 that I got as a HS graduation gift. I used to street race the "grabber" for fun. Guys didn't like to believe that that was MY car.  I actually still own the the Grabber. It's been in storage for a zillion years. 

#28. I have my cycle license and own a motorcycle.

#27. I used to go paint balling

#26. I was a CPR Instructor

#25. I was a Girl Scout troop Leader

#24. I've gotten pulled over for numerous offenses: Mainly for speeding in my Maverick! I used to have a knack at getting them to let me go without a ticket *bats doe eyes* I was even able to get out of a speeding ticket from a state trooper (unheard of!) But I've been pulled over for stupid things too like: too small steering wheel in my maverick, tinted windows (when I didn't have any) etc..

#23. A Turkey got me an underage drinking fine. Yes, a real live turkey! As you already know, I am not a big drinker. It was 2 months before my 21st birthday and some friends and I were camping at a local state park. At our campsite we had this wild tom turkey that was enthralled with us. It just wouldn't leave! It jumped on the vehicles (the claws leave NASTY gouges in car paint by the way), it strutted all round.. all day long it sat by us. Unfortunately, someone driving past thought we had it tied up (we didn't) and called the Warden on us. Long behold, "said" Warden sat in the brush and watched underage me take a drink of a beer. I got what I deserved, but I did make her write on the citation (for whatever reason) that I only had half a can of beer.

#22. I've had a Pulmonary Embolism. (Blood Clots in my lungs) I went four days with it before I finally gave into the pain (I thought I had just pulled a muscle from throwing hay) before I went to the ER. They immediately wanted to hospitalize me for a week. I was so shocked that I asked them if I could go home and come back because I didn't have anything at the hospital. They of course said "Heck No!" Needless to say, I learned later that a PE is very serious and can have a 70% death rate because the clot technically has traveled through your heart before it lodges in your lungs.

#21. I've broken one bone. My clavicle

#20. I've went from a life in the city, to a life on a farm. Well, I would think we all know this by now! But I had never even seen a cow (outside of a county fair) before I lived where I live now.

#19. I've gone Repelling I will not lie! It's scary stuff to back yourself off a cliff!

#18. I was (until recently) an avid Diver. I used to be a rescue diver for the National power boat races, and spent one summer as a rescue diver for our local air show. I know, airplanes?? Rescue diver?? how do they match?? In case of emergency, planes were instructed to ditch their aircraft in the local lake where we stood by. 

#17. I'm a Paranormal Investigator Not one I really talk about "openly". People either like the idea, or think you are wacky. 5 years I have been doing both residential/commercial investigations. I am a skeptic. I always believe their is an explainable explanation for their experiences. 

#16. I like Sushi - love trying different foods! Granted, I won't eat crickets, or bull testicles.. or anything outlandish like that! But I do find that most of the time weird food is just mind over matter. 

#15. I've had my first child at home on purpose. Cried when I had to have the second one in the hospital because of past medical conditions (clotting history)

#14. I've been body pierced and I have 1 tatoo

#13. I love going fishing! I fish all the time! I love to catch rough fish (sheephead etc..) to plant in my garden next to my tomato plants

#12. I've gone White Water Rafting I've also body surfed smaller rapids, and have canoed larger rapids.

#11. I've flown in a Sea Plane

#10. I've done a 1 mile solo Canoe portage in the Boundry Waters of Canada with a big ass, heavy aluminum canoe!

#9. I've gone 4 wheeling, jet skiing, tubing, snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing.

#8. I used to own snakes, and have been bitten twice

#7. I've been on a Ride Along with the Vancouver Police Dept. Where I saw hookers (never had seen one before!), and a man beaten to a bloody pulp with a crow bar.

#6. I've been to New Orleans - Twice. I was fascinated with their cockroaches! They are HUGE and everywhere!

#5. I've experienced the Miracle of life watching things be born, and the sadness of death. 

#4. I've cried during sappy movies

#3. I've been in Love, have been Loved, and have had my heart broken.

#2. I've swam across the Menominee River The other side never looks that far away until you have to swim it!

#1. I've applied to be on Survivor. Season 2. Glad I never got that one- It was in the desert! Not my cup of tea!

Whoo! Hoo! What a ride it's been!


Those of course aren't the ONLY things I have done with my life. Basically they are the ONLY ones that came to my mind during writing this! I have had plenty more "OMG!! Get this!!" moments. Granted, proof reading this blog entry has made me wonder if I am actually "female", given most of my experiences aren't something most girls would do! LOL!!

I'm Grateful for my "Bat Shit Crazy" life!

My free will, and love for life & adventure, has given me the ability to to turn an ordinary life into an extraordinary life! SO... So what if I'm 40! I don't foresee myself slowing down any time soon. (Besides, I've been told that 40 is the "new 20")


Now you are probably wondering what on earth does Ice Cream have to do with all of this?

When I was wallowing in my own misery (aka: Peeing in my own Happiness Pool) regarding my upcoming birthday... I really was planning on laying in bed all day, covers pulled up, watching sappy movies, all while eating Ice Cream. But FACT is, I'm too strong willed to let something as simple as a number keep me down! Why wallow when I can make memories today! Not to mention I pretty much hate Ice Cream anyway. :)