25 things about me

The outhouse at my dad's Oregon log cabin. Yep, 25 years later he still has an outhouse.
Copyright (c) 2008 Wendee Holtcamp

The 25 Things About Me is all the rage at the moment on Facebook. So I thought I'd put a copy of my own one here on my blog too!

1. Most of my friends know this but I lived for part of my childhood with my hippie dad in a pioneer-style log cabin in Oregon with no running water, no electricity, wood stoves, outhouse, kerosene lanterns. We gathered rainwater in 5-gallon drums and grew all our own food!

2. I want to turn a modified version of my blog into a book and maybe TV series. Tentative Title- Wild Life: Ordinary suburban mom. Extraordinary bohemian adventures. The cover would be a Harold's purple crayon type drawing of houses, and then a photo of me holding an alligator (as on my blog) popping out of the roof of one of the houses. It will be about both my home suburban life as a single mom peppered with my adventures around the world!

3. I never wanted to be a writer as a teenager or in college.

4. However, when I was 8 years old I liked to say, when people asked, that I wanted to be an "Artist, Acrobat, or Author." So maybe that counts.

5. I sold so many Girl Scout cookies that I earned the ATARI on TOP of the sales pyramid - and got all the other prizes as well. Snap! (Or... I'm a dork, and proud of it).

6. When I was in 5th grade, I had "head gear" along with my braces. Yes, I was a total dork. I had like seriously buck teeth!

7. My dad used to raise his own chickens but I refused to eat the chickens he raised, only storebought, despite his arguments about how much healthier his chickens were. I could not eat chickens I had names for! Meat should come from stores! :) Ha!

8. I often get the urge to just get away and explore. Like, thousands of miles from home! I think when the kids are grown I'm going to be far more spontaneous and just take off sometimes!

9. I have a lifelong dream to see the mountain gorillas in Africa (Rwanda or Uganda). I must do this before I die!

10. I want to do something big enough that I would win the Nobel Prize, or write something good enough to win a Pulitzer. OK I know, how the heck will that ever happen? But it's a dream in my heart and soul.

11. If I were President, my platform would be to eliminate world poverty.

12. I used to be an atheist.

13. I love hugs!

14. Sometimes I like to jump up and down just for fun. I call it the kangaroo. :)

15. I love inspirational "quotes" and always have, since I was a kid.

16. My favorite animals are mountain gorillas (see #9 above) and sloths.

17. When I was in 8th grade my nickname in cross country was "Wendy Whiner" (like in the Saturday Night Live skit).

18. The name on my birth certificate is Wendy. I changed it to Wendee in 8th grade because I wanted to be "different." Never changed my birth certificate, but my SSN card, drivers license and every other formal document says Wendee.

19. When I was growing up, my dad didn't have a camera, so there are few pictures of that hippie log cabin era. But one day, I won one in Rolling Stone magazine from a scratch off insert!

20. I had a homebirth with my 2nd child, and both children without any medication. I am a big advocate of natural childbirth, home birth and breastfeeding.

21. I love the ocean. It calls to me.

22. I typically write poetry only when I'm falling in love, or depressed. It comes in bursts, with many years in between!

23. I would love to play guitars or drums. I tried learning guitar 3 times already but gave up... fingers too small. Drumming is so primal. I think I could do that. Someday I will.

24. I definitely feel like if I die, I'm ok with that. When it's time for the Lord to call me home, I'm ready. I have had a wonderful life, so many adventures, amazing kids, true love. Mind you I don't have any desire to die, I'm just saying, it's not a tragedy if you've lived a full life.

25. I chase joy like a butterfly. I’m learning to sit still and let it come to me.