Monday, September 9, 2013

Ten Surprising Things About Me

I love getting to know other writers and readers so I thought I'd list ten random things about me from childhood to adulthood. I think you might be surprised!


1.  I swam with sharks in the Bahamas. Really. I've got the pictures to prove it. See. (They feel like sandpaper, by the way.)


2. I'm a Leo through and through. I couldn't be MORE like a Leo, actually.

3. I've been mistaken twice for the actress who played Shelly (Ted Dansen's girlfriend) on Cheers--once in New York City and once in Oklahoma. I don't think I look a thing like her.

4. I've climbed the huge, world famous (and slippery) Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica three times. My daughter joined me on one of those trips.

5. I was extremely shy as a toddler. Non-speaking shy (even with relatives). As a young girl, I ran and hid when my aunt and uncle arrived, hit my head on the television and bled like a stuck pig. All because I was shy. I still have a scar on my forehead.

6. I love to deep-sea fish and have caught some whoppers--a 25-pound tuna in Florida and a 40-pound Mahi Mahi in the Bahamas (pictured here alongside hubby's, er, guppy. lol). Note: Everyone ate that fish but me. I just didn't have the heart.

7. I was a HUGE Elvis fan. Still am.  I used to kiss the television when he performed (and cry). I got to see him live in concert two months before he died. What a tragic death. I'm still sad about it. I've been to Graceland twice and even got to see the inside of his mansion.

8. I didn't know how to cook when I was married the first time. I remember calling Mom and asking how long to cook a ham or roast and whether it needed water or a lid on the pan!

9. I was a cheerleader in middle school. (I came out of my shyness then. Sink or swim, as they say.) I was also drum captain for the Kilties in high school. By the way, the Kiltie Drum & Bugle Corps is the oldest women's drum corps in the United States, a tradition I'm proud to keep alive. This photo is when we marched over the same bridge that Paul Revere galloped across to announce the British were coming in Concord, Mass. I'm the first drummer on the far left (probably blocked by the flag). My good friend, Jackie, is the majorette in the middle with the big black hat.


37 years ago today
CHS Kilties
Concord, Mass

10. I was a single mom for 16 years. My daughter and I had a lot of fun (and stress as a single working mom) but mainly fun.

That's it. A bit in the life of Beth. I hope you enjoyed finding out random things about me. Now, it's your turn! Tell me some things I may not know about you.

23 comments:

  1. Loved your interesting list :) Your marching pic looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. Hmmmm... what to share about myself....Here's a random tidbit: My dreams are almost always in color and have smells, sounds and sensory details.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't that a cool photo? So many good memories of that trip--one being that the bagpipe captain who marched in front of me fainted during the parade. When I glanced at the sponsor, she told me to keep going, so I marched right over her as did all the girls behind me. We also saw Niagara Falls in the wee hours of the morning and got to shop in New York City!

      Cool about your dreams! I also dream in color but do not remember smells. Thanks for stopping by, Madison.

      Delete
    2. A very cool idea for an author. Enjoyed your list.

      Delete
    3. Thank you. I thought I'd write about something non-writerly for a change. Plus, I always enjoy getting to know authors.

      Delete
  2. Hi Beth,

    Fun article. Many congratulations on your current successes.

    Hmmm...something you might not know about me is that I'm a huge Beatles fan. I've managed to collect all of their albums (British versions) on CD's.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very cool about the Beatles, Rochelle. That's awesome that you have those albums. I used to kiss Paul McCartney's face when he was on TV too but my heart always belonged to Elvis!

      Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by.

      Delete
  3. You have led an interesting life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Christine. And this isn't the half of it. I love to live life, that's for sure. I embrace it and like to take chances, much to my mother's chagrin.

      Delete
  4. What a fun post! Hmm. Something you don't know about me. I watched the sun rise over the Guatemalan jungle from the top of a Mayan pyramid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, heck. That's hard to beat, Sharon. Lol. What a cool experience!

      Being a history lover, you would have loved the Kilties' experience in Boston. We had to get up at sunset as they reenacted Paul Revere's ride. It was an amazing trip. Glad you enjoyed the post.

      Delete
  5. Love this! I did a similar list when I started my McStubs Musings blog. Something I left off that list? I used to suck my thumb...for years. My parents did everything they could to get me to stop, but nothing worked. When did I stop? Maybe I didn't...lol...the world will never know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could have added that to my list as well. I sucked my thumb until I was five. It's a wonder I don't have buck teeth because we certainly couldn't afford braces.

      Thanks for commenting.

      Delete
  6. What a fun post! Thanks for sharing. I agree you look a bit like Shelly Long (she played Diane on Cheers), but I still think you are the long lost cousin of my friend Amy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sara. How funny. I'll have to see your friend Amy. That's my daughter's name!

      Delete
  7. Beth, It was actress Shelley Long who played Diane Chambers in Cheers way back when. I don't see the resemblance either although Ms. Long's Wikipedia article does say "See Carter, Beth."

    Wish I could come up with ten things about me altogether!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for telling me her name (and spelling it correctly) and remembering Diane! That was driving me crazy.

      Haha. You are too funny about that Wikipedia article. LOL.

      I'm quite sure you can think of ten things, Perry. I'll be waiting.

      Delete
  8. What a great post Beth! I loved it! I didn't know you were a Kiltie! Atta girl, my fellow Bulldog! And very interesting about the shyness, and how you worked to overcome it!

    I'm supposed to share something about me? You already know WAY too much about me. :) Ok, I'll give it a shot..

    I started performing on stage at the age of 4. Mom and Dad were in a local music show, and had Debbie, Doug and I get up on stage with them and sing. Doug and I sang the Hee Haw song "Where Oh Where Are You Tonight" and when it came time to spit, that was my job. There you have it. Spitting in public at the age of 4.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. What a great story. You must incorporate that in your writing and when you speak about your books! What a funny top ten trait list you'd have.

      Yes, I was a Kiltie for two years. Loved every minute of it. Thanks, Tim, for the chuckle.

      Delete
  9. Enjoyed reading your blog. Funny and interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great post, Beth. Loved learning non-writerly stuff about you. Hmmm something about me. I've sunbathed nude on a mountain top in CO - enjoying nature as it should be. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh. Good one, Angela. I could, ah hem, add that to the list as well. That's for another post...

      Thanks for commenting.

      Delete
  11. What a cool post, Beth. As usual, I'm behind on reading blogs. One thing you might not know about me is that I was VERY shy in high school. Ran into my old history teacher at a booksigning (he writes too). He told me I wasn't anything like I was in high school. Remembers me being so shy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting, Shirley. I guess you and I came out of our shells pretty well. I was with you at that signing. I remember your teacher.

      I'm behind too because of all those contest entries! Whew.

      Delete