Tag! I am it!

I got tagged yesterday! This was new to me. Apparently, I am supposed to list seven true facts about myself. I haven't given this too much thought, but here goes -

1. I am the "baby" in a family of six children, two boys and four girls. My fifth youngest sibling is 9 years older than I am and my oldest sibling is 17 years older (she probably doesn't want anyone to know that)! Darwin might say I have birth-order behavior characteristics of an only child and of a youngest child. Surprisingly, I am close to my siblings even with the large age gaps.
2. I love to sing. I sang in high school, sang with a church choir, sang in college and am singing again, now. My voice is okay, but my ear needs some training. I enjoy the challenge of singing acapella and am getting ready for a Madrigal performance early in December. I am thinking about taking voice lessons - just have to get over the fear that my conductor may realize my voice is not that good:)
3. I love to cook and try new recipes. Nowadays, this is how I put my ChemE degree to use. I did not always follow a recipe and it would aggravate my husband. When I made a repeat meal, I could not exactly duplicate it. Now, I start with a recipe and go from there. It is a bit harder to try new things with the kids in the house. They aren't the most diverse eaters.
4. I am a pleaser. I like to make people happy. When I left the professional world that was one of the biggest challenges with the job I held. There was no way to make everyone happy all the time. I did try, though!
5. When I was pregnant with my first child, I ended up bed-rested in the hospital for 52 days! It turns out I have an incompetent cervix. All turned out fine. Our son is perfect and we were Blessed with a miracle. But, the hospital stay has had a profound effect on me. As soon as I smell that antiseptic hospital smell (I think all hospitals have the same cleaner), my heart starts to race. My type A personality has softened. I am much more understanding. There used to be only MY way to do things. For example, I had one way to fold clothes. Now, I am just glad they are folded. It brought patience - of which, I have very little. I am proud to have just a bit more. Lastly, it was those sonographers in the perinatologists' office that got us through. They were our lifeline to the little baby growing inside me. They will never know how they impacted my life. When I decide to go back to the professional world, I am seriously considering sonography. If I could positively impact others' lives the way our sonographers did that would truely be what life is all about. Man, I am getting too deep for the morning!
6. I get sad each winter when the Northeast gets their first snow storm. We aren't there any more and I enjoyed the unpredictability of a snowstorm. We got days off that we did not plan for and all we could do was play. Can you tell we have had too much hot weather this year?
7. I love ice cream! There is nothing better! My meal revolves around it. I like to try ice cream shops in all the cities we travel to. I think it is a family thing. Although, I have not had any ice cream for the past three weeks. I am trying to be good! We'll see what the scale says!

Allie, Allie, in come free!!!! I am not sure on the spelling. But, this is what we said when playing tag as a kid. This meant all could come to base without getting caught. That's where I am. Hope you enjoyed the insight.