About ten days ago, Amy from Running is Cheaper than Therapy answered the Bloggers’ Challenge and asked me to participate. I was all set to sit down right then and do it but reading got in the way. I have been on a reading binge this new year but here it is.

The rules:

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger. See above about Amy.
2. Share 11 facts about yourself. These will be below.
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.  Again, below.
4. List 11 bloggers.
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they’ve been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

Eleven Facts about Me

1. I am newly divorced. Even though my ex and I were separated for over 16 years, we did not divorce until 2013.
2. I love to read. Since getting my new laptop/tablet 2-in-1, I have discovered the Kindle app and have been reading non-stop. I think my goal of 36 books this  year may get blown out of the water. I’ve read 12 books already this year and am also reading a non-fiction book on top of all the fiction I have finished.
3. I have six kids. Yes, six from the marriage that ended over 16  years ago. The kids currently range from 19-29.
4. I have twins. While twins and multiple births are more and more common with fertility treatments, I have twins that just happened. My high school class has four of us that have twins that I know about and who knows those I don’t know about.
5. I am a late in life runner. I never started running until 2007 – just a few days shy of my 46th birthday. I swore it was just for health reasons and I would never race. I started racing in 2009 and never looked back.
6. I’m the oldest of seven. I have one sister, two half sisters, one step brother and two step sisters. My one aunt still thinks my sister from NJ is here frequently when I say I’ll be going out to dinner with my sister and I mean one of my two half sisters.
7. I talk to my mom via chat program almost every day. I swear I am going to start  using Skype and make that all easier but I have yet to do so.
8. I have always said I would love to move back to the North Country. I love that part of NYS.
9. I worked at the 1980 Winter Olympics. I am certain that there will be some posts during Sochi about my time in Lake Placid.
10. At 48, I posed naked for an artists’ sketching group. I figured, other than the friend who asked me about it, I would not know these people and would never see them again. Wrong! I do not regret it, though.
11. My birthday is September 11th. Every birthday since 2001 has been weird. The 10th anniversary was my 50th birthday. I celebrate but it is hard.

The Questions from Amy

1. Where is the one place in the world you would love to travel? I could cop out by saying Europe as I would love to travel through Europe. I think I am experiencing a second young adulthood as I would even be willing to backpack through Europe and stay at hostels. But more than that generic answer, I would love to visit Tuscany.
2. What is your favorite book? I cannot name a favorite. I love books. I re-read books all the time. To have just one favorite would be to lie. On my current top of the list is Elizabeth Gilbert’s Signature of All Things.
3. What do you hope to accomplish in 2014? I have a lot of things on the accomplishment list for this year but first and foremost is to get more clients for my business. If I don’t do that, I may have to go back to a job.
   
4. What race is on your bucket list? I haven’t updated my race bucket list recently. I had Ragnar Adirondacks on it and did that last year. I also have Credit Union Cherry Blossom in DC on it and am in for this April.
5. Who is your role model? I am in absolute awe of women who are younger than I am and work part or full time, mother, and run. I do not think I could concentrate on training if I had to also take care of my family. You all are amazing to me.
6. What is your favorite chip? I am a no fuss chip girl. I do not eat a lot of potato chips but love veggie chips. My favorite chip, though, is a multi-grain tortilla chip with honey that I buy at Sam’s Club.
7. If money was not an object, would you continue your line of work or do something completely different? What? I decided many years ago that working outside my home was not really for me. If money were no object, I would sit and write all day and race on every weekend. Travel would not be a consideration as I could write anywhere and run anywhere.
8. What is one song you could never tire of hearing? “O, Canada” followed by “The Star Spangled Banner” as those two songs in succession means I am at a hockey game.
9. How are you making a difference? I have spent a lot of time in recent years volunteering or spreading the word about a local program called M-EALS. The program was created out of necessity by a local teacher who could not stand to see students who did not have food over weekends and school breaks.
10. Beer or wine? A great craft beer or, if that is not available, a good red wine – but no Malbec as I don’t like those.
11. Forgive and forget? Or do you hold a grudge? Forgive – yes. Forget – not usually. If there is something to forgive, you probably are going to learn a lesson from it so you should not forget it. Do not, though, let it rule your life. Forgive. Learn. Move on.

11 Bloggers I am hoping will answer my questions

1. Kristen at Motherese @motherese
2. Aidan at Ivy League Insecurities @adonnrowley
3. Josh at Hawks to Sox @joshberka
4. Paul at Running Wild @runningwild1313
5. Paula at Perspicacity @biggreenpen
6. David at Running Because I Can @runningbecause
7. Hollie at Fueled by LOLZ @fueledbylolz

And just in case you think I am crazy, know I am a rule bender. I cannot manage to put down four more bloggers as I am not sure any of these people will do this to start out with. Add that to this already out of control length, and well, seven it is.

11 Questions to Answer

1. How many states have you lived in?
2. Have you settled near where you grew up?
3. Do you consider yourself an athlete? In what sport?
4. Do you consider yourself a writer? Of what?
5. What do you do in your spare/free time?
6. How many states have you visited?
7. How many countries have you visited?
8. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
9. What would you do if you could do anything?
10. Is there some place in the US you want to visit?
11. What is special about your hometown?