25 Things About Me (Kim Rowley)

Posted by kim on October 28, 2010

I was cleaning out folders on my PC today when I came across this list of 25 things I wrote about myself two years ago.  Not sure why I wrote it, but I found everything to be true yet today.

1. I ran away from home when I was 14. I became an emancipated minor so I could start college when I was 17.

2. I have a fear of dogs. I seriously have a panic attack if a dog so much as tries to touch and/or lick me.  My daughters inherited my dogaphobia (Cynophobia is the correct term) as well.

3. I love shoes and am the self-appointed President of Shoeaholics Anonymous -   I can do that when I own the website.

4. I admit I’m a terrible driver.  And I don’t drive at night (I have night blindness). Saves on gas money (just have to shell out more beer money).

5. I don’t like/drink beer. My favorite mixed drink is Rootbeer Schnapps with Diet Coke (tastes like Rootbeer soda pop). Unfortunately when I travel, most non-hicktowns don’t carry such, so then I just request “something fruity”. My favorite blended drink is a Strawberry Daiquiri with whipped cream on top.

6. Pizza is my favorite food. Old Chicago is my favorite pizza place. Tombstone stuffed crust is my favorite frozen variety.

7. I hate pork. I do not eat ham, pork chops, bacon, etc.

8. I could fill up all 25 spots with foods I do not like (ie ketchup, yellow cheese), but let’s just sum it by saying I’m a picky eater.

9. I took guitar lessons when I was little and still have my acoustic guitar.  The only song I remember how to play is “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love…”

10. I played the flute in our high school band, but I couldn’t march and play at the same time.  I think that’s why the band director let me be the drum majorette. And I looked cute in a short skirt (I was obviously skinnier then).

11. I have never had a broken bone. The only minor accidents as a child I had were stitches on my scalp and stitches in my chin – both happened while playing with my uncle (who is actually younger than me, as my mom and grandma were pregnant at the same time).

12. I got pregnant (and thus married) when I was 17. Divorced when I was 31. Still single. After hearing a lot of married friends bitch about their husbands, I think I may be better off!

13. My twins were over 13 weeks premature weighing 2 lbs. each with several complications. I thank the Lord they are relatively healthy now and “normal” per se  – you can read their NICU story over at PreemieTwins.com.

14. I am lucky that I have naturally straight teeth, as my parents would not have been able to afford braces for me.  My children were not so lucky – three down in braces, one to go (my youngest just got her braces on).

15. I proved to skeptics that a single mom can build a dream home without the help of a man.  And now that I’ve done it and realized all the things I’d do differently, I want to build another new house (stay tuned as I’m working on it).

16. Why would I ever want to get remarried? To get married in a church, to change my last name, and to use the registry gun at Target to shoot all the trivial stuff I’d like but would never buy for myself.  Group health insurance would be a plus, too.

17. I used to be a die-hard Pepsi fan.  When I decided I was going to switch to diet pop, I lost 11 pounds in 5 days.  I now drink Diet Dew (and I gained those 11 lbs back, ugh).

18. Some days I think plastic surgery would increase my self-esteem and have considered getting a “Mommy Makeover”.  Other days I just want people to notice my brains over my beauty.

19. On my bucket list, I want to visit every state, every continent and every country in Europe.

20. I also want to do missionary work while in Africa.

21. I have a fear of fires.  I rarely light candles and double-check to make sure things are unplugged.

22. I absolutely loathe liars. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” ~ Mark Twain

23. I have never taken any foreign languages.  Me gustaría saber cómo hablar español. (gotta love Google translate)

24. I ran sprints in high school.  I was the only senior girl to go out for track. But I never qualified for state.  Top two spots in districts advance on.  I got third in three events.

25. I love marketing, as seen by the shameless self-plugs within my notes above. I truly believe one finds success by doing something one loves and has a passion for. I just wish I was a tad smarter to be able to develop all of the brainstorms that fly through my head.

Mountain Lion Conspiracy Theory

Posted by kim on April 19, 2010

Rumors have been running wild (pun intended) in our small little town after a mountain lion was supposedly spotted by the grocery store (yes, we only have one grocery store).  Since I google absolutely everything, I immediately googled “mountain lion” (after my boyfriend laughed at me when I asked what they look like).

Although mountain lions (also called cougars, pumas or panthers) were part of Nebraska’s native fauna, they were extirpated by the end of the 19th century (source). No confirmed sightings have been made in the state until the 1990′s.

Now this is where bar talk get interesting. Rumors say the police shot at the mountain lion, but it got away. Several residents did indeed hear a gun shot, but no cops have acknowledged firing the shot that I know of.

Many believe it’s a conspiracy theory that the government planted the mountain lions in Nebraska to help thin out the deer population. If that’s true, it hasn’t helped much because BF and I counted over 100 deer while on a short Sunday drive recently. Can’t they just extend deer hunting season to thin them out?

These transplanted cougars supposedly have tracking chips embedded in their ears so the government can track them via GPS.  So I asked, “How will they track their offspring if they reproduce?” Leave it to me to bring up a question involving sex. The answer I got was that they sterilized them. But The Trapper & Predator Caller Blog just today showed evidence of two mountain lion kittens that document mountain lions reproduction in Nebraska.

So that story isn’t as good as Pennsylvania’s Cougar Conspiracy, but after having a few drinks, it made for some good discussion. Many argued that it was probably just a bob cat or big tom cat. Some claim to have actually seen the footprints. I’m indifferent.

Photo Credit.