Tagged, I'm it

My fellow blogger and friend, Charissa, just tagged me, which means it is now my turn to give up a little more info about myself (as if you haven't heard enough; what haven't I said on this blog?).

So, let me think. What don't you already know about yours truly? Here are the first five things that come to mind, although there are probably no surprises for my close friends and family. I'm like an open book.

Numero Uno: I used to volunteer for D.C. United, a MLS (Major League Soccer) team, for those of you who don't know.

On my first day as a volunteer, they needed someone to sit behind one of the goals and clock the speed of the balls being kicked toward it with a radar gun. To get me down on the field, I was granted an all-access pass, which allowed me to go anywhere in the stadium (including the locker room; you wouldn't believe what I got to see).

From then on, I got to try out many different tasks that took advantage on my total access. I worked the press box, helped slingshot t-shirts into the crowd and escorted Talon (the mascot) throughout the stadium.

One day, the guy who was supposed to be Talon didn't show, so I got to play the part. I guess I did a good job, because I got paid to do some other appearances, like in the Cherry Blossom parade and at another local mascot's birthday bash (a whole bunch of mascots showed up to celebrate with a game of t-ball).

Later on, I also began volunteering with the Ice Breakers (a local minor league ice hockey team) and during the Women's World Cup, where I got to meet Bill Clinton.

No. 2: Still talking about Washington, D.C., I worked on Capitol Hill one summer. I guess I could've been a page, but I opted to do something only a small handful of teenagers get to do; I got to drive the Senators.

My mom nearly fell over when she found out. You see, I'm not the best driver (there's another fact about me). But, lucky for the Senators, I was just going to be filling a seat and pulling a lever on an almost totally automated subway system.

One day, when the Senate wasn't in session, a man in Hawaiian shirt with a camera around his neck (he looked like most tourists on the Hill) struck up a conversation with me about general stuff, like the weather outside, etc. I thought nothing of it until a woman came running over to the man in the loud shirt, saying, "Sen. Glenn, it's so nice to meet you."

Yeah, I knew that. Not. I couldn't believe I didn't recognize him. I mean, he wasn't wearing his space suit.

No. 3: You've probably already figured out that I have an artistic background, but did you know about my range?

I've been drawing and painting since I was small (ditched the stick figures in pre-K and started oil painting in elementary school). I also sing (church choir, school chorus, musical theater and I even sang in a band), took dance (tap, jazz, ballet and some pointe) and was on the pom squad in school.

I was a member of the Thespian Society, a place I earned for my hours of theater work. I was in various school plays, including taking on the part of Kim in "Bye Bye Birdie" (the part Ann Margret portrayed in the movie version. I just love her).

Now, here's an embarrassing little tidbit about me; I even auditioned for a part on the New Mickey Mouse Club in the early 90s. It was the season that Keri Russell (you may know her as "Felicity") made it into the cast. Obviously, I did not.

No. 4: While we're on the topic of embarrassing (and the Mickey Mouse Club), I've also been a big Britney Spears fan (although not so much lately). I have almost all of her CDs (including some imports and the lunchbox filled with single CDs, a shirt, lollipop, keychain and other odd stuff), some dolls, clothing she auctioned off as part of a charity event and a copy of one of her yearbooks.

Now, before you get too weirded out, let me explain. It all started as a joke. I bought a copy of her first CD, because after hanging out with my silly singing friends, a couldn't get "Hit Me Baby One More Time" out of my head.

Next came the dolls, which I purchased to be funny, since a male coworker of mine had made such a fuss over them. Then, everything just kind of snowballed.

Although, I do have to admit that the music did grow on me. It was rather catchy, so I actually went to a concert while preggos with my son. What can I say? My husband and I had fun.

No. 5: Lastly, I've been thinking about going into cake decorating for a while. It probably wouldn't be raw (due to the lack of demand in my area), but then I would be less tempted to eat it.

My sister's and I used to eat cake top (what's leftover after leveling out the top of a baked cake) all the time when my mom worked with a well-known cake decorator in our area. She actually assisted with a soap star's wedding cake and helped transport it to the event.

Speaking of decorative icing, my mom also is one of people in charge of the semi-annual bon bon production to benefit our church. She is currently working on them as I type this, and had enlisted my help Thursday and yesterday.

This batch is for Easter, so we also do 5 oz. eggs (pictured are some of the ones I put crosses and extra flowers on to conceal any imperfections. The rest of them are personalized with names).

Whoa, this post has gotten a bit lengthy, so you'll have to wait until the next one to get my pizza recipe. But, before I leave you, here's who I'm gonna tag: Kristen, Heathy, Carmi, Alissa (take your time; I know about your computer situation) and Jenny :-)