Monday, April 6, 2009

Life: In a nutshell

“Could you tell your life story in the space of a cocktail napkin?” That’s the question posed in a recent Glamour article: The Secret of My Success. They found ten successful ladies to spill their secrets in one hundred words or less. Admittedly, I can’t come close to matching the level of success earned by any of the women featured, but I thought it sounded like a fun challenge to create a word-snapshot of my life. Here goes:

Born in January blizzard. Still hate being cold. Chatterbox kid. Learned to command attention. Watched too much TV. Loved math as much as art. First trip to Young Life camp! Found passion for Christ-centered craziness. Went to Cincinnati fashion school. Got very first B. Drawing is hard! Unexpected whirlwind romance. Convinced Philly boy to move 500 miles from home. Married bliss. Work/School/Work/School= five years, four cities, seven residences. Got grown up job. Tried to act like a grown up. Moved to Steel City. No friends, no clue. YL to the rescue! Haven’t “arrived” yet. More of a work in process…

How about you, my talented friends...want to take a stab at it? Libby, Rachel, Renee, and Brian (oh yeah...and you too Dustin!)…I dare you to take the 100 word challenge- Maybe even pass it on to a few of your friends. For those of you without blogs- leave your legacy in the comments. Short but sweet!

11 comments :

  1. ooooo! fun fun fun!! okay, i will definitely write mine. look for it at the end of my next blog - just for you courtney. yours was awesome. hope i can make it as good :)

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  2. Alright...

    I don't love it, but here it is. Who knew I would want more words?

    June is the best month to be born.
    That kid has huge cheeks.
    Hit by a baseball, no more fear of them.
    Catholic school, hated my phonics book.
    High school, graduated 8 out of 189.
    College, whole ‘lot of math.
    First teaching job – good.
    Bought a Jeep, and a guitar. Still have the guitar.
    Second teaching Job – woof.
    Found the one, fell in love.
    An amazing wedding!
    Cincinnati- great city.
    Third teaching job- awesome!
    Pittsburgh?
    No jobs for Dustin.
    New Job – who knew?
    New Friends, new life
    God is great and faithful!
    Young Life – changing the world.
    Happily in Love.

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  3. Here goes. Courtney, I think we need to schedule a phone call a week in advance. Our schedules do not align!

    Red-haired girl only wears dresses and loves to change them five times a day. Always loved books, libraries, running, having my picture taken, and music. Followed the rules, fell in love with a boy. College degree. Still felt like a kid. 1st job was a nightmare, 2nd not a nightmare, not quite a dream. Never realized unhappiness. Got married. Got divorced. Lost 20 pounds and gained an identity lost for years. Amazing friends, amazing family. Life is better with a sassy side part. Vegetarian. Met a new boy. Blissfully unaware of what my future holds. Enjoying the journey.

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  4. Ooooh, they're great so far!
    Dustin your "still have the guitar" part cracks me up. Thanks for giving up your first love for me.

    Christina- yours is awesome. Such a journey! Does it feel good to see it written out? can't wait to see what your next 100 words will be someday!

    Keep 'em coming!!

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  5. thanks! :) 100 words is hard! it does, and it is exciting to think of the next 100. your blog is so fun!

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  6. January baby. Hate January weather. Vowed NOT to have January baby. Did it anyway. Grew up overly sensitive; overachieving. Vowed not to birth one of those. Got it ½ right. Tomboy as a child. Loved dresses, chasing boys. Still love dresses. Hated birthday parties. Had great parents. Hated oboe and piano lessons. Studied to teach children. Still doing it 30 years later. Married. Gave birth. Delight of her daddy’s and my life. Lost at love. Kept a precious friend. Remarried. Put God first. Gained 3 children I call my own. Gained 3 children-in -laws. Became a grandma. More life to love!

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  7. DID IT! But I think I sound like a nutcase. So you really can reveal your true self in 100 words or less.

    Classic only child. Work too hard, expect too much from myself, and hate taking help from other people. Marrying the most laid-back, loving and wonderful man I have ever met. He makes me feel like I’m better than good enough. Love travel. Teach geography to 6th graders. Read maps the way other people read novels, yet still get lost in NJ at least once a week. Tone-deaf, can’t draw a straight line, and marrying a family of artists and musicians. I love it. Blessed with amazing family and friends. My mantra: The Lord is my strength and my song.

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  8. Oh I just love this. Mom- yours was so good. Very profound! (You've been so deep lately!)
    And Audrey's got love on the brain...nothing better than that!

    Thanks for playing along!

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  9. I swear I'm working on mine! this is harder than I thought!

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  10. Okay, I swore I was not going to do this since I knew it was something I would spend too much time on (just like Facebook), but I thought I'd just write some things down real quick and see what I came up with... and low and behold - it was 100 words exactly. So here it is...

    Born into a happy family on a farm
    Loved my outdoors, cats, dogs, horses, sheep... everything!
    Sunday school, church, Sunday school, church – boring.
    Young Life camp – got it!
    Sweet Sixteen – moved, devastated
    High school – friends and fun
    Next? College – Grove City of course!
    Not accepted, not accepted... Confused?
    Work crew – peace
    July phone call – Grove City here I come!
    North Carolina? Bye family :(
    What now? Must be YL... but scared. But okay!
    Penn Hills, Riverview, WyldLife, Churches, Penn Trafford...
    Where did my 20’s go? But so worth it...
    Well, hello Trigger :)
    New life... so excited... God’s always faithful!

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  11. whoa Hannah! way to go...I know what you mean about putting too much time into things. But you did great! Wonder what Trigger's 100 words would be. Proably "I love Hannah bear" x 25. :)

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