1. I grew up in Minnesota.

2. It was really cold, but it was good for snowmobile picnics and ice skating.

3. I have 3 older sisters but grew up in my teenage years an only child when I moved to Georgia with my parents and my sisters stayed in Minnesota.

4. I’ve broken, at different times, at least 13 of my fingers and toes.

5. My first kiss with a boy was in 7th grade, in a hall after school.

6. If I had to pick one food to eat it would be toasted bagels with cream cheese. If I could pick a second, it would be lobster. With butter. Is that three?

7. I was married before Julian.

8. I make Julian laugh calling my ex: “My Other Husband.”

9. I love my job, but don’t want to work so much right now.

10. When I was growing up and into my adult life, my family and friends called me Julie and I changed it to Julia when I met Julian (who was called Jeff at the time).

11. My middle name is Rae – I guess because I was my Dad’s last chance for a boy and his name is Ray, however, they almost named me Raymona.

12. I was a gymnast until I broke my ankle and then I started swimming competitively through high school and on a city team.

13. I wish I had friends from my first 13 years – in Minnesota, but I haven’t keep up with anyone.

14. I can turn my tongue over.

15. I love TV. I get this from my Dad. Who loved Star Trek. He used to pay me 25 cents to sit still through it.

16. My most creative time is between 9pm – 1am.

17. I drink Diet Coke for breakfast.

18. I nearly go insane hearing repetitive noises like gum cracking, pen clicking and iced tea glass-stirring.

19. My son drives me insane with repetitive noses like cracking his knuckles, humming, and foot tapping.

20. Some days on my best parental days I don’t feel like I’m enough of a parent for Gage.

21. I am left-handed for writing and eating, but play sports right-handed.

22. I secretly wanted my kids to be left-handed, but they are not.

23. I love to go to movies.

24. I’ve only seen one movie with Julian in 8 years. I banned him from going with me because he never had anything nice to say about a movie. It was a buzz kill.

25. I started sewing when I was a kid.

26. I took a sewing class in 7th grade. I loved it. Probably my favorite class ever.

27. But I liked dissecting the cat, too.

28. I have a wide circle of friends.

29. Maintaining my friendships is one of the things I’m most proud of.

30. I like crafting. I like to think I am more artistic than I actually am.

31. I like a sense of order in my living space.

32. I am depressed when my house is out of order.

33. At least once a day I think I will out live one or both of my kids.

34. One of my favorite movies is Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

35. I think we will end up as foster parents to sick kids when our kids are older.

36. Julian rolls his eyes when I say this out loud.

37. This scares the crap out of him, because once or twice when we were dating, I said I would be a mom to a kid with special needs.

38. In my twenties I didn’t think I would live through my thirties.

39. In 6th grade I attended a brand new school, that was touch-feely. We sat in circles and called the teachers by their first names.

40. I was molested by a friend’s dad somewhere between age 5-10.

41. I am extremely open with the kids about good touch, bad touch.

42. One of the nicest things I heard someone say about me when they didn’t know I could hear was when I was holding Quinn at church (Quinn was 4 days old) was “She is someone that was meant to be a mother, look at how confidently she holds Quinn.”

43. I wanted to be a geologist when I was in 6th grade.

44. I suck at math, but I love billing clients the best. Figuring out cost and profit.

45. I think blogging is cheap therapy.

46. I like Motown, 60s/70s and Country music.

47. I still think my husband is awesome.

48. I feel sorry for him that he is republican.

49. I always tell people, “Don’t hold it against him, he’s a great guy.”

50. I have serious flaws. But working on them are way down on the list.

51. I need less sleep than other people.

52. Or I tell myself that to make myself feel better.

53. We don’t consider traveling outside the country with the kids because of their medical situation.

54. One of the things I HATE most about mothering sick kids is holding them while they fight a medical procedure screaming and crying.

55. I never read The Di Vinci Code because I didn’t think I’d be smart enough to follow it. Seriously stupid thought. But I did see the movie and understood the whole thing.

56. I love my blackberry. Don’t hate me. I want one with a camera but can’t justify the expense.

57. I have a sound machine that Julian got me with something like 20 sounds, but he will only let me sleep with one of them (ocean) when he is home.

58. Since I wrote the first 52 on this list, I’ve taken in my homeless 22 year old nephew and am advocating for his special needs through the federal and state government. It’s like I have 3 kids.

59. I drive Julian crazy by rearranging things in the house; from small things (salt and pepper) to large things (sofa, chairs) and sometimes I do this on purpose.

60. I highly recommend the removal of your uterus (if you have one and it gives you trouble).

61. I have a lot of regrets about Gage’s preschool experience. But I didn’t know any better and I should give myself a break.

62. I love Mike’s (of Hard Lemonade fame) Mike-arita, but can’t find it anywhere.

63. I wish I had more time to sew. I’m decent at it and it relaxes me.

64. I had a bridesman stand up for me in our wedding. I don’t get to see John often and I miss him.

65. I loved (just as a fan) Shawn Mullins before he was famous and I have all his before-he-was-famous CDs.

66. I am a feminist, but I don’t think anyone knows it.

67. I won $1000 calling in and answering a question on the radio 20-some years ago.

68.  One of the scariest things besides watching my son be near death was hearing him say he wanted to kill himself – and realizing that he really did want to die.

69. A 40+ year old man tried to pick me up when I was about 12 by asking me for directions while I was on a bike. When I came out of the drug store, he was there waiting for me and asking if I had a boyfriend that I kissed. I just biked away from him as fast as I could. I’ve always wondered why I didn’t go back into the store.

70. I played the flute and cello in elementary and jr. high school.

71. I think my sense of humor is what gets me through the tough spots of raising kids that could die from a disease that we genetically gave them.

72. I would love to be able to speak another language but I do not have the patience to learn.

73. I wish I could change some things about the heath care system, like the waiting, the jumping through hoops, helping the  inspiring health care workers to listen to the kids more and to slow down a little bit, and the paper work.

74. I like to drive old cars. I think newer cars with computer chips and power whatever were created to make me crazy. I’m a fan of a car that doesn’t have too many bells and whistles. (Just bought a basic 1991 Volvo, with no bells or whistles)

75. I am not a pack rat. I hang on to things I am sentimental about, but I am constantly getting rid of things.

76. I like to shop at estate sales, consignment shops and garage sales. That’s why I am constantly getting rid of things. I rotate what I newly like best.

77. I have a strong marriage. It comes easy but we work hard at some things too.

78. We are funny (at least to each other). We think we’re hysterical. It helps that if one of us wants out of the marriage that person has to take the kids.

79. I can’t pass a TV channel that has Notting Hill playing. Tried. Can’t do it.

80. I also watch and re-watch episodes of West Wing.

81. Gage and Quinn have congratulatory notes from the presidents when they were born somewhere in memory boxes.

82. Many times a day I envy Quinn and her ability to go at her own pace (for every slow moving second) and not care when people try to rush her. I call it Quinn Time.

83. I’m usually a terrified public speaker, but somehow talking about the kids and PKD isn’t so terrifying to talk about.

84. Each year a renowned PKD doctor asks me to speak to first year medical students about PKD and our experiences with the health care system. It’s rewarding like you wouldn’t believe.

85. Someone once told me that parenting special needs kids shouldn’t define me as a mother. This person has healthy kids and does not know of what they speak.

86. I’m on speaking terms again with God. I find that our relationship is like a river – sometimes wide and flowing and sometimes narrow and stagnant.

87. Within months of Quinn being diagnosed and days of Gage being diagnosed with ARPKD a pregnant woman told me she hands-down wanted a boy (to make it easier on her for clothing, toys) and then said, “As long as he’s healthy. He better be healthy. Because I don’t know how I’d handle it if something were wrong with him.”

88. I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I like to check/use both on my blackberry. I don’t care who knows it either.