7 Random Things You May Not Know

Ok...I've been tagged. Not once but twice now, by Margaret first, then Tanya. So I've been thinking about what 7 random things about myself that are interesting for you to read about.

1. I was the grand prize winner in a Paper Salon/Self-Addressed contest in the USA at the end of 2005. (Paper Salon is another rubber stamping company). I won lots of goodies from them. You can see my creation when you click here.

2. I spent 2 of my teenage years living in Hawaii. So many good memories of watching "green flash" type sunsets every night (see Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to see what I'm talking about), the volcano blowing once a month (again bringing some of the most beautiful sunsets you'll ever see), great friends who I'm now reconnecting with via Facebook, cliff jumping, body surfing, eating Mud Pie at the Kona Inn.....the best place in the world for that!......and I could go on and on and on.

3. I did a bit of volunteer medical work in a Bangkok handicapped children's orphanage when I was 21. It had the worst living conditions you could imagine (children chained to the wall and locked in cages). One of the more life changing/eye opening experiences for me that I'll never forget.

4. I had the priveledge of getting to know some girls in the hill tribes of Northern Thailand (right on the very remote Thai/Burmese boarder - thick opium area) - who were taken out of prostitution. These girls were aged 8-18. Again, another life changing experience that stays with me to this day.

5. I helped build a preschool in Manilla Philippines for the resident children who lived on "Smoky Mountain", one of Manilla's largest dumps. A few times a week I was able to visit homes on the dump and deliver food to the families that lived there. And other times I joined the medical teams and did basic first aid. This was my first exposure to extreme poverty and desparation. I was 15 years old.

6. I'm a CKU (Creating Keepsakes University) graduate from San Jose in 2004. A scrapbookers dream!

7. I have sun bathed (fully clothed) on one of the most beautiful, untouched beaches of the world, Banda Aceh, Indonesia (the Boxing Day Tsunami had a direct hit on this place in 2004). It is a STRONG muslim area where Islamic law is upheld, so yes, I kept all my clothes on and just wiggles my toes in the sand.