One of the things I love about blogging and the online community is that writers share deep parts of themselves. Don’t get me wrong – I share a lot with my close friends IRL as well. It’s that the blogging community knows things about one another more quickly.

We write about life and our pasts in a way that doesn’t easily transfer to playground or football practice talk while watching our kids and avoiding a stray ball.

It’s easier somehow to share through writing. Strangers have read about my secret worries, moments, and hopes, the last day before becoming a mom, embarrassing moments, and dreams for the future.

Here’s an embarrassing moment…

You know – the stuff that doesn’t tend to come up at a neighborhood mom’s breakfast chat.

I’ve shared a lot on this website, but maybe not everything.

Here are 10 things that might surprise you about me:

ONE: I’ve never baked a dessert from scratch. Ever. I’ve only made cakes and brownies and stuff from the box three times.

Maybe four. Ask me for a plate of nachos though, and you won’t be disappointed (hint – the secret is cheese on every chip).

TWO: I’ve written about being adopted, although not much (here, and here are a couple). I haven’t written about meeting my bio mom and my half bio sister.

When I was in my 20’s, my dad encouraged me to get my files from the adoption agency and to meet my biological mother.

At that time, I had no desire to do so. I was perfectly comfortable saying “I don’t know” when doctors asked about family history. I called, and found out I was named “Ester.” That was enough for then.

After Tucker was born though, I wanted to know. I’ll have to tell the full story sometime, but this one began with hiring a mediation counsellor, making contact through her, checking my email 4,298 times in a few hours, and an eventual trip. I’m glad I did it.

I found out Ester was her sister, who died as a child.

Bio father wasn’t willing to even fill out a medical history form. I’m mostly over that, having decided he’s a mean mean meanie and a Loser.

THREE: I’ve never been embarrassed about people seeing me in sweats or grungy clothes. Only a rare few have seen me without mascara though.

My dumb blonde (pun intended) eyelashes are almost clear. When Robert and I first started dating, I even slept with waterproof mascara on.

FOUR: While I know it’s ridiculous and dumb-dumb like, I’m a little ashamed at how old I am to have an almost-nine-year-old. What? We’re being honest here. After all, this is a post about 10 things that might surprise you about me, right?

FIVE: In 9th grade, I didn’t say anything when my friend Carol stole a test and then I looked at the answers, too. We got caught and I admitted everything, and she said it was my idea. I wasn’t even in the room when she took it. We’re no longer friends.

SIX: That same year, my mom had just moved out and my brothers and I lived with my dad. When we were at the grocery store, he asked whether I needed any female supplies.

One brother snickered, and I said “no” rather than yes. I (very) briefly experimented with an invention that was made up of dental floss and toilet paper. Enough said there, and I got braver pretty quickly in front of my brothers at the grocery.

SEVEN: I peed in a graveyard in New Orleans after my friend and I asked for vampires to turn us into vampires, too. Or, wait. Maybe you knew that. I did write about it a long time ago.

EIGHT: Recently, I wrote about scuba diving and skydiving. People seemed surprised although I’d written about it a couple years ago, and I’m not sure whether I shared that I’ve done both a lot. I think I’ve been skydiving about seven times, and scuba diving… hm. Maybe 40 times?

I considered moving to Turks and Caicos to become a diving instructor / ad designer for a while and had several meetings with a couple there who owned an advertising agency.

NINE: I can’t believe I’m sharing this, but once, I kicked down somebody’s door. I was young 20’s, and “we were in love.” Except, one nigh, he never showed up, and a friend texted that she saw him at a club. Gah.

Dumb. Also, lessons, right? OMG I have to delete this. Or not. It’s 10 things that might surprise you about me after all. And this one surprises even now-me.

TEN: Although I’ve been fine with reading what I’ve written out loud to a crowd at Listen to Your Mother and also at a couple of blog conferences, in smaller writing groups, I’m not so much fine.

In fact, my hands shake so badly that I feel them twitching in my forehead and lips.

Same with certain social situations. It was so bad, I couldn’t even reach for my drink, whether it was coffee, water, or wine. That bad.

I asked my doctor about it, fearing early stages of Parkinson’s but she seemed to think it’s more of a defensive adrenaline rush.

I now have a prescription for Beta Blockers that I take an hour before I’ll be doing something like reading out loud.

Mostly, they seem to help, although I still wonder about Parkinson’s or other because why wouldn’t I?

So hey, I don’t usually ask you a question like I’m “supposed to” at the end of these confessions, but what are the 10 things not many people know about you? Do you want to share? Join us!

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This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post. It’s old-school blogging with the listicle of “10 things most people don’t know about me,” and my fabulous co-host is Kenya G. Johnson of Sporadically Yours.