100th Blog Post!!!

It's been seven months and I finally wrote my 100th blog post!!! So how to celebrate? 100 random things about me? 100 accomplishments in my writing career? 100 picture books I've read? A mixture? Wanna take a vote? Too bad. I think I choose...a mixture! So here goes:

1. In 1999, I received my BA degree in Creative Writing.
2. I have a three-legged dog named Cocoa. She is a Treeing Walker Coonhound.
3. During college, I also took four separate writing correspondence courses.
4. Evelyn Coleman autographed a book for me.
5. In 2007, I received my K-6 teaching license.
6. I started collecting picture books during college, long before I had children.
7. In the summer of 2009, I was bitten by the writing bug again.
8. My older sister started it.
9. In Sept. '09, I had an idea explosion.
10. The longest I ever worked in one job was 6 and a half years.
11. In Sept. '09, I started a blog.
12. My other sister is an artist.
13. In Dec. '09, I joined CBI, The Children's Book Insider, i.e. The Fightin' Bookworms.
14. My third sister is getting married this Saturday.
15. In Jan. '10, I joined a critique group.
16. If I had to be locked in a room of a school for a day, I would choose the library.
17. In Feb. '10, I made a second blog post.
18. When I was a kid, my favorite colors were tan and pink.
19. In April, I did my first Author's Visit.
20. The best lightning storm I ever saw was in southern Wyoming.
21. In April, I attended a writer's conference, the Children's Writer's Bootcamp.
22. My favorite colors now are based on the object. Shoes, purses, dogs? Black or brown. Cars? Blue or silver. Flowers? Red, purple, orange. Clothes? Neutral colors, browns, greens, blues.
23. In June, I joined twitter to be a part of Picture Books Only.
24. I collect four-leaf clovers.
25. When I was in the 3rd grade, my teacher would give me a seashell every time I found a four-leaf clover for her.
26. I didn't visit the ocean until I was 16.
27. In July, I had made a total of six tweets.
28. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 18.
29. In August, I attended WriteOnCon.In August, I made four more tweets.
30. I have hazel-green eyes.
31. On Sept. 10, I mailed out my first manuscript!
32. I tried sushi for the first time about 5 years ago.
33. I LOVE barbecue eel sushi!
34. Last week, I made my 100th tweet!
35. I probably have 100 four-leaf clovers in my LUCKY box.
36. I have 30 followers on my blog.
37. I collect cool boxes and creative containers.
38. I have 60 followers on twitter.
39. I hope I publish 60 books before I die.
40. I had 10 of you participate in my book giveaway contest.
41. I'll probably have 10 more.
42. I'm signing up with The Institute of Children's Literature to take the Advanced Writing Course.
43. I am working on 7 books right now.
44. One of my books is written in rhyme. Wonderful days for when I had time.
45. Four of my books are set to songs.
46. One of the 7 books is nonfiction. (Actually a lot more, just not working on them RIGHT NOW.)
47. My husband may join the Reserves.
48. When I was 7, my sister and I got yelled at for playing frisbee inside of Roses.
49. I used to look in the floor for beads that spilled out from open packages.
50. I never snuck out of the house.
51. I've never tasted alcohol.
52. I love to dance.
53. My husband doesn't.
54. I have passwords for about 70 different websites.
55. I still want to finish my YA novel, even if it's never published.
56. I wrote the first half during college.
57. I'm a registered voter - unaffiliated. 
58. I used to read the dictionary every day. I never made it through the A's.
59. I have won at least 5 contests in my life.
60. I tend to be a procrastinator.
61. I love to run.
62. I haven't run in nearly a year.
63. I have run two full marathons (26.2 miles each). One was for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.
64. I ran in the Cooper River Bridge Run, a 10K (6.2 miles) in Charleston, SC.
65. I collect seashells.
66. I love living in the mountains.
67. My favorite adult author is Lori Wick.
68. I'd rather read a picture book than a chapter book, MG novel, or YA novel ANY DAY!  
69. It's not that hard to be considered as part of the top 5% of unsolicited submissions.
70. I already have activities planned for book signings and library visits for 7 of my books.
71. I want to write a chapter book or a MG novel, but the character won't share his problem with me, or let me know where he belongs.
72. My step-son, C.J., is 19 and is in the Army National Guard Reserves.
73. My parents are divorced.
74. My son, Shawn, collects insects.
75. He's also good at gymnastics.
76. My daughter loves to dance. Sometimes we all dance together.
77. I'm a bicentennial baby.
78. I don't know all of the Presidents.
79. I've been to Alaska and Hawaii, but never New York, Florida, or Louisiana.
80. I'm addicted to chapstick.
81. I spend too much money on books.
82. I'm a Latter-day Saint (i.e. "Mormon").
83. There are over 40 LDS publishers.
84. I don't wear make-up. It takes too much time.
85. I only get my hair cut twice a year. I always wear it up.
86. I know how to play Chess.
87. I have a secret recipe for blackberry cobbler. One year, I'm going to enter it into the state fair.
88. I wear sandals in the winter.
89. I have only one pair of high heels. They're silver.
90. I used to have a motorcycle. I sold it and bought a Kirby vacuum cleaner. 
91. I have a motorcycle endorsement on my license. I used to sell Kirby vacuums (for 3 months).
92. I own at least 30 books that I have never read.
93. I am setting up my first online author visit with a school in CA via Skype.
94. I RARELY watch TV.
95. I had a poem published in the local paper when I was in high school. It rhymed. It was called "Machiavellian." The paper renamed it "A Poem About Politics."
96. The first two lines are: "A poem of politics is a plate of pea soup/ Muddled and messy, all mushed into a group."
97. I've written many stories that will never be published.
98. I had to get glasses in the 8th grade.
99. I never had braces.
100. I have read over 100 picture books in the last year.