25 Things

I was tagged three times on Facebook! Here is my 25 Things list:

1. My 16 month old son was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, had open heart surgery at 4 months old, and now has a pacemaker. Luckily, it looks like he doesn't need his pacemaker anymore! We find out more in June. I am madly in love with my baby.

2. I swam on a relay across the Catalina Channel with teammates from Pomona College. We got a world record for the fastest womens team to cross. Our record is still on the website Catalina Channel Swimming Federation.

3. I was co-captain of my college swim team Junior and Senior year and waterpolo my Senior year.

4. I watch incredibly too much television. I have MSNBC on constantly and in the evenings we have a few shows we watch regularly. BSG, The Office, Burn Notice, Heros, 24, LOST, plus occasional other shows.

5. I found out that I love to cook after I graduated from college. I got a subscription to Bon Apetit and kept it going for 10 years. A few months ago I freecycled the whole collection to a woman who was thrilled to get them. I find that I use the internet for recipes rather than going back to old magazines.

6. I lived in NYC for 2 years working as an assistant coach at Columbia University and working a variety of Physical Therapy Aide jobs all over Manhatten. I think everyone should live in NYC for a couple of years in their 20's. The experience formed who I am today.

7. I gained over 60 pounds since college. No, it isn't all baby weight.

8. I have had clinical depression probably since I was about 12 years old. I didn't get true treatment until after graduate school. I sought treatment in college, but they sent me to a student who said, "Exercise helps depression." Those of you who swam with me will understand how that was not going to help as I already exercised an insane amount. If I ever become a millionaire, my Pomona College donation will be earmarked for a decent mental health clinic.
I have been on most of the medications on the market, and am still trying to find the best mix. I am currently seeking information on the hormonal aspects of depression and PMDD to find a safer way to control depression during pregnancy.

9. I desperately want to get pregnant again. My doctors want me to wait until the depression is better controlled. I want to be totally off of medication for my next pregnancy. My goals and their goals don't match.

10. I married the most incredible man. He is handsome, a genius, understanding, affectionate. He puts up with my crazy days. He keeps the house clean- that's the Navy in him. He is an incredible father to our son. Henry 5 absolutely adores him. A civilian worker thought he was out of earshot when she commented that he makes the new uniform look good. She was right.

11. I got married in front of the Beluga Whales at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT.

12. I hated living in Hawaii. (But that might be the depression talking. I am willing to try it again.)

13. I would love to live in Japan. But if we move there, I would spend all of our money on fabric.

14. I love being a Navy wife. I am so proud of my husband and how hard he works.

15. When I was 12 I thought I wanted to be a physical therapist. Now I am. I prefer working with Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury patients in Acute Care hospitals.

16. I am currently a stay at home mom. We thought I would return to work reasonably soon after giving birth, until we found out about Henry's ToF. Then I thought I would go back to work a couple months after his surgery. The delay is my need to catch up on CEUs.

17. I love to sew. I graduated from Pomona with a degree in Neuroscience and for graduation my mom gave me a sewing machine. I still have the same one and use it to make things for the baby and friends.

18. I have done several triathlons and want to get back into it for the approaching season. I did a half Ironman about 4 years ago. I didn't train adequately. I was the first out of the water in my age group. I was second to last in the entire field to finish. It was horribly grueling. The bike portion was so painful that I hoped I would get hit by a car so that I could stop racing without shame. I also had to pee really bad- so bad that I tried to pee my bike shorts while riding my bike- I knew if I got off I wouldn't be able to get back on. It didn't work- I found a port-a-jon by a nuclear power plant. After several years to get over the trauma, I have the urge to train properly and do another one. My husband says he never wants me to do another one because it was so painful to watch.

19. I joined a work out group at the YMCA.

20. I get so mad when smokers throw their butts out the car window that I sometimes give them the finger.

21. I drive too fast.

22. I want to go into my parent's basement and freecycle most of it.

23. I love having computers and electronics, but get really irritated when they are too slow or break.

24. I have travelled in Asia to Viet Nam (to visit Amanda), Korea and the DMZ, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Pacific Islands Guam and Saipan. If we have to move to Guam I am starting a dog farm to take care of all the strays. I Viet Nam I was attacked in the Binh Thanh market by a 100 year old pint sized little lady because she wanted me to buy a diet coke from her. A few days later I realized what she wanted was the $50 she stole from me. The best pastry I have ever eaten was in Viet Nam. In Thailand I ate a cricket. I have never been to Europe.

25. I can't get over how much I love my baby. He is the light of my life.