Not long after I started this blog, I compiled a list of 50 facts about myself that I thought might be a little bit interesting. Now, almost 7 years later, I figured it would be fun to revisit them and see which ones are not so factual anymore and which have stood the test of time.
1. My name is Liz. I never went by Liz until I came to college and someone started calling me that and I didn’t mind and after all, it is shorter than Elizabeth and possibly easier to remember so there we are. — Possibly still easier to remember? But the people who still call me this are few and far between and very close.
2. However, I like it a lot when people call me Elizabeth. It makes whatever they’re saying sound a little more sincere to me. That, or indicate that they’re mad. If you are mad, you might as well go ahead and say Elizabeth Michelle. That’s what mom does. — All still 100% true, though I don’t get in trouble as much as I used to
3. I am the oldest child of three. I was their guinea pig (no offense to you, Wilmadean). This is evident by the fact that my youngest brother gets to do WHATEVER HE WANTS. — Another one that hasn’t changed much. I’ll forever be an oldest child, but my youngest brother does have a few more responsibilities now.
4. You’ve Got Mail is possibly my favorite movie of all time. When I’m in a feel good mood, that is. I can quote a good portion of the film and it will probably get annoying if you hang around me too long. I remember the first time I saw it in the 8th grade and thinking Online love, *sigh*. Haha…no. — As you know by now, a few have hopped over this movie on my list of favorites. It’s still in the mix though. And no matter what anyone says, I think you can find that one person through clicks and IMs and various fonts. Don’t mind 2005 me, she was a little jaded.
5. One of my dreams is to own a bookstore. — A forgotten dream, but a dream nonetheless. If anyone wants to go into business with me, give me a ring.
6. I would also like to be in a Broadway musical, be a successful novelist, a wife, a mother of four (ambitious, I know), a high school English teacher, a college professor, and a soap star. — Yes, yes, done, eh, NO, ??, and only if it’s EastEnders.
7. I have been in a beauty pageant. Never again. – NEVER AGAIN.
8. Pumpkin Spice Lattes make me very happy. — Still true! Though you’re more likely to find me with a simple cup of dark roast.
9. I really like to cook and pride myself in being domestic. — True, though now that it’s part of the job and not just a novelty it’s maybe not quite as much fun as I thought when I was 20.
10. Both The Sound of Music and Anne of Green Gables (the whole series) had a profound impact on my life. – This will forever be the case.
11. I have a late night crush on Craig Ferguson. — Still true, but I’m less devoted now. And I don’t typically stay up late enough to watch his show anymore. Sorry, Craig! I did name my Keurig after you!
12. It’s because he’s Scottish. Other Scottish crushes include Gerard Butler and Dougray Scott. — Sigh. Some things never change.
13. I grew up in a very, very small town. — And now I write about it.
14. The town where I attended school was the inspiration for Footloose. — And now they have an annual festival!
15. I was born on November 14, 1984. — Yup.
16. I am a Christian. — Yes.
17. My family and I have been attending Bethel Assembly of God since February 8, 1998. Before that we went to Gospel Beams Church (both in Duncan, OK) where my parents met and were married. — I no longer attend there (because I moved away), but my parents are still there.
18. My religious background is non-denominational and I think it will always stay that way. — I attended and was a member of a Baptist church between then and now, but I’d say that’s a fairly accurate statement all the same.
19. I love ballroom dancing. — Still true, though it would be really nice to get to exercise this passion!
20. My right foot is one inch longer than my left. The reason for this is that apparently one of my legs was longer than the other and it made up for the difference by dropping the arch in the foot that’s on the long leg, thus spreading my foot out somewhat and making it longer. And I know what you’re thinking, because everyone asks. I just buy shoes big enough for the big foot. — Still haven’t had to have that surgery, so we’re good!
21. I’m pretty sure that I know all the words to all the songs in all animated Disney movies (that matter). — As well as most 90s country music. My brain stores this stuff for some reason.
22. I have never really wanted a sister. — This is true, but I’ve had enough female friends to make up for my lack of female siblings.
23. I still have my blankie. — WHAT OF IT??
24. I have never been on a date. — Ha! That’s right, as of November 1, 2005 I had never been on a date that both parties agreed was a date. Within a few months of writing this I would start dating someone, so that’s kinda funny. Nor had I been kissed, FYI. Late bloomer with incredibly high standards.
25. The plan wasn’t ever really for me to go to OU. It just happened. — So true. And I have kicked myself almost every day since for not studying abroad like I’d intended.
26. I think Kate Middleton needs to step off. — (Remember, this was 2005!) Oh…that’s a little embarrassing. I’ve reconciled my feelings though and really love what I know of her now. Seems like a nice young lady. I think we would be friends.
27. I want Lionel Ritchie to perform at my wedding. — Shucks.
28. David Carr is my cousin. — Can’t change your kin.
29. I’ve never seen The Wizard of Oz. I know, I know. Someday I’m going to make a list of the movies I haven’t seen. You might question whether or not I’m really an American (or human) when you see it. — I was forced to watch this a little over a year ago. I am no better person for having seen it.
30. My former roommate Heather (who is also my cousin) and I have made a little tradition of going to Branson, Missouri for a weekend during the fall. — And we continued it for a long time. Gone are those days, however. Unless Heather wants to take another girls trip!
31. I spent my 19th birthday gazing into the eyes of John Mayer. Okay, so I was a few dozen yards away from the stage. But. Still. It was my birthday and I got to see JOHN CLAYTON MAYER. — Mmhmm. For that, he will always be special. Now, if I could just see him perform “Comfortable” live.
32. I hate The Goonies. — FACT. Another fact: This is my husband’s favorite film.
33. But I really liked The River Pirates. — Still!
34. The Princess Bride is another movie that you’d better not make me watch. Bleh. — True, and it’s another favorite of my husband.
35. I was the Halloween Carnival Princess/Queen candidate three years in a row. — One of my few claims to fame.
36. I have two cats (Ears and Timmy), one beagle (Eddie), one mouse (Mimi), one guinea pig (Wilmadean), and two fish (Blaze and Bullet…they’re really Kyle’s). — Eddie is still living (but we gave him to an elderly neighbor who needed a companion after her dog died), but all the rest of those pets have gone on to Glory (the pet version).
37. I was born with a head full of black hair. — And it’s grown more impressive in recent years. Growing really long hair is my super power.
38. I went 19 years and 2 months of my life without putting any color on my hair. Since I started, I haven’t stopped. However I am having a lot of trouble with the color now. It won’t stay brown. It comes in black at the roots and turns auburn. Looks pretty much brown in regular light, just not the brown that I want. — This is funny, because I stopped dyeing it about a year before I got married (so, 2008) and only recently got the urge to color it again.
39. When I was 4, I met Tom Lester. “Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside…” – He’s still about the most famous person I’ve ever met.
40. I saw The Notebook five times while it was in theaters. — Sad? I think I might watch it later…
41. I never go anywhere without my Moleskine. — Always have one with me, still.
42. In the 8th grade I wrote 100 pages of a novel. It’s still sitting at home somewhere. — I found the first few chapters of it and it’s sitting in a notebook just a few feet away from me
43. I’m currently working on a novel and as always I have short stories scattered all over. – Oh, I know which one I was working on back then. It’s lovely and something will become of it someday. It’s about a girl named Evie who wears her heart on her sleeve, but has a hard time dealing with her own feelings. And the boy who loved her. As for this fact — yup, still true!
44. I am quite certain I will live overseas at some point in my life. — Strangely, I have never felt more confident in this one than I do now. I can’t explain it. I don’t know…but somehow, someday…
45. I have seen Phantom of the Opera performed twice. I intend to see it in New York and London. — I’ve seen it once more since then, but still not in NY or London.
46. Other favorite musicals include Cinderella, Jekyll & Hyde, Evita, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War, Beauty & the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl, Movin’ Out, Hello, Dolly!, Whistle Down the Wind, Sunset Boulevard, and Joseph. — To be honest, haven’t kept up with theater much in recent years. I try, but it’s a little difficult out here on the prairie.
47. Mythbusters is one of my favorite tv shows. I want to be on that show and blow up stuff and wear fun goggles. What can I say? I was thrilled as a child when our cable started carrying TLC and yes, I loved Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. — Haven’t watched it in years, but yes, I still wish I could work on the show! I don’t know much about it, but I love science.
48. When they called out my name during the Senior Night football game at my high school, my future plans were to become the first female governor of Oklahoma. — And our current governor beat me to it! My plans to participate in state government are pretty much gone.
49. At wedding receptions, I am a bouquet magnet. — I think I caught two more after this.
50. I am a Girls State alumna. — And now my youngest cousin is as well!
Now I’m working on a list of new facts. So while you’re waiting on that, how about this: Share a few facts that I might not know about you!
Oklahoma girl through-and-through. Writer, aspiring domestic goddess and totalitarian dictator. Taking on the world one carb-induced coma at a time. Co-host of Picture Shows & Petticoats. 
A great insight into your life! Just found your blog through instagram, love all your posts
Thank you for visiting and for the sweet comment! I’ll have to check out your blog
Move to England and we can open a bookshop together! (You might have to stop calling it ‘store’ and start calling it ‘shop’ though. Or not.)
And, seeing as you asked, I’ll share five facts about me:
1) As you may know, I get really penicketty about people calling me Kate and not Katie. I always correct people (crikey, that sounds arrogant!). The reason for this is that since I was about 13, I have tried out every variation of my name and then some, and tried to get those names to catch on. Basically because I was trying to re-invent myself, and/or run away from myself/my past. I was so very uncomfortable in who I was, and I wanted to have a different variation of my name to reflect that. It only took a decade, but by the time I came to make peace with that, and to like myself a little more, I couldn’t separate that from the kerfuffle regarding my name, and that is why I am so insistent about it.
2) I’ve never seen either Pocahontas or Mulan. These are both things that I want to change.
3) I wanted green stripes in my hair for at least a decade. I sort of still do, I just don’t want to trade in the mostly great condition my hair is currently in in order to get them, or to have to cut it short to get them out. And maybe I’ve missed the window. I SO should have done that in my late teens when no one would have cared.
4) My favourite item of jewellery is actually bead bracelets, and it took a PHENOMENAL amount of work in me by God before I could consider myself as a person worthy of owning, let alone wearing, a bead bracelet. Like the whole “bead bracelet wearing community” would be filled with anger and vengeance at my daring to consider myself worthy to consider myself part of that group, or something. Fortunately, we have come a very long way since then, although they are still sort of my security/confidence thing. I need some new bead bracelets. And, incidentally, I probably don’t need any other jewellery at all.
5) It has probably been at least 3 years, maybe 5, since I have worn high heels. Now I can’t even put them on without my ankles hurting. I have a couple of pairs of medium-low heels, and even they don’t last more than a few hours on my feet. Whilst I do like platform wedges (that aren’t that high if you take off the platform), I can’t honestly say that I miss them at all.
“Shop” sounds better anyway
1) Glad I’m not alone in this name thing! It’s a little annoying when people call you something you never asked them to.
2) Pocahontas was the first movie I saw in a theater. Mulan is probably my least favorite of the “princess” movies, but I still enjoy it a lot. The music is great! My bridesmaids processed to an instrumental version of “Reflection”.
3) I say, if you want to, do it! Recently I was considering a small section of blue. I saw a girl at the mall with some lovely multicolored sections blended into her dark brown hair.
Ahh! My dream is to open a bookstore too! It’s a dream I never told anyone until late last year…. I would adore having a new/used shop with a little cafe for tea/coffee and a garden. Sigh.
Several of these I was like me too! I must admit the Kate Middleton one made me laugh
I am not a Wizard of Oz fan…. Wicked, however, rocked my socks off and I could watch it again and again. I too adore You’ve Got Mail…and must agree with your husband on Princess Bride and The Goonies.
Posts like this are always such fun and I enjoy reading them!
See? That’s lovely. I never even thought of the fact that I could use it as a place to get my gardening urge out of my system as well! I always thought a book/flower shop combo would be nice
I will not hold those movies against you :-p
1. I consider myself a late bloomer as well, at least compared to all my high school friends. I had my first boyfriend at the age of 17 and first kiss then as well.
2. I will go by almost any version of Rebecca but Becky. I HATE that nickname, SO MUCH.
3. I am the youngest of 3, my siblings are 17 and 19 years older than me.
4. I was planned.
5. I got lost on the Great Wall of China.
Now I really want to do this too. I was actually waiting until my 1000th blog entry to do something like this, but I might have to do it early.
4. WOW
5. HOW?! Really, how does a person do this? I want to know.
Re 5: I was with my parents on a tour and my dad went ahead to look at something. I was about 9 years old and was getting impatient that my mom was so slow, so I was racing around, thinking I would be fine, but there were too many people and I lost track of her. However, I am a smart person so I just went back to our tour bus and waited there, didn’t want to be left. My poor mother… heh.
Those were fun!
1) I never saw Back to the Future until last year. Same with E.T. except I literally just started watching it last night. Actually, the same goes for a lot of 80s movies. I have a lot of catching up to do.
2) No one ever pronounces my name correctly on the first try. (For anyone who wants to try, it is Iradis.)
3) I also regret not having studied abroad during college.
4) My husband and I both want to live abroad (Central/South America or Europe) someday.
5) I am a middle child and fully take advantage of that fact.
1) BTTF is one of my favorites! Never seen E.T. though. I know!
2) How DO you pronounce your name? eer-AH-dis? eer-UH-dis? eer-uh-DEES?
That was pretty close! I’m not good at writing out pronunciation but I think ee-rAh-dis is about right. The ‘i’ sounds like the ‘i’ in indigo.
Thanks for the clarification!
51.I like to know how to say the names of people that I know on the Internet.
Now, where did your name come from?
I wish I knew the etymology! That is actually one of my life goals. My mom says I was named after a childhood friend of hers. I have yet to “verify” this information however.
Hey Elizabeth – this is great!
And since you asked…
~ I am the youngest of 3, my sister is 9 years older and my brother is 8 years older.
~ I got married early (19) but had my first kiddo late (35)…and I wouldn’t change a thing!
~ I didn’t have a BLANKIE. I had Sue Bear. And I still do (for whatever reason to call my bear Teddy was something my young self couldn’t/wouldn’t do)
~ You do know I color my hair – but for me it’s about the Super Power I derive from it! Invincibility!
~ I too am a Girls State Alumna – just a different state.
Aww, Sue Bear
Every Girls State Alumna I’ve ever met has been an awesome person. It’s like when I find out this fact about a person, I know I’m going to like them!
I have to challenge your fact 1 update. In my head, you are still “Liz” and I wouldn’t call us exceptionally close.
And that’s your fault, because that is what you introduced yourself as. 
You met me at a time when I was introducing myself as such! That’s your pass!
Elizabeth (and I’m not mad…), this was a smile-inducing update! FYI, I was a Girl’s State Alternate (if that counts for anything)… but I did win the American Legion Citizenship Award. The Sound of Music is one of my all-time favorite musicals! I’ve never colored my hair (and it shows.) The first movie I saw in a theatre was Cinderella (the original Disney animated version… ahem.) I was going to suggest going into the bookstore business with Critty Joy, but she already fessed up.
We both have novels in progress… let’s get them done and on the shelves (or e-book land, or wherever…) Great post!
Alternate absolutely counts!
Yes, we must get these novels done! I can’t wait to see my work (and yours) in print