When Linda sent me her #IamME photo I was linked back to her website No Kidding in NZ and found her amazing blog "Who I Am" (2012). It held such a strong link with #IamME that I asked her permission to share it with you today.
Stephanie Phillips, founder, World Childless Week
When in doubt about something to blog, my usual solution is to resort to a list. I saw this idea on another blog, loved it, and so here is my version.
100 things that emphasise who I am, rather than who I am not. 100 things that have nothing to do with infertility. 100 things you might not know about me.
1. Wife
2. Daughter
3. Sister (middle child)
4. Aunt (to 10 nieces and nephews)
5. Great-aunt (argh!)
6. Niece and cousin
7. Daughter-in-law (even if slightly resentful)
8. Sister-in-law
9. Friend
10. Feminist
11. Mentor
12. Counsellor (unofficially)
13. Volunteer
14. Bereaved cat owner (I miss Cleo and Gershwin)
15. Cat lover (we’ll get more cats one day)
16. Farm-girl (well, I was in my childhood)
17. Blogger
18. Writer
19. Reader (literary fiction mainly, but occasionally and shamefully trashy sci-fi or fantasy or chick lit)
20. Letter-writer (when I get round to it)
21. Procrastinator
22. Worrier
23. Pianist
24. Flautist (less accomplished than on piano)
25. Fan of Beethoven
26. Cook (and pretty good when I pay attention)
27. Regular exerciser (though not for fun)
28. An athlete covered by a non-athlete’s body (where did that come from)
29. Ice-cream lover (ahh – that explains #28)
30. Wino (ditto #29)
31. Lover of good coffee (Wellington coffee can’t be beaten)
32. One woman crusader against Starbucks
33. Vegetable lover (vegetables over fruit)
34. Sudoku whizz
35. Cross-worder (at times cryptic)
36. Kenken beginner
37.Addicted to the computer
38. Traveller (45 countries so far)
39. Allergic to economy class (that’s what I try and tell my husband anyway. And it's tough when we live so far from the rest of the world!)
40. Navigator and map-reader (You can’t always trust GPS)
41. Travel planner (personally, in my own business that I hope to re-launch soon (watch this space), and also for family as a Christmas gift)
42. International businessperson
43. Grammar enthusiast (not an expert though)
44. Lover of words
45. Thai speaker (wish I was better)
46. Mandarin speaker (I’ve forgotten a lot)
47. School-girl French speaker with unfulfilled dreams of being fluent
48. Self-taught Spanish speaker
49. Wannabe other language speaker with smatterings of Japanese and German
50. New Zealander
51. Adopted Wellingtonian
52. Former Thai schoolgirl and AFS Exchange Student
53. Former resident of Bangkok (my second home)
54. Diplomat (formerly by title, always - !!! - by nature)
55. Self-employed (closer to unemployed)
56. Company director
57. International Marketing Consultant
58. Strong leader (according to the staff at my company)
59. Follower of the VPMS - volcano paper management system
60. Teacher
61. Post-grad educated
62. Intelligent
63. Possessor of common-sense (I’m not delusional; two of my bosses have confirmed this)
64. Good listener (I hope)
65. Empathetic
66. Patient
67. Impatient (with the in-laws, and my mother, and people with bad grammar)
68. Cynical
69. Loyal
70. Tall
71. Green-eyed
72. Pale-skinned
73. Freckled
74. Wavy-haired
75. Prematurely grey under the natural brown
76. Trying to lose weight
77. Very right-handed
78. A little bit shy
79. Telephone-detester
80. Internet-lover
81. iPad fan
82. Low in Vitamin D
83. Scared of heights
84. Slightly claustrophobic
85. Crier at sadmovies/moving moments/victory ceremonies/soppy ads, etc
86. Amateur photographer
87. Photo-book addict
88. Maker of cards
89. Lover of architecture
90. Wannabe interior decorator
91. Peri-menopausal
92. Sufferer of trigeminal neuralgia
93. Hater of mornings (yet lover of sunrises)
94. Filled with still unfulfilled potential
95. Nervous of earthquakes
96. Wearing leopard print slippers
97. Suffering from a cold
98. Pretty happy
99. A lover of lists
100. Not actually called Mali
Linda Rooney