55 things you may not know about me (just for fun!:-)

A mentor from my writing group did a “Things you don’t know about me” post for her 40th birthday, which inspired me!

I’m turning 55 this year, so here are 55 things you may not know about me. In no particular order! 😊

My wonderful husband, Rick! ❤️

1. I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Referred to as the City of Roses since 1889, when the Portland Rose Society was founded and planted 20 miles of streets with roses in advance of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. Ironically, my mom’s front and back yards were always adorned with beautiful roses too 🌹

2. My dad hand-built three boats (two hydroplanes and a pontoon) that our family enjoyed every summer on the Columbia river 🛥️

3. I had four car accidents in two years. My insurance skyrocketed! That trend stopped once I prayed and anointed my car with oil 🚘

4. Papa Joe, a beloved character in my children’s picture book, is modeled after my own dad who went home to be with the Lord in 2019 ♥️

5. My favorite dessert is dark chocolate 🍫

6. My next older sister (by 6 years) volunteered in my third grade classroom as part of her middle school project, helping me gain instant popularity with my classmates 🫶

7. My uncle was one of the detectives on the original Cops show 👮

8. My dad worked for the airlines so we got free flights as kids, which took us every summer to visit my mom’s family in upstate New York ✈️

9. I ran the Warrior Dash with my 14 year old daughter in 2011. Super hard, and messy at the end, but one of my favorite memories 💕 

10. My siblings and I would regularly put on plays for our parents. It was a group effort: writing, producing, and acting. Unfortunately, many of them involved impromptu arguments in the middle of the play 😆

11. I earned my MBA as a young mom and worked in human resources for many years before pursuing my writing dream 🧑‍🎓

12. I served as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) advocate for two years. It was emotionally challenging but rewarding. There are so many kids who need help 😢   

13. One of my favorite short stories to write was about how my mom and dad met. This was based on what they told me with some fictional liberty sprinkled in. It won a top 50 place in the Karen Kingsbury Family Fiction contest ✍️

14. I have two tattoos, something I never thought I would get until I changed my mind in my mid thirties. They are both Bible verses ✝️

15. I love to laugh and have fun, but also have a serious side that feels very deeply 🥹

16. I received an honorable mention in the inspirational category for the 86th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition 🔖

17. I once bought a Harley from a friend, took a motorcycle safety course because I had never ridden, and ended up in ER. I sold the Harley 🏍️

18. My Myers Briggs personality type is INFJ.  What is yours? 

19. My favorite food is pizza. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 🍕

20. My favorite color is green, with purple a close second.

21. My first car was a Plymouth Arrow, which they stopped making in 1980, six years before I got mine. 

22. I learned to drive my second car, a stick shift, in one short training on backroads with my older brother.

23. I was encouraged (ok, forced) to take Accordian lessons in the 4th grade. The instrument was almost as big as me and the lessons didn’t last long 🪗

24.  My favorite candy bar is Chocolove brand, salted caramel in dark chocolate 😋

25. I didn’t do many sports in school, I was more of a bookworm, but I have enjoyed dancing off and on throughout my life 💃

26. I love to travel and have been to 21 states, plus Canada 🧳

27. I met my husband at a Christian event in a miraculous way. Let’s just say it was completely unexpected and a huge answer to prayer for both of us. We married one year later, minus one day ⛪

28. I love worship music, and enjoy singing. My bucket list item is to join a choir again 🎶

29. I’ve dabbled with the piano off and on since college 🎹

30. You could call me a multi-passionate professional. I’ve worked in food service, retail, event planning, sales, accounting, education, training, wellness, human resources, and freelance writing. I am now blessed to be a published author 📚 

31. I have two beautiful daughters. Wasn’t sure if I could have kids but after giving up on fertility treatments (both times), God blessed me and my husband. Being a mom = best days of my life 🙂 

32. My first children’s book (a 7 part series) was published through Ambassador International in 2022, with the second one scheduled for release in 2024 📖

33. I have a growing tribe of grandchildren I adore 💖

Grandkids are the best!❤️

34. Unless it’s books, or something very specific I need, I’m not a big fan of shopping. 

35. I took up running for the first time in my forties and ran a couple 5K’s. It was a love/hate relationship that I’ve since outgrown 👟

36. I told my daughters I’d like to dedicate each one of my children’s books to a grandchild. Two down, and five to go 👍

37.I’ve been married for 31 years to the love of my life 💒

38. I have a background in K-8 education, and have worked with kids most of my adult life.

39. Both of my parents have passed away. I miss them everyday. 

40. I self published a 21 day wellness-focused devotional before writing children’s books ✨ 

41. My german-speaking grandmother lived with us when I was very young. My earliest memories involve my dad teaching me how to say special things to my grandma in German 🥰

42. I earned my personal training and health coach certifications and once served as the worksite wellness coordinator for a large community college 🏫

43. I committed my life to Christ when I was seven years old. After a season of rebellion, I rededicated my life to him when I was 21 years old. Best decision ever 💓

44. I prefer coffee to tea, but drink both most days ☕

45. My favorite cookies are classic Nestle chocolate chip 🍪

46. I love trying new things! While I don’t consider myself an adventure-junkie, I have enjoyed white water rafting, kayaking, snorkeling, glider-plane tour, parasailing, banana-boat ride, and many insane amusement park rides over the years 🪂 

47. I once nearly slept through a fire happening next door to our family’s condo in Hawaii, including the multiple fire trucks and police sirens. Thankfully my family was there to wake me up 🧑‍🚒

48. I once posed as a terrorist with my husband for a local SWAT exercise 🤯 

49. I studied martial arts for five years, including the Japanese sword, and earned student of the year in 2005 🥋

50. Our six month Golden Retriever almost died from ingesting a firework on Fourth of July. Complications required six months of therapy multiple times a week, including a skin graft from a fish. We now call her our Goldie fish 🦮

51. I prefer the ocean to the mountains 🌊

52. I’ve been known to take walks in 100° temps, but it’s rare you’ll catch me going outside below freezing if I don’t have to. 

53. I participated in a mock trial at the federal courthouse for one of my mom’s soon to be lawyer friends. I was a witness to a ‘serious’ crime and was interrogated on the stand. Super fun! 🧑‍⚖️

54. The library has always been one of my very favorite places, and I’ve been known to check out 10 books at a time 📚

55. Our family traveled across the country to transplant to Tennessee in 2021. We traveled in the winter through a snowstorm, wind storm, ice storm, and rain storm before reaching our new home. Oh the stories we could tell! Five adults, one baby, and two dogs on a 2300 mile road trip to new beginnings 🏡

***

Karen Ferguson is a freelance writer and the author of the Questions for Kids picture book series. A lover of words, family, animals, and Jesus, Karen is a passionate advocate for truth that transforms lives. Her mission is to write stories that grab and hold young readers’ attentions, teaching them all about God’s unchangeable truths and His unchanging love for them. Karen is married to her best friend. They have two grown daughters, a growing tribe of dearly loved grandchildren, and one crazy golden retriever furbaby. Her favorite part of the week is eating dark chocolate and spending time with her family exploring new places. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and sign up for her free newsletter to be the first to know about special events, book updates, freebies and giveaways.