I joined about 1,000 other people yesterday in a month-long blogging challenge.  It is called the Ultimate Blog Challenge (UBC).  This will be my second time taking the UBC.  The last time I went through it I met lots of new people and more people began to read my blog.  I am expecting more of the same this time around.

Since I’ll be meeting new people, I figure this may be a good time to share a little bit about me, above and beyond my About Page (an idea I got from my new UBC friend, Paul Taubman).  I’m willing to bet that some of my family and friends don’t know some of the things I’m sharing.  Enjoy!

1. I knocked out my top front teeth twice before the age of 6, and I still have them.  I am not even sure that knocking the same teeth out more than once is possible, but that is my story and I’m sticking to it!  The 1st time I was playing on a jungle gym in pre-school, and I got kicked in the back of the head by somebody climbing down, and my teeth hit the bar. The 2nd time I was playing football with my older brother, cousin, and friends.  There was a pile-up, a foot flew in the air, and my teeth got in the way.
2. I knocked out my bottom front teeth, and they were literally hanging in my mouth by my braces.  I got elbowed playing AAU basketball in middle school.  The crazy part is it was a weekend, and we were out of town, so I had to wait until Monday to visit the orthodontist to get them fixed.  (Side note: My 2 sons had a total of 9 teeth dislodged or KO’d during the summer of 2011.  It HAS to be a Bledsoe boy thing!)
3. I played “cow tipping” in a car.  A cousin and I literally hit a cow while driving on the highway (NOT on purpose).  The cow was crossing the road, and we smacked right into the side of it, tipped the cow, and completely crushed the front end of the vehicle (only in Indiana right?).  I will say I was glad that my window was rolled up, as the impact on the cow literally knocked the……you can finish that.
4. I didn’t ride my 1st roller coaster until I was 15, and I can probably count on my hands how many I have ridden since.  My older brother and his friends made me ride my 1st roller coaster when I went to an amusement park with them.  I was literally scared to death…no screaming, no facial expressions, no nothing!  My only option was to ride or sit while they rode.  I feared being left alone more than I feared the ride I guess.
5. I think basketball is the greatest sport ever created! [Tweet this]
6. My grandmother and my wife’s grandmother were practically best friends from birth, yet my wife and I didn’t meet until my senior year in high school.  Our grandmothers were next door neighbors born 18 days apart.  My wife and I grew up in the same city (population of 40k), attended the same church where our grandmothers sat next to one another in the same pew,  knew one another’s family members, went to the same high school, but never met until 2 months before I graduated.
7. I have owned more than 30 houses.  My former profession and 1st business was real estate investing.
8. I drove from Indiana to California in the middle of summer (through the Arizona deserts), in a small 2-seat convertible car with no AC.
9. Orange Juice is my favorite drink.  I can drink it with every meal…breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  I wish I had an orange juice fountain.
10. It has been at least 5 years since I have had cable TV or a home phone.  I currently have no plans on getting either in the future.
11. I like multiples of 5.  I was born on the 25th day of January in the 75th year.  I grew up with 5 people in my house (mom, dad, older brother and older sister).  My family currently has 5 people in it (me, my wife, and our 3 kids).
12. I like patterns, and the need for patterns gets me in trouble sometimes.  My first 2 kids were born on Tuesday the 1st.  With our last child, I asked my wife if she could hold tight 3 weeks because the 1st day of the next month was a Tuesday.  She was not pleased, and no she did not hold out.
13. My kids all have my initials, JEB.  No, I won’t be telling you my middle name.
14. I really enjoy tennis.  During the Grand Slam tournaments I follow tennis almost as much as I do basketball.
15. I teach 3-6 grade Children’s Church and Bible Study at my church.  Sometimes I really don’t feel qualified, but I enjoy the kids and teaching them about the bible.
16. I don’t like public speaking.  Being a featured speaker is one of my goals, so I’m going to have to get over that! (Update: I now absolutely love public speaking!)
17. I will be learning Latin this year.  I teach my daughter’s homeschool curriculum, and I’ll be tutoring kids her age (7th grade).  One of the subjects is Latin.  I don’t know Latin.
18. I went skiing once, and didn’t go more than 20 feet before repeatedly falling down…on purpose.  First, they had to stop the lift just for me to get on it, and when I got to the top the 1st thing I saw was a skier fall off the side over an orange/caution barrier.  That was enough for me.  I played baseball in high school so I literally baseball slid every few seconds, then got back up.  Repeated that the entire way down.
19. I have never been out of the United States.  I hope to change that within 3 years.
20. I was almost named Mark.  Mark was a name my mom strongly considered.  I like Jackie better.
21. My kids think I’m cool, sometimes I think I’m boring.  Their opinion is more important. (Update: My kids still think I’m cool…smile)
22. My wife says I like country music.  Explanation: One time I was riding home alone from northern Indiana with no CDs.  The only radio stations I could find were country music stations.  I was tired, and it helped me to stay awake and make it home safely.  Now I am a country music junkie to her.  BTW she insisted I put this on this list.  It wasn’t going to make the list!
23. I cannot explain the difference between a sweet taste and a sour taste.  Don’t ask me to explain that.  Some signals somewhere got crossed.  LOL
24. I love mob movies.  My favorite is Good Fellas, and a close second is The Godfather.  To me the stories in mob movies are about family and business…with a lot of gangster, violent action included!  🙂  I am passionate about family and business, thus I’m attracted to them.
25. My favorite bible verse is Joshua 1:5-9.

There it is!  Hopefully you enjoyed, hopefully you know me a little better, and maybe we have a few things in common to chat about in the future.

Question:  Do you have something interesting or unique about yourself that is not commonly known?  Please share in the comment section below.

SPACE