Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Make sure the turkey is the only thing that gets stuffed!

Here are some turkey facts to impress people as you sit around the table today:

• In 2007, the average American ate 17.5 pounds of turkey.
  97% or Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving.
• In 2007, 271,685,000 turkeys were produced in the United States.
• The average weight of a turkey purchased at Thanksgiving is 15 pounds.
• The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.
• A 15 pound turkey usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.

I was tagged by Kevin Bussey to participate in the following exercise in self-disclosure.

1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

Seven Facts About Me

1. I crave change and adventure, but often wonder what the heck I’m getting myself into
2. I love good conversation, but rarely find it (outside my blog, home or office)
3. As I eat better, I’m losing my tolerance to consume processed foods
4. One of my best friends, I’ve only hung out 3 times with in person the rest of our relationship revolves around phone and email conversations
5. I’m so over winter right now
6. My wife is the coolest (and hottest) person I’ve ever met
7. I hang out with a group of youth pastors who are all going to do a whole body cleanse together (the colon and the works…)

I’m tagging Joe Martino, Mud Puppy, Brian Kirk, Jessica Maher, Erica Martino, Kristina, Grahame, Jerome

 

It’s almost here. America’s once a year eatting glutton fest of thankfulness better known as Thanksgiving. So to prepare you for the Turkey day, I’ll give  you a few interesting facts so you can impress the relatives as you pass the cranberry sauce around the table. This year, instead of stuffing your face and drinking too much, wow your guests with this mental cornucopia o’ plenty. You can thank me later.   

• The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620.
• The Thanksgiving Feast that the Pilgrims had with the Natives in 1621 lasted three days.
• It is not a sure thing that turkey was part of the Thanksgiving Feast, but venison was definitely part of the meal.
• All 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving together for the first time in 1777.
• In 1941, Thanksgiving was declared by Congress to be a legal holiday, held on the fourth Thursday in November.

[funology.com]

102. I love to eat leftovers cold.

103. This fact drive my wife crazy

104. I hate meetings

105. I love the outdoors, but don’t visit enough

106. I have two wooden men on the walls of my office

107. I have no idea how they go there

108. I hate to tie my shoes

109. I hate whiners and brats

110. I seem to attract whiners and brats

111. I like to torture whiners and brats

112. Whiners and brats hate me

113. I love the smell of my wife

114. She smells like home to me.

115. I hate getting hair cuts

116. But I hate having shaggy hair

117. I love music

118. I love U2

119. I love David Crowder

120. I love Dave Matthews

121. I love the Foo Fighters

122. I for the most part do not like Christian music

123. I think it’s lame

124. I think it copies the culture that it tries to run from

125. I like cinnamon candy and gum

126. Even though it doesn’t taste like real cinnamon

127. I love my kids, but I know I’m hard on them

128. I love to be on time

129. I move my feet constantly

130. I’m very restless

131. I read often, but find few books that keep my attention enough to finish

132. Dogs are playing poker in my office

133. I have matching ‘A’ burns/scars on my arms (they were given to me by a student)

134. I love to play pool, but I’m not very good at it

135. I can talk constantly, but I can also be very quiet

136. Richard Simmons makes me laugh

137. I’m not a fan of Rick Warren

138. I’m not as organized as I should be

139. I am a Georgia Bulldog

140. I have well groomed nose hairs

141. When I was a kid I always wanted a monkey.

142. After having kids, I don’t want a monkey – they’re like kids without diapers.

143. I always carry a sharpie marker on me.

144. I have a Buck knife in signed by Chuck Buck in my pocked

145. I like coffee and coffee likes me

146. I have a friend who makes the best coffee, but it also acts as a laxative.

147. Yo Gabba Gabba is the best kids show ever

148. I have a contract with my son to always be honest with him

149. He’s 5 years old and we had “the talk” yesterday

150. I hate moving pianos

151. I have a 19 year old son

152. Well, not really but he’s a student that considers me his father

153. I hate answering messages.

154. I hate checking email.

155. I have not seen a good movie in a long, long time

156. Ultimate Frisbee is the best game ever

157. When I get stressed, my stomach hurts.

158. My Stomach hurts now.

159. Watermelon AirHeads are addictive.

160. I like eating power bars for lunch.

161. I can watch movie trailers all day long.

162. I like the idea of video games.

163. But I’m too cheap to buy them.

164. I think O.J. was guilty

165. I have two dogs.

166. A chow named Phi (fi)

167. A welsh terrier named Cymric (kim-rick) which means welsh in welsh

168. I’m not a cat person.

169. I hate berber carpet.

170. I have a sweet tooth.

171. I’m not ticklish.

172. The rest of my family is.

173. I hate money.

174. When using the bathroom in the backcountry… I prefer to use snow instead of leaves.

175. I can say the alphabet backwards fast.

176. I can’t do a rubix cube.

177. I have a big honkin’ sword in my office.

178. I hate energy drinks.

179. I have about 15 keys on my key ring.

180. I went to the University of Georgia for college, yet never went to a game there.

181. They had to make rules at UGA because of me.

182. I took a majority of the classes for my major early and had all freshman classes my senior year.

183. I hate freshmen.

184. My wife is an amazing cook.

185. I bought a house with my parents – we each own a floor.

186. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

187. I never wanted to be in ministry – God tricked me.

188. I also blame Kevin Bussey.

189. My son Samuel (2yrs) is one of the funniest people I know.

190. I love camping, but we’ve never been as a whole family.

191. My second toe is longer than my big toe.

192. I love horseradish.

193. Tums make me sick.

194. I like things out of quarter machines

195. I like pushing buttons

196. My son and I drive my wife crazy at the store when we press all the buttons on things.

197. I talk to myself way too much.

198. I hate talking about myself.

199. I like to laugh

200. But most things don’t make me laugh.

201. I didn’t think I’d make it to 201.

Jacki has challenged me to do something she already has on her blog. I’m supposed to come up with 200 things about me. Well, I’ll one up her and go for 201 things about me.

1. My father, James (my first born son) and I all have the same middle name - “Patrick”
2. I was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga; yet have no accent - go figure.
3. My wife was born in Chicago and has an accent.
4. I’ve been close to death twice (that I can think of) once in a car accident and once due to pneumonia.
5. When I had pneumonia (mixed with my asthma) I was about 10 min from dying (due to lack of oxygen - lung capacity 10%)
6. I was afraid of heights till I started rockclimbing
7. I have only dated one person
8. I married that person.
9. I started dating that person at 16 (she asked me out).
10. I have 4 kids
11. James (5yrs old)
12. Aida (3 yrs old)
13. Samuel (2 yrs old)
14. Tristen (1 month)
15. My wife, Miriam, had a dream when we were first married and saw all 4 of our kids and we’ve always known their names.
16. Tristen (Tristen Haley) is named after my sister Haley (Kristen Haley) who died when I was 13.
17. I’d prefer to preach without notes or shoes
18. I didn’t really like coffee till I met Kevin Bussey
19. The first concert I ever went to was Dave Matthews Band
20. I bite my nails and so does my daughter Aida
21. My wife homeschools
22. I enjoy Spongebob as much as my kids do
23. I do a mean Bette Middler when karaoking
24. Braveheart is my favorite movie
25. Green is my favorite color
26. Someday I’ll live in New Zealand (don’t ask me why, I don’t know… I’m just certain I will)
27. I can eat pizza at any meal
28. The only thing I miss about living is the South are the warm beaches (the NW does not have warm beaches)
29. My wife is my bestfriend
30. My favorite moment in youth ministry was when I got hit in the crotch with a baseball bat
31. I’ve met John Eldredge and he’s a super cool guy
32. Chuck Buck of Buck Knives signed my knife
33. I have autographed baseballs from John Smoltz and Tom Glavine
34. I never just sneeze once. It’s always in multiples of 2.
35. After going to a chiropractor for months, I figured out how to do 90% of the adjustments myself to myself.
36. I love ebay (but don’t buy much on it)
37. I had 7 wisdom teeth removed
38. I often get in over my head
39. I’ve been drug by a car
40. I’ve been hit in the leg with a hatchet
41. I’ve been knocked unconscious by someone else’s shoulder
42. I’m currently drinking green tea
43. In a restaurant if the waitress keeps filling my coffee or water, I’ll keep drinking it
44. I don’t mind tipping big, but don’t like paying much for food
45. My sense of humor is usually misunderstood
46. I only tease you if I like you, otherwise you’ll be generally ignored
47. The pastors in our church are required to wear suit and ties. I’m a pastor in our church (licensed pastor/missionary)
48. I never wear suit and tie
49. I often wear my chacos to church
50. I don’t read my Bible enough
51. I’m a hypocrite
52. I’m good and creating and editing videos - but hate doing it
53. I am deeply mournful for the present state of the American church
54. I have a passion to see the church restored to what it was meant to be
55. I work in a ministry outside the church, but believe that one day I’ll be called to work for one again
56. I hate talking on the phone, but use way too many minutes on my cell
57. I am crushed by the weight of my own criticisms more than I am by ones from others
58. I have brown hair
59. In high school, I tried to change that and ended up with orange hair
60. I hate shaving
61. I like foreign movies
62. I’m listening to Counting Crows right now
63. I’ve blogged every day for the last year and a half
64. I made a commitment to blog daily
65. I don’t have enough faith
66. Even though the Lord has provided amazingly for the past 2 years, I struggle with support raising (as a missionary).
67. I love breakfast food
68. I have bad eyesight
69. I’ve been in 5 car wrecks (2 were my fault)
70. I like all things Pixar
71. I want to learn to play guitar
72. I hate taking pictures, but am good at it
73. I have a sweet tooth, but get sugar OD easily
74. I don’t think Mike Meyers is funny anymore
75. I can’t believe I’m already at 75
76. I like mowing the lawn
77. My two favorite books of the Bible are Joshua and Acts
78. I find Mormons funny
79. I hate Christian culture
80. I do not what to ‘rock it for Jesus’
81. I am randomly cheap
82. I hate people who over price things at yard sales
83. I hate bicyclist who do not follow the rules of the road
84. I hate covers of songs (there are only a handful that are actually good)
85. I don’t like rap
86. I rapped in a 5th grade talent show (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince baby)
87. I was/am a dork
88. I prefer my coffee black and never decaf (it’s a mental thing)
89. I will drink any form of coffee you put in front of me though
90. I have bad posture
91. I hate whiners
92. I’ve found that cursing is a choice, not automatic
93. I hate excuses
94. I love samples at Costco
95. But, I don’t like shopping at Costco
96. I hate Wal-Mart
97. I like fishing, but never seem to go fishing
98. I love baseball
99. I am a die-hard Atlanta Braves fan
100. I hate NFL football
101. I love NCAA football