The Top Ten Things I Did That Scared the Heck Out of Me

Sherry, from Chocolate for Your Brain, tagged me in this meme last week. I'm finally getting around to my list.

So here goes, in no particular order...The Top Ten Things I Did That Scared the Heck Out of Me (or at Least They Should Have!)

1) I was almost arrested in a small market while studying in Hungary. My friend & I had stopped in to pick up a few items. After paying for our purchases, one of the employees came up to us, ushered us to the side, & interrogated us in Hungarian. We kept saying "Nem ertem" (I don't understand) & we really didn't. Eventually, after being taken to the back room, we figured out that they thought we'd stolen a deodorant, which we hadn't. We emptied our pockets & showed our packages. Finally, after they realized we hadn't taken anything, they let us leave...via the back door! Both of us kept having images of being held in a Hungarian prison for life!

2) My friend & I arrived by train in Paris about 9pm only to realize that we had no Francs (this was before the Euro) & couldn't get money from the ATM because our credit card cash advances were maxed out. We finally got a taxi that would accept American currency, but who knows whether we got gipped or not!

3) That same night in Paris, we arrived at our hostel to find they didn't have our reservation & they were full. Apparently they felt sympathetic towards us two American college students & gave us an attic room w/ two other girls...an uninsulated, cold (this was December) attic used for storage of mattresses & bed frames.

4) On the day we were to leave Paris, we decided to call a taxi instead of trying to get ourselves to the airport, so we called about 2 1/2 hours before our flight was to leave. Well, it took him almost an hour to pick us up & apparently we were in rush hour. He was a very aggressive driver, smoking & yelling out the window at other drivers. I don't think I've ever prayed so many Our Fathers & Hail Mary's as I did on that trip to the airport. We finally arrived w/ 15 minutes to spare. I didn't relax until the plane was in the air.

(BTW - The rest of our stay in Paris was fine...it was just the arrival & departures that were scary & difficult!)

5) We changed parish churches last summer after being at the same one all my life. This was a tough move, but has been a good one for our family.

6) I take all four munchkins on most of the grocery shopping trips. (Need I say more on this one?)

7) When I was in middle school, my sister & I stayed at our neighbors' house while our parents were gone for the weekend. I went home on that Sunday & the door to the house was partially open. I walked in anyway, thinking I must have left it open. I knew something was wrong, though, when I noticed the TV on the couch & the patio door open. Apparently, I had scared the burglar off when I opened the door.

8) When Casinodad & I bought our house...First-time home ownership was a very scary step for us.

9) When I was about 37 1/2 weeks along w/ The Prophet, I went for my weekly appt. & my protein levels & blood pressure were up. I had to wait two days (it was Thanksgiving time) for the results of the all day protein test & finally heard back about 6pm that I had pre-eclampsia & to go to the hospital for an induction. When they told me they were putting me on Magnesium Sulfate to prevent seizures, I really got scared.

10) I gave three recitals in college...two flute & one vocal. As much as I love music, performing in front of friends, family, & professors was quite nerve-wracking.

Now for those I'm tagging:
Angela at Pretty in Orange (perhaps this may help w/ your writer's block?)
CrazyGirl at Celestial Academy
Judy at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings
Mary at Passionate Perseverance
Mary at 3 Turkeys

If I didn't tag you, but you'd like to take part, feel free to & be sure to leave me a note so I can check yours out!