One of the most fun things I did last year was to sum up some cool parts of our family’s life as part of the iHomeschool Network’s 10 * in * 10 series, where we shared some top-10 lists each week in the spring.

I’m thrilled to be taking part again this year with some new topics and some changes in my own mindset and experiences to share!

This week, a bunch of us are talking about 10 things you should know about us! I shared a version of this last year with 10 facts about EACH of us; I hope you’ll check that out here! Today I’m focusing on 10 things about me, Joan Concilio, that are a little different or interesting or… something!

1. I graduated from high school when I was 16 and college when I was 19.

You can read a WHOLE BUNCH about my educational journey here. But the short version is, I started school early, did two grades in one year once, and transferred a year’s worth of college credits into my undergrad education thanks to a bunch of Advanced Placement courses in high school.

I don’t regret any of that, but sometimes I look back and think, “How on earth did that HAPPEN?” I also sometimes think, “What on earth have I DONE in the 11 remaining years?” Then I remember I raised a pretty awesome kid.

2. I will officially be a “full-time freelancer” as of July 1.

I already worked from home almost full-time, but one of my positions was as an employee. That one will be converting to a contractor status as of July 1, meaning I will officially be 100% self-employed.

Kinda cool. Kinda scary. I talked more about this in a post last week on Man Vs. Debt, one of the sites I write for.

3. My black-belt test is in less than a month.

I guess I should be getting nervous. I am, sort of, but not really. Mostly I’m just trying to make sure I get in the amount of practice that I want to do between now and July 20!

4. I really hate clowns.

Really. I’m petrified of them. When my friend Dodie dropped on me the fact that she almost went to clown college, I almost told her we couldn’t stay friends. And I was only about 20% kidding.

5. I applied to work at a major government agency and then turned down the job.

I mentioned before that my degree is in math. I applied to do analysis for a major security agency, was accepted, and then decided that maybe I didn’t quite want to do that with my life after all.

But not after a really funny experience with scary guys in black suits background-checking me at my office at the local newspaper. That was kinda cool.

6. I am ALWAYS cold.

I keep telling people I am looking forward to menopause because I hear I might get hot. They swear I don’t really want that, but I swear I do. Right now it is about 88 degrees outside my house and I walked outside and thought, “I might want a sweater.”

7. I am the youngest of five.

I’m the youngest by a LOT. My mom had three children in her first marriage (two daughters and a son); my dad had a daughter in his first marriage; later in life, they got together and decided they wanted another. So, my oldest sister is almost 30 years older than I am; my “next youngest” is 24 years older than I am. Their kids are almost all older than I am.

8. I’m adopted.

Lest you think my poor mother gave birth to me at the age of 47. Nope, I was adopted at birth. I’ve never known anyone but the mom and dad I consider my mom and dad, nor do I need to. They were and are awesome.

9. I still sleep with my childhood blankie and teddy bear.

Actually, gratuitous Blankie picture is available here. In fact, since I am always cold, as mentioned above, I often work with it wrapped around me like a shawl. The teddy bear does stay in bed (I don’t carry it around!) but it is well-loved.

10. My not-so-secret goal in life is to be a professional organizer.

I REALLY like organizing things. Really, really, really. And I like helping people learn how to organize in a way that works for them. I do have a friend who is a certified professional organizer and I have seriously considered pursuing that as a future career!

We’re also linking up today to Top Ten Tuesday at Many Little Blessings. Whether you’re sharing your Top 10 questions people ask you, or a Top Ten list on any other topic, I’d love for you to link up and to check out the other blogs that have, too! 

And don’t forget to check out my previous Top Ten Tuesday posts, if you’ve missed them.