MEME - I've been Tagged!

Cara, of Cara's Cravings, has tagged me for MEME, which means I need to share five interesting things about myself.

1. I lost my father when I was 19 years old (7 years ago). He passed away on April 9, 2001 and I always start to get sad when that date is approaching. He had pancreatic cancer, which is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The survival rate is so low, it is really astonishing. I am a member of the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance, where we work to inform and spread the word about this terrible disease. We also raise money to fund research and doctors to work on better treatments and maybe someday, a cure.

2. Speaking of losing my father...when I was a senior in college, and the year after I graduated, I used to speak at local colleges and high schools about dealing with the loss of a parent. Most of the time, my audiences were small groups of students who have lost a parent, and it was usually in a lounge-type setting (not that type of lounge, think college dorm lounge). A few times, though, I spoke in front of entire freshman classes as a part of orientation, or in front of an entire senior class as a part of senior week activities. I don't know that I am a great public speaker, but I do know I enjoy it. I get a thrill from being in front of a crowd and having to come up with something intelligent to say! I also loved sharing my story. It was very therapeutic for me.

3. Oh, and the fact that I enjoy talking in front of crowds might explain why I am a teacher. I teach 7th grade English and absolutely LOVE my job!!! I love to talk, love to read, and love to write. Add those things to my need for attention, and I think I have the perfect job! Really though, I love to TEACH. The feeling I get when students "get" what I am teaching is amazing - one I will never sick of. Grading an essay and seeing all the hard work both myself and my students have put into it is so satisfying and inspiring.

4. I have never been to Disneyland. I am the only person I know who has never been. I feel deprived, in a way. My family went on a ton of vacations while I was growing up, but we never made the trek to Disneyland. Maybe someday my children (yet to be born children, that is) and I will visit the theme park together for the first time. Or maybe my husband and I will make that one of our next vacation stops?

5. I LOVE cheese. I love it more than a normal person, that is. I have been known to sit and eat an entire block in one sitting. I have never met a cheese I didn't like. I often have to practice constraint when cooking so I don't add too much cheese (and fat) to the dish. Oh, it is heavenly!

Now, I am not a "popular" blogger, so I worried about who I was going to tag, as many people don't really know of me. I highly doubt that 5 foodies have ever heard of me. But, I decided what the heck, I'll tag a few people whose blogs I check out often enough and just see what happens...

Here are the 5 bloggers I would like to learn 5 interesting things about:

1. Holly of The Pink Lady (not a foodie blog, but a friend of mine who blogs about life in general, or her life in general).
2. Dori of Foodie Fashionista
3. Lauren of Lauren's Culinary Creations
4. Michelle (Chelley) of Sugar and Spice
5. Ashleigh of Ashleigh's Edibles

Rules for the "5 Things" MEME:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their Blogs.