Friday Five

I've enjoyed doing Friday 5 a few times before so here are the questions for today:

1. How and when did you learn to swim?

I learned to swim when I was very young. I'm not sure how old I was but I'm sure it was by the time I was 7. I don't remember taking formal lessons but I do remember my dad throwing me in the lake and naturally, I started to doggie paddle. From there, I just watched people swimming and perfected my skills.

2. How and when did you learn to drive?

I learned to drive at 16. My mom taught me to drive the only car we had, which was a stick shift sports car. I'll never forget one of the first times I was driving. I had to come to a stop on a slight hill and I had not yet mastered the skill of pulling out on a hill. Of course, I totally panicked and started to yell that I couldn't do it and I was going to have to get out and let her do it. I ended up pulling out just fine but it was very scary! Looking back, I'm so glad I learned to drive a stick shift. I don't think I've ever owned anything else.

3. How and when did you learn to tie your shoelaces?

When I was about five, I learned to tie my shoes. I don't remember specifics but there was a lot of practice involved!

4. How and when did you learn to cook?

I learned a lot of things from watching my mom and grandmother. I really learned to cook after I was married. I took all of the things I learned from my mom and grandmother and just incorporated those with trying new things. I'm still not where I'd like to be with my cooking but I am getting more bold with my "experiments."

5. How and when did you learn to type?

I learned to type when I was in 9th grade. I had a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Buckles, that I adored and the class was a lot of fun. Because I was a distance runner in high school, I ran about five miles every day. During those runs, I would use my hands and practice typing long words as I went along. It really helped take my mind off the run plus it helped me memorize the keys on a keyboard/typewriter. To this day, I still do this when I'm on my treadmill. It's amazing how it keeps my mind off of how tired I am from the exercise!