Okay Toto.
Fact or Fiction?
Let’s pull back that curtain!
In the spirit of true gamesmanship let’s reveal the true answers first.
1. I have climbed to the top of Uluru (Ayers Rock) at the hottest time of the day without water. By myself.
Yes, silly me. After spending a month with my pals at their home in New Zealand I had a week in Australia and a window of one day to do Uluru. So, I grabbed my Pepsi and set out. Brilliant. My memory of the experience is that it was just so hot and the beginning part was relentlessly steep. I hauled on the chain and dragged myself up. Why were there no others doing it with me? They were all safely ensconced in the air-conditioned tourist centre watching a movie on the history of the rock. Their climb would be later in the day, when the conditions were more favourable.
Once at the top, with giant sweat beads plopping onto my runners, I cracked the Pepsi and poured it all over my head. Must have been a stunning vision to the troops on the bus down below. Their driver took pity on me and gave me unlimited access to the cold water stored in the luggage bay. To this day I thank him.
5. I soared above the Ontario farmlands in a hot air balloon. Drinking champagne.
Yes, happily. One of my best friends secretly booked the ride in honour of my upcoming marriage. I thought we were playing squash but instead found myself climbing into the balloon basket that was parked in the middle of a farmer’s field. The ride was about an hour long.
If you’re nervous about trying this, don’t be. It’s a lot of fun and the basket is huge. You actually feel quite secure. Perhaps have your pal book it secretly – that way you have ZERO time to think about it beforehand. Perfect in my books.
3. I was a contestant on Monty Hall’s tv game show “Let’s Make a Deal.” I won.
Yes, I was and I did. During the first segment of the show, Monty actually picked me along with two other “traders” from the pool of contestants. I got first pick of the three curtains. Being greedy, I picked the wall of Turtle Wax as I just knew there was a car behind that curtain. There wasn’t. In its place were two very sleepy donkeys.
During the commercial break a studio hand approached and offered me a trade. He explained the donkeys were needed for upcoming shows and he offered me a coupon book full of “lovely replacement choices.” Living in a one bedroom apartment with limited grazing space at the time, I took him up on his offer.
4. I rolled our family’s Volkswagen Beetle when I was 16 and learning to drive. My teacher was my dad.
Of course – doesn’t everyone? This is perhaps the most typikel fact of the bunch. Only me. I thought I was so under control as I turned that corner at the top of the hill. Everything happened in slow motion – the turning of the wheel, the whooshing of the tires on bumpy terrain, my dad’s not so calm shouts of “Brake, Kelly, brake!” and the soaring into mid-air … The engine was still on by the time we returned to earth upside down and climbed through the windows. I remember asking my sheet white father if I should turn it off. He advised me to do so. We then abandoned the car and toddled down the hill to my grandparent’s house to call for assistance.
So that’s four of the five fact or fiction reveals. Let’s move on to the final one.
Drum Roll please …
The Big Reveal – My Falsehood is …
2. I have completed four marathons. All of them in the same city.
This was the falsehood. Because I knew family members would be playing along I had to tweak my answers in such a way that would throw them off the scent. I have run marathons. However I have only run three. All of them were in the same city.
Ok now on to the winner!
Thank you so very much to everyone who played the game of fact or fiction. It was so interesting – the majority of you, by a landslide, believed that sensible Kelly would never climb Uluru without water. Thank you. I am honoured that you think I would never be that silly.
Of the folks who guessed correctly two were family members. However they can’t win due to the potential of “insider knowledge.” Sorry guys.
Three readers – all of whom have never met me – guessed the correct answer.
My brilliant Partners in a Pair Tree partner – Mo of Mocadeaux was one. Well done. This is further proof that we have gotten to know one another, Mo!
The second person to guess the correct answer was Dana of KissMyList. She guessed marathons because she really wanted me to have done the other things. How cool is that?
The third person and the winner by virtue of being the only person to guess that I fudged the number of marathons is Harmony of Harmony with Animals. Wow. I can only surmise that our dog Poppy slipped her the answer. Harmony indeed.
Her prize? One that is tailor-made for Harmony. If you check out her website you’ll understand why.
Congratulations Harmony!
Enough about me and my fact or fiction. As ever, I am curious about you. Tell me one thing about your life that you think folks would never believe is true but is in fact very true. If you’d care to share I’d love to hear.
34 Responses
Well done Kelly! I am still in shock that you actually won 2 donkeys. Getting to know you is definitely a very complex and wonderful adventure !
Hahaha! Thanks Jane. I am glad that at that time in my life I was able to hand the donkeys back. A little bit tricky otherwise!
So glad to hear about the donkeys, and that they were not turned into meatballs 🙂 Although I would have loved to see pictures of you walking them around town 🙂
Yes – perhaps it is a good thing I didn’t know about porcupiners until recently …
That is great, Kelly! I like that the false story was mostly true. And that you did all of these things!
Thanks Donna – it was a bit tricky trying to tweak it so my family members wouldn’t guess! Here’s to new adventures in 2014 for us both!
Well done. Well, I have to say that you are the absolutely only person I have ever, ever known who was on a quiz show. LOL
Really? – Ooooh – you must hear the quiz show stories of my mom and sister then too! Come to think of it I don’t know anyone other than family
members who’ve been on a game show!
This was so much fun and you have done some awesome things in your life.
Thans Karen. Here’s to more adventures in 2014 for us both!
*shakes fist* I WAS SO CLOSE!!! Dang it! I should’ve stuck with the marathons. That was my gut. (yeah, sure Beth) Lol. This was awesome! So fun..
Now this is why comments on blogs are so much better than comments in real life. One can go back and see that in fact you did hover over marathons for a bit. Hahaha!Thanks for playing along even though the Big Reveal had already happened!
Well Kelly you are one amazing story teller and adventurer!! Once again a valuable lesson has been learned – I am never ever playing poker with you – you certainly have the gift of a great bluff!!
Thanks once again for proving you can never, ever judge a book by it’s cover.
Cheers friend!!
I’m free Friday night. How about a lovely game of poker …
Well done! The best tales are the ones that have a sliver of truth to them.
Thanks Kathy! It was tricky tweaking.
Well done, Kelly. I knew you had run marathons and figured the number was correct. But climbing Ayers Rock, oops Uluru, without water? Never thought you’d be a Pepsi kind of person. Well done.
You are right to be sceptical. The Ayers Rock oops Uluru climb was in my younger and “wiser” days. I started a zumba class yesterday (so much fun) and quaffed water throughout … can’t recall the last time I’ve had a Pepsi or even a Coke!
Squeee! I won a corgi popping through the snow! Best Prize Ever! I don’t think Poppy slipped me the answer… but I used the same skill set that I use when talking to animals: Present the question, and then accept the very first thing that flashes to mind, the thing that pops into your mind so quickly that you can’t believe it’s real. But it is. 😉
Thanks for the corgi! So fabulous! 🙂
Whoa – seriously? That is just so very cool Harmony. Glad you liked the corgi – it was fun looking at over 50 gifs to find the right one!
YAY! I’m pretty proud of myself for guessing correctly! I was thrown off of the scent for a bit because I know that you are/have been a runner so I knew that there was a very good chance that you had gone the 26.2 mile distance – more than once! And, like Dana, I was really hoping that the other things – especially the donkeys – were true!
Not a runner at this time of my life Mo. I am now more of a walker. However yesterday I just did my first zumba class – had a hoot. Great deducing on your part. I’m off to read your post – still a tad odd to not be reading it as my first “go to thing of the day!” However, I am a loyal fan, as always.
You are as fun as I’d suspected! I loved learning these facts about you. I would probably neglect to bring water with me to the mountain top as well. Or maybe deliberately avoid bringing it in favour of Coke. I would probably never ever get inside a hot air balloon. That was lovely!
“Or maybe deliberately avoid bringing it in favour of Coke …” Classic. Bet it would be Classic Coke as well?
Whaaat! I got it wrong! It was the most seemingly tame of all… I shoulda known…
Never mind – I picked the wrong answer on yours too. But we got ever so close … in our heads… I’m sure …
Hmph. I hate losing. That being said, I can take it better when I know what it was that went wrong. Knowing full well that I sabotaged my chances of winning by saying I hoped you were on the Monty Python show, I will accept my loss gracefully and try not to think about you on a mountain with nothing but a Pepsi. That is unbelievable, Kelly!
Back in my silly days. What was I thinking? Obviously I wasn’t. I should love to be on the Monty Python show however.
Wow! A genuine game show contestant. What would have happened if you’d kept the donkeys?! I’d love to see the stage hand’s face when you told him, “No way! I love donkeys and can’t wait to take them home.”
Growing up in LA, my sister’s kindergarten teacher was on a game show and won a washer and dryer. Later, my drama class teacher tried out for Wheel of Fortune but didn’t make the cut.
Thank you for clicking on and reading this one too, Katy! Yes, I should have requested the donkeys. Can you imagine?
It was such hoot being on the show. My sister was also on and she won money. That she kept spending over and over. “I’m buying this with my LMAD money…”
What did you get instead of the donkeys?? LOL
A seed sprouter!