I’ve been told that I am very unique. I’m not sure how true that is, but I know that I’ve been given many opportunities that others do not necessarily get to experience.

Here is a list of a few things that I think make me individual.

#1 – Even more crafty than you think

I love to do all of the crafts. If you name it, I am probably capable of doing it. I can…

1. Crochet
2. Knit
3. Cross-Stitch
4. Embroider by hand
5. Sew – with & without a pattern
6. Create wreaths
7. Make diaper & towel cakes
8. Make necklaces using hemp twine & beads
9. Keychains
10. And many more things that I can’t think of 🤣.

#2 – Used to be very athletic

When I was a kid, I played Rec league and travel softball 🥎 for about 10 years. Basketball 🏀 was my winter sport for about 5 years and flag football🏈 was my fall sport for about 5 years, too!

I have a couple of “claim to fame” moments. When I was 10, my all-star team won the state tournament. For that age group, it was like winning the world series. 🏆

My second moment is that I was quarterback on several flag football teams, where I would be the only girl on the team. 😳 Go me!

#3 – Fake front tooth

When I was 12, I played on an all-star team and we were practicing late at night to get ready for a game. I played 3rd base, as usual. One of my fellow teammates was up to bat and hit a ground ball to me. There was nothing unusual about the hit and it was very catchable.

BUT.. the ball hit off a small rock and I couldn’t react fast enough. It immediately hit me in the face. Everything went black and I don’t remember much after that.

I know that I spit on the ground because I tasted blood and then made my way over to the dugout. I smiled to my coach, and at the same time, he told me, “Brandi, here’s your tooth.” WHOA!!!!

Luckily, one of my teammate’s mom knew the local maxillofacial surgeon. He and one of the nurses was nice enough to meet us at his office. The dentist put my tooth back in, wired it to the others and sent me home. The tooth was to grow to the bone, which it did.

To this day, I still have a scar on the inside of my lip that is the imprint of the stitches of the softball.

But the story doesn’t end there. The tooth was considered “dead” because the nerve was no longer connected, so they wanted me to have a root canal and a crown put on it. Therefore, I did.

However, that’s not the end of the story. Eight years later, my body rejected it because it was considered “foreign”. There was infection building up, which meant the tooth needed to come out.

So, I had surgery to remove the tooth and the bone it was connected to prepare it for an implant. Over the course of a year, I had 2 bone graphs for the implant to stay and eventually got a front tooth. 🦷

#4 – Farm life

I grew up on a 40+ acre farm where my family, plus my grandparents, plus my great grandparents lived on the same farm. It was “the life”. My grandparents raised cattle and my immediate family had miniature horses, 30+ goats, turkeys, chickens, birds, rabbits, … all the animals. Ha!

#5 – Self-contracted my house

Both sides of my family built their own houses, and it was in the cards for me to do the same. So, I got to self contract my house and do some of the stuff ourselves. WHOA! 🏠

#6 – Published author

I have a few papers that I am a co-author on. Check these out! (I’m “Brandi Canter”)

• Modeling the effects of introducing a new antibiotic in a hospital setting: A case study
• Michele Joyner, Cammey Manning, Brandi Canter – Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering – 9(3) – July 2012 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22881028 
• A comparison of computational efficiencies of stochastic algorithms in terms of two infection models.
• Banks HT., Hu S., Joyner M., Broido A., Canter B., Gayvert K., Link K. – Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering -9(3) – July 2012 – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22881023 
• Modeling Antibiotic Resistance when Adding a New Antibiotic to a Hospital Setting
• Honors Thesis – Brandi Canter – April 12, 2012 – http://honors.epub.etsu.edu/124/ 
• A Comparison of Computational Efficiencies of Stochastic Algorithms in Terms of Two Infection Models
• Technical Report – Banks HT., Hu S., Joyner M., Broido A., Canter B., Gayvert K., Link K – NCSU – http://www.ncsu.edu/crsc/reports/ftp/pdf/crsc-tr11-13.pdf 
• Simulation Algorithms for Continuous Time Markov Chain Models
• Technical Report – Banks HT., Hu S., Joyner M., Broido A., Canter B., Gayvert K., Link K – NCSU – 
• http://www.ncsu.edu/crsc/reports/ftp/pdf/crsc-tr11-17.pdf

#7 – Unique wedding

I feel like my May wedding was very unique. At the time, my favorite colors were pink and orange. But pink was not an option 😂, so we went with Marcus’ favorite color of green.

It turned out very beautiful and extremely unique. 10+ years ago, this theme was barely on Pinterest!

#8 – Extremely independent

I was raised to be very independent and I am a “do it or die” kind of person. I don’t like to ask for help, especially when I can do the research to be able to it myself.

#9 – Organization is my thing

“I come home and there is always something new from Amazon that is something for organization.” – Marcus

“Don’t talk to me about organization; talk to Brandi. She’s the best.” – A teacher friend.

Ha! Yes, I am always looking to “work smarter, not harder” and if that means I need to be more organized, then yes! I want all the organization tubs, shelves, notebooks, planners, etc. … Ha! I think you get the picture. 🤣

#10 – My favorite number is 3

I know, I know… such a weird thing. But my first, and most important reason for liking this number is that God, Jesus Christ, & the Holy Spirit are the Holy Trinity.

Second, there were 3 crosses on the Hill of Golgotha.

It’s a prime number and can be used as a tie breaker.

I used to wear the number 3 in all of the sports I played – It became part of my identity.

What makes you unique?

I would love to know what makes you unique! Please comment and let me know.

If you want to want to know more…

If you want to know more, check out my “About Me“.