My first blog--100 things about myself

In response to Maren's and Emma's blogs and their entries entitled 100 things about myself, I finally enter the world of blogging and offer you my entry as well.

1. I haven’t created a blog yet because my sisters write so much better than I do that I’m intimidated.

2. I’m an over-achiever. Example: 24 individually decorated Wilton’s Mickey Mouse head cakes for my first child’s first birthday. I could fill the 100 things about me list with 100 ways I over-achieve.

3. I’m a recovering perfectionist. I used to think that if you don’t have time to do the job right, then don’t bother doing it until you have the time. Now I believe Flylady. The littlest bit of doing something is better than doing nothing.

4. I’m old. My knees crunch when I walk up and down stairs. Of course, they’ve been doing that since high school, but I’m still old.

5. When I was young, I wanted a Fairy Tale Ending. When I got older, I wanted a Jane Austen Ending. (yes, editors, I capitalized ending on purpose.)

6. If a Jane Austen ending goes like this: girl disappointed in love waits until later in life to find true love, girl meets boy who is kind, gentle, respectful, loving, generous and generally treats her like a queen although not above correcting her when necessary, girl unexpectedly falls in love, girl waits as long as is necessary (probably a short time but seems like an eternity) for boy to realize he is in love with her too, girl has the most beautiful perfect wedding day of all time…then I have achieved it. The only thing missing is the English landscape and enormous manor house as a setting. That’s okay, I’ll be satisfied with the man.

7. I hate the letter “r” in February. If you pronounce it you sound pretentious. If you do not pronounce it you sound ignorant. For the time being, I choose ignorance.

8. I am a lot like my Mom. (Mirror, mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all.) I like shopping, jewelry, clothes, good conversation, and gourmet food I can’t pronounce. Well, I’m sure she can pronounce it, but I can’t. And I’m good at talking but not so good at listening and getting other people to talk. I like the city and probably wouldn’t want to live in small town. I sacrifice much for the sake of my children.

9. I am a lot like my Dad. I like growing flowers. I like talking about flowers. I like to go camping. The best snacks for a road trip are a box of wheat thins and an apple. I can eat a piece of cold roast beef in between two pieces of bread and be satisfied, even happy. I appreciate the simpleness of the smallest rural town. I know how to make a left turn onto a busy road. I work hard for my family.

10. I like Disneyland more than my kids do. Well, the fairyland part of it anyway.

11. I detest Lagoon and all rides generally classified as “throw-uppy”.

12. When I was in high school I wore a denim jacket with a pin on it that said “Don’t tell me what kind of day to have.” I still have that pin, but I no longer wear it. Sometimes I wish I did.

13. I am an excellent mother of infants. I adore infants, especially the first six weeks. I love nursing. Everyone should do it. I like being pregnant, except the parts that hurt. I prefer c-sections. I wish I could have a bunch more babies but I wish they would stay babies.

14. I am not an excellent mother of children older than 2. I could fill the 100 things with ways I am not an excellent mother.

15. I don’t floss. And I don’t care what you think about that.

16. I wish I were a professional photographer. I wish I had time to learn about my camera and take better pictures.

17. I resist change.

18. Places I have been or lived: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Hawaii. I believe I went on a church history tour when I was little but I don’t remember that. The fact that I can list these places in a sentence is evident that I need more travel in my life.

19. Places I would like to go or live: the east coast of the U.S., Prince Edward Island, England, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Israel.

20. I’m going to England in May. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I can’t believe I have the opportunity now (thanks Mom and Dad). I hope it will be all I want it to be and I’ll have to blog about that again later.

21. I love music. Almost all kinds of music. I like rock (Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen), I like country (Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts), I like folk (James Taylor, Peter Paul and Mary), I like alternative (Green Day, Pearl Jam), I like beautiful choral music (big choirs, small choirs, King’s Singers are amazing!). I know who the Beatles are but couldn’t tell you when I hear one of their songs whether it’s theirs. I do not like rap (unless it’s a fun silly one by Will Smith). I very much do not like Elvis.

22. I don’t think it’s fair that men only have to shave their faces. I think laser hair removal should be a free inalienable right.

23. I like scrapbooking. I like the crafty hands on part of it. I like having room to journal next the picture as much or as little as I like. I like that my children look at our family scrapbooks and enjoy them as much as I do. I like my simple pages the best and my highly decorated pages the least. I think someday I will quit scrapbooking and make digital slide shows instead.

24. I love college. I wish I could go to college forever. I wish I didn’t have to pay for it and I didn’t have to take tests.

25. I love singing in a big choir. I wish I could be in a big choir forever. I love singing with my sisters and I plan on singing with them forever.

26. I am not a food snob. I like La Caille and I like McDonalds. I am not a music snob (see #21). I am not a clothes snob. I shop at Target and Ann Taylor. Well, I hate Walmart and the D.I. so I guess I’m a little bit of a snob. I’m not a furniture snob. I shop at Ikea and would shop at Ethan Allen if I had unlimited funds. I am not a movie snob. I like lots of movies, even if the critics say they are stupid, predictable or bad in some way. I like Harry Potter books and movies. I like Anne of Green Gables books and movies. I like the old Parent Trap movie and the remake. Remakes are not evil, people! Enjoy them for what they are.

27. I turn to the Anne books for comfort like an old friend. I’ve read them way more times than I’ve read the Book of Mormon and that probably makes me a bad person. Hang on, Anne is about to realize she loves Gilbert and I’ve got to go read some more.

28. Okay, I’m back. I love reading in general. When I was young I read all 30-something Trixie Belden books in a single Christmas vacation. I think I read all the Nancy Drew books. Other books I love from childhood are The Secret Garden (haven’t read that in a while, I should), the Peter Rabbit series and Winnie-the Pooh.

29. My favorite TV shows from childhood were Zoom, Smurfs, Little House on the Prairie and the original Mickey Mouse Club. Well, okay, some remakes are evil.

30. I love watching old movies. I miss the days before DVD players, when Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz only came on once a year and you planned your week accordingly. I love older movies than those—old black and whites that my Mom introduced me to like Portrait of Jenny and His Girl Friday. I miss living at home and watching those movies with her.

31. I hate favorites. Favorites are dumb. I hate it when people ask me “what’s your favorite color?” I like too many colors, too many kinds of food, too many books and movies, too many people, too many stores to have a favorite. That being said, I often say “that’s my favorite” when talking about any number of things.

32. So, even though favorites are dumb, I’ll tell you my favorite book. I used to say my favorite books were the Anne books. I still say that. But really, my favorite book of all time is probably Little Women. I never read it until I was an adult. It’s not my favorite because it’s the best book in the world, because it has the best story line or characters or makes me feel the best. I love it because it is about sisters, and I love my sisters more than just about anything in the world.

33. I used to collect things. Madame Alexander dolls, music boxes, angels, Thomas Kinkade, Boyd’s Bears, Willow Tree. Now I don’t like to collect things. They junk up your house and they get dusty. I am learning to love an object, collectible or piece of art and not have to own it. Sometimes I forget I don’t want to collect things and buy them anyway. I would like to sell my Thomas Kinkade print on e-bay but I don’t know how.

34. I hate to dust. I hated it when I was growing up and I had to use an old cloth diaper and a can of pledge. I hate it now when I use a Flylady duster. But at least I’m done in a matter of minutes with the duster, and I can do it again tomorrow. But probably I won’t.

35. Theoretically, I like to garden. I don’t know squat about it and haven’t done much of it in my life, but hope to in the future.

36. Theoretically, I also like to cook. I used to try something new every week. But it’s been so long since I had the time to do that (or had no people in my house who wouldn’t protest it) that maybe I’m not actually a good cook. I about died the first time my mom told me you are supposed to peel fresh broccoli before you cook it. Are you kidding me? You peel a banana, you don’t peel broccoli. But she was right.

37. I resign myself to the fact that usually, my mom is right. There were things she wouldn’t let me do when I was young like eat sugar cereals every morning, eat white bread, sit on the arm of the couch, buy hot salsa and watch game shows. Now that she’s not the boss, I do all of those things except sit on the arm of the couch, which I learned from experience actually does make it go flat and so I don’t let my kids do it either. I also learned that sugar cereals and white bread make me hungry and fat, hot salsa is too hot but medium is okay, and game shows are a waste of time. So she was right.

38. I hate the Price is Right. Bob Barker is a womanizing nincompoop.

39. I also hate almost every game show on TV but find myself sucked into them sometimes when my family watches them.

40. TV shows I love are LOST, October Road, biographies, pretty much anything on the History Channel, and most home improvement shows.

41. Celebrities I would love to look like: Nicole Kidman, Debra Messing, Jane Seymour, Faith Hill. Celebrity I think I look like: America Ferrera from Ugly Betty. Not that I think I’m ugly, mind you—she’s definitely not ugly when she’s not in character-- I’m just not tall and thin with gorgeous hair (well, Jane’s not tall but she’s everything else). I’m kind of short, a little plump, with pretty good hair. Not gorgeous, but kind of cute.

42. I hate my body. I have hated it since I developed a pot belly in junior high. I used to try to make myself feel good about it by saying “I love my body! This body has borne and nursed 3 beautiful babies!” But usually I look in the mirror and say “I hate my body.”

43. I like my hair a lot. But I don’t usually put any time into it so it looks bad. I love that when I got pregnant with Noelle it decided to develop some natural curl that I can scrunch when I feel like it.

44. I like my eyes. I like that I get compliments on my eyes. I think they might be a little bit hazel but I don’t like that word because it reminds me of an old lady, so I say they are green.

45. I have duck feet. Wide toes and skinny heel, so that wide-width shoes fall off my heel and normal-width shoes pinch my toes. And my 4th toe on my left foot is shrimpy.

46. I am jealous of all my siblings and their spouses. All of them, for different reasons. If you know my family, you can play “guess who I’m jealous of” with the following list:

I wish I knew everything there is to know about Walt Disney.
I wish I could quote pi to 314 digits.
I wish I said little about myself and showed genuine interest in everyone else’s happiness before my own.
I wish I could write beautiful essays about daily life experience and look darling when I’m pregnant.
I wish I had been in the Tabernacle Choir.
I wish I had excellent taste in clothes and shoes and beautiful hair I could style myself.
I wish I was smart enough to get into law school.
I wish I knew enough about the gospel that I could teach seminary.
I wish I was an artist and I could break a board with my hand.
I wish I could play the piano like a professional.
I wish I was in a BYU choir and wore a size 2.

47. I make piles. I have more piles of paper than anyone I know except my Dad. Mostly I know what is in the piles, but sometimes I can’t find what I’m looking for and that frustrates me to no end.

48. I like clean, flat surfaces like my kitchen counter sometimes gets to be. I wish I had more of them. They make me feel peaceful.

49. I like clean, organized closets with beautiful baskets and matching hangers. I wish I had one.

50. I’m bossy. Sometimes being bossy is great, because you usually get what you want. Usually being bossy is bad because you trample people. Sorry, everyone.

51. I’m critical. I could explain this more but I don’t think I need to. Plus it makes me feel bad so I don’t want to.

52. I like to mock people on QVC but I still shop there.

53. I’m generous with most people. I like to help. I like to babysit my nieces and nephew. I want to buy people gifts and take them to lunch and take care of them.

54. I have to be the driver. Maybe because I’m a control freak. Maybe because I get car sick. Probably both.

55. I get dizzy almost every day. I don’t know why and I don’t have time to find out.

56. I am addicted to Diet Coke. Maybe that’s why I’m dizzy. I’m trying to wean myself before I go to England.

57. I love chocolate. I will eat a Hershey’s bar or Hershey’s Kiss if it’s in front of me, but the minimum quality is a Symphony bar, with the best I’ve had being Godiva. See’s, of course, is yummy. I like chocolate by itself, in ice cream, frosting, cakes, brownies, cookies, candy bars etc.

58. Candy bars with chocolate that I like the best: Take 5, Rolo, 100 grand, Lindt truffles.

59. Candy bars with chocolate that I like the least: Almond Joy (does anyone actually like this candy bar?), Cadbury eggs with disgusting drippy wanna-be caramel inside, and Hershey’s dark chocolate (yuck!) If you want to know what dark chocolate is supposed to taste like, go to Godiva. Then you’ll like it.

59. Peanut butter and chocolate used to be my favorite combination until I made myself sick on various items at different times: a box of Tagalong Girl Scout cookies, large Butterfinger candy bars, Peanut Butter Twix bars, and Reeses. Now I still like the combination, but I can’t say it’s my favorite. But remember, that’s also because favorites are dumb. Oh yeah, and I still like peanut m&ms but that’s because it’s an actual peanut and not peanut butter.

60. I like plain peanut butter sandwiches. I hate peanut butter and jelly. Whoever invented that combination was on drugs.

61. Too many entries about food. Let’s have another. I like white bread, noodles, cream sauce, bagels, crackers, etc. I do not like vegetables. I think my eating preferences are why I hate my body.

62. I also hate my body because I hate exercise. Actually, that’s not true. I like walking for exercise. I just can’t make myself do it as often as I should.

63. I don’t know how to swim. I’m embarrassed about that, I wish I knew how, and maybe someday I’ll take the time to do something about it.

64. I’m a good speller, but usually I have to think hard about how to spell embarrassed.

65. I’m a teacher. I teach preschool, I teach piano lessons, I teach in church, I teach my children. I think I’m pretty good at it, but I know I could be better.

66. I think Dumbledore once loved a woman. It’s not in the books, but it happened.

67. I hate potty humor and little boy humor but sometimes it makes me laugh. Think Potter Puppet Pals.

68. I love words. I like to read them and I like to speak with them. I like trying to figure out Shakespeare. I love Much Ado About Nothing because it is hysterical and I love that I understand it. Some of his other work is a bit over my head but I like it anyway. I wish I knew fancy words like the rest of my family uses. I like word search puzzles and Wheel of Fortune. Other things I like to do with words, even though I’m not very good at them: write papers and edit them, play Scrabble and Boggle, and do crossword puzzles. Typos make me laugh. Sometimes hysterically.

69. I write poems and songs. Most of them aren’t good but I do it anyway because it makes me happy.

70. I am not a morning person. I love to sleep in, especially in the summer with the windows open.

71. When my husband is out of town I watch TV until early morning hours and then fall asleep with the TV on.

72. I like plays, Broadway shows and musicals. I do not like opera. It shouldn’t take 45 minutes to say “I’m a pirate doomed to the sea.” Maybe if I learned more about opera I would like it better.

73. I like that Maren and I are so much alike and so different at the same time, and that we love each other anyway.

74. I like that all my brothers and sisters are grownups and so now we can be friends.

75. I like driving to the grocery store in the warm weather with the windows down at 11:00 in the morning on Tuesday because I don’t have a 9-5 job. Well, now that I teach preschool it’s more like cramming it in at 2:00 in between other errands and all my at-home jobs. But still, you get the idea. I think all moms should stay home while the kids are little.

76. I like driving at night in the summer with the windows down and blaring my favorite song. (there’s that stupid word again). I don’t do it very often now that I’m old. But sometimes I still do. Sorry, Mom.

77. I wonder why the best fruit flavor depends on the treats: pink strawberry Starburst, orange Sweettarts, purple Popsicles, red skittles. I like the Halloween-sized Sweettarts that come 3 in a pack. It’s a surprise every time you open one to see what colors you get. I hate it when you open it and they are all green and yellow. I love it when all three are orange, and I say “jackpot” when I get that one.

78. When I open a bag of skittles I refuse to eat more than one color at a time. I separate them into little groups according to color. I like the green and yellow ones the least, so I eat those groups first—with the occasional red or purple in between. I like the red and purple ones best so I save those groups for last. Sometimes I eat a purple and a yellow together because it’s like a Koolaid flavor they no longer make called “Purplesaurus Rex” that was like a grape-lemonade mix. But usually I eat them separately.

79. I’m proud of my kids. I’m proud of Erick for his standards and desire to go on a mission. I’m proud of Melissa for her hard working and helpful attitude. I’m proud of Spencer for the qualities he has that make him a good friend, and how much he makes me laugh. I’m proud of Shannen for her academic and creative abilities. I’m proud of Noelle because she’s learning to do so many things and it’s a joy to see her grow and change.

80. I’m proud of my husband. He works so hard to provide for us and take care of us. I love that he can fix and build anything. I fell in love with him the moment he fixed my garbage disposal. He has of course given me many more things to love about him, and not all of them involve fixing things.

81. I battle impatience and anger daily.

82. I have more peaceful and happy moments than you might think, because generally I only vent about the times that are hard so that’s the only part you hear.

83. I am obsessive. When I start a project I often can’t stop until I’m done, like with this stupid list. I can’t believe I’ve spent an entire afternoon working on this when I should be preparing for next week’s preschool, doing laundry and taking a badly needed shower. I am obsessive about Harry Potter books, because I can’t do anything else until I’ve read them cover to cover. I am obsessive about home design. I have spent countless hours designing my home addition. I am obsessive about playing games on the computer—I can’t just play Sims 2 for a few minutes, it always turns into at least an hour.

84. I love Education Week at BYU. I love the spiritual boost I always get and wish it would last longer.

85. I like to be alone. I like to be alone in my house, alone on a walk and alone shopping. I do not like to be alone at night, out to lunch, or at the movies.

86. I might vote for a democrat for the first time this year. Of course, voting at all is a relatively new thing for me. Although it seems rather pointless as Utah always goes for the republican candidate. I wish I knew more about the issues. When I try to find out more about the issues I just get more confused. I find myself easily swayed by each participant in a debate, even when their points of view are completely different.

87. I believe in the ideas of vegetarianism and home school. I lack the moral character and willpower to put those ideas into practice in my own life.

88. If I had unlimited funds, I would get a massage every week, a pedicure every two weeks, a manicure every four weeks and a hair color every six weeks. I would hire a cook, a gardener and a maid. I would spend time improving my mind and talents. I would take singing lessons, piano lessons, art lessons, sewing lessons, gardening and cooking classes. I would read more. I would spend time developing the friendship and family relationships that mean the most to me.

89. I wish I lived in a neighborhood. I don’t like living on a busy road. I don’t like that everyone can see me leave the house in my pajamas to take my kids to school. Yes, I suppose I could get dressed, but I don’t want to.

90. I hate that every grocery store except Macey’s makes you carry a card or put your phone number in when you go shopping in order to get the “sale” price. Against my will, I provide my phone number every time I go to Albertson’s. I go to Albertson’s instead of Macey’s because it is more convenient and I know where everything is.

91. I hate frequent shopper cards and coupons that I feel compelled to carry and cut out but which I never remember to use before they expire.

92. I love that my sister Emma teaches my kids piano lessons and that she is willing to come to my house to do it. I love that my daughter is at this moment playing a song that is beautiful and speaks to my heart. I love that music brings such enjoyment and spirituality to my life. I love that I cry every time I hear the King’s Singers sing You Are The New Day and Danny Boy. I love that when I was in Middle School the High School madrigals came and did an assembly for us and I determined at that time that I would be a part of that choir when I got older. I love that perhaps in some small way that experience might have led to my other siblings wanting the same choir experiences as I did, and then having way more of their own. I love that my mother required us all to learn to play the piano even when we didn’t practice for years at a time, and that her persistence led to a life of music that we all now enjoy.

93. I love the temple and that my family is forever.

94. I love getting together with my family—my parents, my siblings, my children, my husband, my husband’s family. I love that we are all connected, that we love and support and share with each other. I want us all to get along famously forever and build a family compound where we can live next to each other forever. Hmmm..is that heaven?

95. I don’t like pears but I like pear jam. I don’t like apricots but I like apricot freezer jam and dried apricots. I don’t like mangoes but I like dried mangoes. I like strawberries by themselves, but I like them better with sour cream and brown sugar. I like red grapes better than green, and green apples better than red. I like cantaloupe but not honeydew or watermelon. I like bananas but not if they get too ripe. I like fresh peaches but I’m too lazy to buy them and prepare them. I’d rather get a peach flavored slurpee.

96. It was a mistake to learn to play backgammon on the internet. It takes up way too much of my free time.

97. I remember when there was no internet. I remember when there were no pc’s, no cell phones, and our telephone had a party line. I remember when gas was 99 cents a gallon. I remember when I could get a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk on sale for 99 cents.

98. I love big dogs. Big dogs with big heads and deep barks. I wish I had a rottweiler or a lab. I have no time, no money and no space for a big dog. I refuse to have a little yappy lap dog. And let’s face it people, chihuahuas are not dogs—they are rats. And I can’t spell that word either.

99. I am grateful that God gave me a second chance at life and happiness in the marriage, home and family I currently find myself. I will try harder to appreciate what I have.

100. I like that this list actually helped me learn some things about myself. I thought that because I’m basically a selfish person and talk more about me than the other person during a conversation that this list would be a piece of cake. Actually, it took a lot longer to do than I thought it would. I learned that maybe I have favorites but won’t admit them, or maybe I just have lots and lots of favorites which actually diminishes the meaning of the word favorite and therefore I really don’t have favorites. I learned that most of my thoughts and opinions are arbitrary, with nothing to back them up. Some of them I stand by, some of them are wrong and I would like to change, some of them are wrong and I probably won’t change (see #17). I re-affirmed that family is everything. If you still like me after reading this list, then feel free to visit my blog again sometime.