100 things...

...about me:
1. I LOVE the smell of orange blossoms. It reminds me of the Easter Pageant and makes me happy that I live in Arizona.
2. I miss working out at the gym. I did a one-month trial membership at Lifetime Fitness and loved it! I just couldn’t justify the 45 minute commute each way.
3. I am the middle child. I have 4 awesome sisters whom I cherish.
4. I am ADDICTED to traveling. BJ and I have been to Hawaii, Florida, the Bahamas, Alaska, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and a few other not so exciting places.
5. Our trip to Alaska; we spent our first summer married living on a fish processing boat in Alaska.
6. I LOVE to read. An ideal day would include reading a book while snuggled up in a blanket next to a window on a rainy day.
7. The smell of rain in the Arizona desert makes me happy.
8. I have only ever highlighted my hair once, never dyed it.
9. BJ wants me to dye my hair black. Maybe so it could match his.
10. I always thought I had boring hazel eyes, but have been told lately that they are green? That is fun.
11. I met my husband when I was 14.
12. His younger sister was my best friend all through high school. I still adore her!
13. I started working and attending college when I was 16.
14. After a 4 hour long calculus exam, I was trying to leave the college parking lot and ran into a parked car. That takes some serious talent.
15. I also ran the DeWitt’s motorcycle into their shed when I was a kid.
16. I also ran my Dad’s riding lawnmower into our fence. I never had to mow the lawn again.
17. I have never been in an actual car accident.
18. I went to Arizona State University on a full academic scholarship.
19. I completed three years of nursing school before I decided that I hated it.
20. If I was going to work in the medical field, I would have to be a doctor.
21. I graduated with a B.S. in business management in 2002.
22. I used to scrapbook and thought I liked it. Now that I have stopped, I realize that I don’t like it. In fact, thinking about it stresses me out.
23. I am an Arizona native.
24. I have never been parasailing, but really want to. We tried to go parasailing in the Bahamas, but a storm was coming in so we couldn’t go. We went snorkeling instead. I really like snorkeling too.
25. I LOVE having a clean house, but don’t love cleaning.
26. I do NOT enjoy being pregnant, but LOVE babies!
27. I enjoy the labor and delivery process. If I ever have another baby, I might consider giving birth at home.
28. I had my first pedicure last weekend and have never had a manicure.
29. I always keep my fingernails short. I am sure it is habit from my piano playing days.
30. I miss playing the piano. Really playing.
31. I am barefoot 99% of the time.
32. When I run, my lungs feel like they are going to explode and my face looks like it is going to. I don’t enjoy that. I cannot understand how BJ gets excited to run a marathon!
33. My Dad was a firefighter. He often had a second job (plumbing, wallpapering, salesperson, etc.) and worked really hard to provide for our family.
34. I will never forget when he quit selling fire trucks/equipment to be able to spend more time with our family. That meant a lot.
35. I will always remember the Thanksgiving dinners we ate at the fire station when my Dad was on duty. Once, they got a call in the middle of dinner and had to rush out.
36. I LOVE traditions. Chorizo burritos on Christmas morning and dinner by candlelight for the entire family on Valentine’s are two of my favorites.
37. I am spontaneous and think it is fun to go on the spur of the moment.
38. My first kiss: I was 18...two days before I got engaged. Yes, that kiss was with BJ.
39. I got married when I was 19.
40. I am really outgoing and think it is fun to go places and do things with people.
41. I can be outspoken. I am learning to be more sensitive to others feelings because I realized that I have offended people without intending to.
42. I am learning to be a better photographer and get so excited when I get the “perfect” picture!
43. I must have pajama pants, a shirt and a blanket on to be able to go to sleep.
44. I can’t remember the last time I went to bed before midnight.
45. I am almost never up before 8:00 am. People don’t call me before 9:00 because I am likely to be in bed.
46. I don’t even know how to set my alarm clock.
47. I tried. The day after Thanksgiving, I tried to wake up. My alarm clock didn’t go off. Now, if I ever need an alarm, BJ sets it for me.
48. I don’t like sushi or caviar or calamari. Seriously, who wants to eat baby squid tentacles?
49. I have to be able to see a clock when I am sleeping. That started when I had nursing babies and always had to know how much longer I could expect to be able to sleep before waking up again. It stuck.
50. I am a lucky Mom to three beautiful girls.
51. I love having girls and all that goes with it; dance classes, fancy hair, dresses, lip gloss, etc!
52. I really like watching movies. BJ turned one of our bedrooms into a media room, which I thought was ridiculous. But, I must concede…watching movies is better in the “media room.”
53. I tend to be selfish.
54. My Mom is a great example of service. I wish I was more like her.
55. When I was in sixth grade, I was vice president of our Elementary School. On pride days, I had to dress up like a panther and rally people up. It got hot.
56. I really like breakfast food, but only for breakfast. I can’t get excited about eating pancakes for dinner.
57. Mascara and lip gloss are my favorite bits of make-up.
58. Jeans that are cute and comfortable make me really happy.
59. I like moving.
60. BJ and I have moved 10 times in our 8 ½ year of marriage.
61. If someone wanted to buy my house right now, I would move again.
62. I am addicted to sugar. I have very little self control. So, I have learned that I can’t buy it. If it is in my house, I will eat it. All. Until it is gone.
63. I like the rush of riding on roller coasters.
64. I love watching my kids experience new and exciting things.
65. I have had a single curtain panel hanging in my house since before Christmas.
66. Hey. It took me so long to finish my 100 things that I finished my other panel. And 4 matching pillows.
67. I love shopping.
68. I am notorious for the “buy now, decide later” philosophy. Right now, I have stuff I need to return to three different stores.
69. My friend (who is a decorator) has been helping me out with my house lately. I like my house a lot more now that I think it is pretty.
70. I am very honest and cannot bring myself to deliberately say something that is untrue.
71. I cannot figure out how to use a round brush. Believe me…I have tried. I am not that coordinated.
72. I can’t stand having my fingernails painted, but really like when my toenails are painted.
73. I love going out to eat. Food that I don’t have to prepare or clean up after always tastes better.
74. Except for McDonalds food. That never tastes better. It is nasty.
75. I really like organizing things. When I watch the shows on HGTV where there is a professional organizer, I think to myself, “I could totally do that!”
76. When I put my clean dishes away, I have to stack my kids cups in rainbow order. It’s a little crazy, I know.
77. I want to have a fireplace in my house someday. The kind where I can flip a switch and it will be on. I like the cozy feel fireplaces bring, but I don’t want to have to chop wood.
78. Marjorie Hinckley said (paraphrased), “When life gets really hard, you can either cry or laugh. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” Crying gives me a headache too.
79. When I feel really emotional about something and have to talk about it, I can’t help myself. I cry. Then, I get a headache.
80. I like to see the American flag waving in the air. So do Kennady and Addy. We have to sing, “It’s a grand old flag” every time they notice one.
81. I know the 50 states…in alphabetical order. (thanks to a song my Mom used to sing to us in the car when we were on vacations)
82. When I was little, I collected bugs. My favorite kind were the potato bugs…the kind that rolls into a ball when you touch it.
83. I always have my Christmas shopping done by October, usually earlier. I am 25% done already and it‘s only February.
84. Each of our girls middle names are Italian cities (where BJ served his mission.); Capri, Brescia and Siena. Except that on Brighton’s birth certificate form, I spelled Siena wrong . I spelled it Sienna. Oops.
85. When the girls are old enough to appreciate it, we hope to be able to take them to “their” cities.
86. I played the ukulele when I was little. At our little recital, we played and sang “Pearly shells.”
87. I rarely iron anything. I would rather not wear it than have to iron it.
88. I prefer to write with a fine point black pen.
89. I faked my eye exam so I could get glasses when I was in fourth grade.
90. I have perfect vision and am SO thankful I don’t have to wear glasses or contacts. Remind me to tell my kids that I can buy them non-prescription glasses if they want to wear glasses.
91. When I was in eighth grade, I broke my right wrist in two places playing volley tennis. That is not even a sport.
92. I like white gold, platinum or silver…not yellow gold.
93. My hair is not straight or curly. It is mostly sort of straight with weird bumps (maybe they are waves) through some of it. So, I either have to straighten it (remember I can’t figure out how to use a round brush), scrunch it with gel and a diffuser or wear it up.
94. I wear my hair up 95% of the time.
95. I am a very determined person. If I put my mind to it, it will happen.
96. I like wearing long-sleeved shirts and jeans. I wear cold weather clothes as long as possible.
97. White and dark chocolate don’t taste good.
98. I like pickles a lot. My grandma used to buy jars of Claussen pickles just for me.
99. Brown is my favorite color. Just look at my house and you will know that it’s true.
100. I love my life and feel so blessed!