100 Things About Me

1. I was born in Alexandria, VA. My dad was attending law school at George Washington University. My sister Tyra was born 15 months after me and my mom says that people thought she was crazy to have two kids so close together while her husband was still in school.
2. My first memory is of my dad shutting me in the back of an empty u-haul trailer as they were getting ready to pack up and move from VA to ID after my dad finished law school. I was two and a half.
3. My favorite book at the time was Snow! Snow! Snow! and my mom read it to me over and over and over again as we drove from VA to ID.
4. When I was four and playing with a six year old little boy he showed me his penis. I was horrified, told no one, and never played with him again. I forgot all about it and didn't see him again until my freshman year of college when he asked me to dance at a New Year's party and the whole thing suddenly came back to me during our slow dance.
5. I lived in three different houses growing up but spent the most time (k-11) in the same house. All our houses were in Ammon or Idaho Falls which are pretty much the same thing.
6. The house where I did most of my growing up was on an acre lot and had a huge backyard. We had an enormous garden, a trampoline, swing set, and play house, with enough space left over for a small softball field which we used nearly every day in the summer.
7. I broke my nose playing softball.
8. I sprained my back on the trampoline.
9. I fractured my arm on the monkey bars at school.
10. When I was eight I had a dog named Snuggles. When she had puppies I wasn't allowed to keep any of them but was allowed to sell them. The day after all of Snuggles' puppies were sold she ran away. I felt horrible and incredibly guilty that I had sold her puppies. I spent a significant amount of time searching for Snuggles and praying that a good family would find her.
11. When I was 17 I was sitting in the kitchen telling a friend the sad story of Snuggles when my mom passed through the room and said, "You thought Snuggles ran away?" I said, "Yes...What happened to Snuggles, Mom?" My mom admitted that she and my dad took Snuggles out to the country and just left her to "find a good home." I immediately started bawling and ran out of the room.
12. I am not really into music. I never buy music or go to concerts.
13. The first tape I ever bought with my own money was Poison, Flesh and Blood.
14. I had a desperate crush on a boy who lived at the end of my street from first grade through fifth grade when he moved away.
15. I used to stalk the boy who lived at the end of my street and once when I was riding past his house trying to look cute he pulled out in front of me on his bike and I ran into him. I flew over both of our bikes and into the road and two of my teeth were knocked out. I ran home crying. The boy knocked on our door a couple of minutes later and handed my mom my teeth that had fallen out.
16. When I was in grade school and junior high I wrote in my journal every single night.
17. My sister Tyra and I didn't get along during our growing up years but were fiercely loyal to each other when it was just the two of us.
18. Tyra and I attended a summer camp together and didn't know anyone but each other. The camp was full of older "mean girls" and we learned the importance of an ally.
19. Growing up I thought I might be OCD because of the way I obsessed about organizing my room and lining up all of my things perfectly. I decided to purposely make some things "not perfect" in order to deter my obsession.
20. Each summer our family spent a significant amount of time at my grandparent's cabin on Hebgan Lake. It is still my most favorite place on earth.
21. At the end of the eighth grade I started dating a boy who I ended up dating through my freshman year of college.
22. I went to every single high school dance with the same boy.
23. My boyfriend was the town football star and I was homecoming queen my senior year. I thought it was perfectly romantic and just like in the movies.
24. I went bungee jumping from a giant crane my freshman year of high school.
25. I wrote for the school newspaper during high school and got a scholarship to write for the paper at Ricks College.
25. I was a total recluse my freshman year of college because my boyfriend was attending a different college on the other side of the country.
26. I got my associates degree from Ricks College in journalism.
27. I changed my major to Political Science when I transferred to BYU because I was burnt out on journalism and intimidated by the bigger paper and competition at BYU.
28. I did an internship on Capitol Hill one summer and had an amazing time living in Washington D.C.
29. My dad made me go on a study abroad to London (I can't remember why I didn't want to go). I had an amazing semester and made dear friends who I still keep in touch with.
30. While in London on study abroad I decided (completely out of the blue) to serve a LDS mission. I turned in my application and received my mission call while I was still in London.
31. I served a LDS mission in Costa Rica.
32. My mission was a huge turning point in my life. It was the first time in my life that I felt I was naturally good at something. It was the first time in my life that I felt completely comfortable in my own skin. It was the first time in my life that I felt totally confident in who I was and what I was doing.
33. My parents came to pick me up from my mission and we traveled through Costa Rica and Guatemala on the way home.
34. I was incredibly scared to come home from my mission and cried for weeks once I got home.
35. Tyra helped me survive and adjust when I got home from my mission. We lived together and I wore all her clothes and made her drive me around since I didn't have a car and didn't like to be by myself.
36. I taught Spanish at the MTC when I got home from my mission.
37. I taught Tyra's class when she was in the MTC (she served in Panama).
38. I have always really wanted to be "outdoorsy" but don't like doing most hardcore outdoor activities. I am more of a relax in the sunshine kind of girl.
39. I met Paul four weeks after I got home from my mission.
40. My friend that set Paul and me up lied and told me that Paul was 29 so that I would go out with him (he was 31 and I was 22).
41. Paul and I kissed on the second date and I could think of nothing else for two days.
42. I am known to scream bloody murder in my sleep.
43. I am incredibly afraid of cats but am working on this phobia and have made some progress.
44. Paul and I dated for two years before we got married.
45. Paul took me to Disneyland (my first time ever) for New Year's 2000.
46. Paul took me to San Francisco for Valentine's Day 2000.
47. Paul proposed to me in March 2001. We were in San Francisco at a restaurant with a live band. Paul sang "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" with the band and then proposed. I was totally surprised (not by him singing but about the proposal).
48. Paul and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 1, 2001.
49. We did all of the planning for our wedding together. Paul even came wedding dress shopping with me.
50. We went to San Diego on our honeymoon.
51. I started working for Campus Pipeline which is now SunGard Higher Education in July 2001. It was my second job out of college.
52. I currently work as a process consultant for SunGard Higher Education. I guide my clients through the organizational implementation process of our software and help them re-map their business processes that are impacted by the implementation.
53. I really like my job. I started working part-time (three days a week) when I got pregnant with Charlie.
54. I feel like I have the perfect balance between my dual careers as a professional and a mother.
55. My work required me to travel a ton after I got married and Paul and I took total advantage of every opportunity.
54. We spent a couple of weeks traveling through Europe after I worked with a client in the UK.
55. We took a couple of trips to Hawaii when I worked with clients there.
56. We also managed a couple of trips to New York together.
57. When I was pregnant with George we took a "babymoon" to Cancun. It was the first trip that we had taken since we were married that wasn't some how attached to one of my work trips.
58. We bought our first home (the home we live in now) when I was pregnant with George.
59. Our first home was a foreclosure and we had to put in a first and final bid the same day it was listed. We had been tracking foreclosures for over a year and had been watching our house go through the process for about six months. We had never seen the inside of the house but had driven past probably a hundred times. The day it was listed I was working with a client in California and Paul couldn't get a hold of me. He had to look at the house and bid on it without talking to me. He left me 14 messages and sent me six emails but I didn't check my phone or personal email until the end of the day. Paul was going crazy. Luckily we got the house and I saw it for the first time when I got home from my trip.
60. When I became a mother it was the second time in my life that I felt completely comfortable in my own skin and like I was born to do what I was doing.
61. By the time George was two weeks old I felt that I had known him my entire life and that we were best friends.
62. I have chronic mastitis.
63. I nursed George for nine months and was on an anti-biotic the entire time.
64. After George was born I stopped traveling for work.
65. George and Charlie are 19 months apart.
66. I intentionally planned on George and Charlie being 19 months apart. Paul wasn't in on the plan.
67. I suffered from postpartum depression after I had Charlie.
68. I have an amazing network of girlfriends.
69. My grandma died a month after Charlie was born. Since I was on maternity leave Charlie and I spent a lot of time with my Grandma before her death and experienced many special moments with her.
70. When Charlie was three weeks old and my chronic mastitis was back in full force and several different anti-biotics failed to work I decided to throw in the nursing towel and though I felt incredibly guilty (and I still feel a little bit guilty) I will never nurse again.
71. I often imagine what my house will look like when I am totally organized.
72. I love to read and love to buy books. I don't know why I don't go to the library but I just don't. I do borrow a lot of books from friends.
73. I am constantly amazed by my ability to bare such large babies without a snip or tear.
74. I think it would be really cool to say that I delivered naturally but will most likely never really do it.
75. I am known to buy and return things more frequently than most people.
76. I really want to be an amazing seamstress but my progress is slow going. Mostly because my craft space is a disaster and my mom (my craft mentor) lives three hours away.
77. My parents divorced last fall.
78. My awesome little sister Darci is getting married this summer and I am really excited to get the family all dressed up for her wedding.
79. My hero and sister Lara lives just 12 minutes from me and we see each other nearly every day.
80. I love to indulge in a professional pedicure and manicure.
81. I believe that motherhood is the most important career a woman can have and that there should be more "professional development" opportunities for mothers.
82. I love coke, dr. pepper, rolos, and hostess cupcakes.
83. I have major problems with consistency.
84. I love to watch HSN and have been watching it since jr. high school (actually back then it was QVC) but have only ever made one purchase.
85. I love to shop online.
86. My favorite thing about Paul is his humor.
87. I love to hear my boys make each other laugh.
88. I make George give Charlie a high five when he apologizes to him. Charlie absolutely loves it when George gives him a high five but George will rarely ever do it.
89. It is way past 10:00pm and I am still blogging. I am really bad about going to bed early.
90. I am awesome at hanging curtain rods.
91. I love hanging out, going to the spa, and shopping with my mom and sisters. They are my best friends and it is usually with them that my silliness goes into overdrive.
92. I still have a handful of pre-pregnancy pants in the top of my closet that I honestly believe will one day fit me again.
93. I really want a mini-van. I am one of those people who before having children vowed never to drive a mini-van but have since seen the light. Honestly, what is better than automatic doors?
94. I am not a big picture planner.
95. I am more of a What should we do tomorrow? planner.
96. When I am stressed I make a list of everything I need to do and then take a nap.
97. I have dyed my hair since high school. Actually, in high school I was more of a "sun in" and lemon juice girl but regardless of the method I haven't seen my natural hair color in decades.
98. I love to make my kids laugh.
99. I love make-up and jewelry though I don't wear either as much as I wish I did.
100. I often find myself in complete disbelief that I am a mom and a wife.

p.s. I usually never participate in the whole tag thing but was inspired by the secret life of em.