1. My prefrontal cortex is unusually large and that is why I hoard so many thing. (That's my story and I am sticking to it). From cute little brads to bags of candy. What if I use them up and then need more? What if I can't find more when I need them? What if a better project comes along? My new years resolution is no more hoarding. Especially craft supplies. I mean, really, just how many packages of Stampin' Up's Dashing Designer Series Paper does a girl need? They'll eventually make something else I like just as much, right?
2. I can't watch TV shows on TV anymore. I have to wait until they come out on DVD so I don't have to watch (or fast forward) through the commercials and I don't have to wait a whole week to find out what happens next. I also have to watch shows in the order they originally aired. But that means I am always a year behind on the shows that everyone is watching right now. The only show I will watch on regular TV is the Amazing Race.
3. James and I met the first day of classes, our freshman year at Ricks College in Math Class. He was only 17. We got to be good friends first. We didn't go on our first date though until 3 years later and then we got married a year after that. I hope my boys get to have that friendship part first too. (And it will always be Ricks College to us. Never BYU-Idaho)
4. When I was a child, I wanted to be a primary chorister when I grew up. I would line up my dolls and play primary all the time. And as an adult, it's the best church calling I've ever had.
5. I love to sing in choirs and small groups. I've sung every part from first soprano all the way down to tenor. I prefer to sing Alto though because I hear harmony, not melody in my head when I hear music. The highlight of this for me was singing in General Conference with a couple hundred other people.
6. I'm a political junkie and always have been. I remember liking Jimmy Carter better than Gerald Ford because he was smiling in the cartoon drawing on the front of my brother's Weekly Reader when I was four. Ronald Reagan was my childhood hero. I still believe he made the world a better place. In college, I really wanted to do a congressional internship in Washington DC but was always the backup choice instead of the first choice. That is how I ended up settling for an internship in the Governor's Office which lead to a job there.
7. I've been watching the Today show almost everyday for more than 30 years. It probably turned me into a political junkie. I still mourn the loss of Tim Russert.
8. When I watched the 1994 Winter Olympics I decided I really wanted to be involved in the execution of an Olympics some day. The next year, Salt Lake City was awarded the games on the day I was officially hired by the Governor's Office. I took a job at the Department of Public Safety in 2000 so I could have an official assignment with the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command. I was lucky enough to attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a hockey game and a speed skating event. I love the Olympics.
9. I saw KISS's final live performance with the Stanley/Simmons/Frehley/Singer lineup, but I am not a fan. They performed at the Closing Ceremonies but so did Bon Jovi so it was all worth it. Other concerts I've attended: Beach Boys, Joe Jackson, Depeche Mode, Billy Joel and Elton John. I still hope to see U2 before I die.
10. I gave up chocolate for my new year's resolution in 1990 and now it makes me sick. But I love sweets, especially caramel and peanut butter. Raspberry Coconut Zingers are especially yummy right now.
11. I used to consider myself a craft reject. Now I get paid to make hand crafted items and teach other how to do it too. Creating is my therapy. It makes me happy to see other people discover it too.
12. I have selective OCD. Some things that set it off include: stamping, scrapbooking, shopping, Disneyland, cars, Facebook, Split Coast Stampers, food, swapping, Wii, the Utah Jazz, (ok, maybe it's not so selective). I wish I could have it about things that were good for me like exercise, veggies, etc.
13. I'm a procrastinator. I will never do today what I can put off til tomorrow. But I work well under pressure and I'm pretty good on my feet with very little preparation. I think that is why I loved the PR work I did. It was always flying by the seat of your pants. It drives the planners in my life absolutely crazy though.
14. I have a strange kind of shyness/social anxiety. I would rather give a presentation to hundreds of people than to make small talk with someone I don't know one on one. The larger the group, the more comfortable I feel.
15. I have this fear that my hair style will be so out dated that everyone will know exactly what year I graduated from school or got married. So I change it frequently. That's led to some really awkward hair styles. But it's only hair and it grows back.
16. I cry way too easily. I have a hard time talking about things that are really important to me like family, friends, faith, God without turning into a blubbering idiot! I hate it and wish I could just shut the tears off. I also cry during almost any movie. I just can't help it. Even the ones that aren't suppose to be sad.
17. I'm allergic to too many things. Like the sun, avocados, most other fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to pretty much anything that grows and pollinates. Unfortunately, my boys have allergies too and I hate it. It's a life sentence for them.
18. I hate to fly because I get claustrophobic, restless leg syndrome and air sick. But I love to travel. I have visited 27 states in my life time. My goal is to get to the other 23. I like to visit the things that make that area unique, like the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, the Chattanooga Choo Choo in Tennessee, Manitou Springs in Colorado and Harpers Ferry in West Virginia.
19. I grew up in California and never went surfing. I now live in Utah and I've never been skiing. I actually hate the beach because of the sand that gets everywhere and I hate the snow because it makes me cold.
20. I've lived in my current home for 10 years and it's the longest I've ever lived in any house my entire life. I would really like to move, but we're afraid James will just get transferred as soon as we buy a new house.
21. I would love to live in the Washington DC area for a few years. It's part of the political junkie and history buff in me. But even though it's a real possibility that it could happen with James' job, because I really want it to happen, I doubt it will.
22. I love it when my boys smile at me. I also love it when they are playing nicely together. I feel like a successful mom when these things happen. But most of the time, I worry that I am not doing enough to help them become successful adults. I love them more than I could possibly say.
23. The most spiritual experience of my entire life was A.J.'s birthmom placing him in my arms. It's the only time in my life when I have ever been so overwhelmed I was speechless. The most heart wrenching experience of my life was watching Spencer's previous adoptive mother say goodbye to him. I still cry when I think about it.
24. I am thankful to come from a good family who offers unconditional love. I don't have to worry about being disowned or written out of the will because that's just not the way they are. I wish my brothers lived closer so that my boys could know and love their aunts, uncles and cousins.
25. I am blessed with many wonderful friends. I get strength from them to face the hard days. I worry about them when they are sad, lonely, sick or hurt and I love to celebrate with them when things turn around for the better. Women are so lucky to have other women to laugh and cry with. Men don't know what they are missing.
