Today is the one year anniversary of my starting this blog for our little family. I'm not really known for sticking with things, so I'm just as shocked as anyone that I continue to update this somewhat regularly. Thanks for sticking with me!
In honor of this, I'm posting 100 things about myself. I was going to do this for my 100th post but I forgot. I thought about adding more to make it the same number of facts about me as I have done posts in this first year, but on looking at it, I don't think I can come up with 200 things about myself so I'm sticking with the original information.
1. My maiden name was just about as uncommon as my married name.
2. My first name is spelled with two “n”s. My mom told me when I was 17 she didn’t know why she did that, and blamed it on postpartum medication.
3. I have found two other people with my first name in the state, and that’s all I know of. Neither of them spells theirs with two “n”s.
4. The first one worked at the same credit union I did before I worked there. I didn’t believe other employees who said a former employee had the same name until her dentist’s office called. They didn’t believe me that I wasn’t her, because “Who else has that first name?!”
5. The second one was a customer at Olive Garden. Telling her the law required me to put my legal name on my nametag if I served alcohol wasn’t enough proof. I showed her my driver’s license and she left me a huge tip just because she thought my name was cool.
6. I wanted to name my son Owen so badly I bought a book about a mouse with a serious blanket dependence to convince my husband. That obviously worked out really well for me.
7. We didn’t agree on Mason’s name until less than two weeks before he was born.
8. Mason was born three weeks early when I was induced at my doctor’s insistence. He was 9 lbs 8 oz, and I delivered without a c-section, forceps, a vacuum, or any of the other crazy tools they sometimes use.
9. I had an epidural and I would do it again, especially knowing that I might be giving birth to children that big.
10. My husband is the only person I ever officially dated.
11. I met my husband when I was 15. We lost contact and ended up in the same math class at the University of Utah 3 years later.
12. I didn’t go on an airplane until I was 14. My first time was on a school fieldtrip to San Diego. (as a note, a couple people have commented on this trip... for Carolee, yes it was that school trip. And Janae, I won't ever forget Darrell's freakout either! I was glad you were sitting next to me so I didn't freak the way he did.)
13. I am halfway finished with a Finance degree at the University of Utah.
14. I want to go to nursing school as soon as I can.
15. I have driven past the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Rotunda,
and Georgetown University—without stopping at any of them.
16. I nearly peed my pants when we landed at Ronald Reagan Int’l Airport. The runway starts just yonder from the Potomac and it looks like you’re going to land in the river from the rear of a plane.
17. I have run through an airport with my shoes in my hand because I didn’t have time to stop and put them on if we were going to make our connecting flight. That’s about all I’ve ever seen of Houston, TX.
18. I have never lived in an apartment. We built a house while we were engaged and took ownership just before our wedding.
19. I have never lived by myself (unless you count the fact that my husband works so often that at times it feels like I live alone).
20. My husband and I dated for 3 ½ years before we married, which in local time is about half our lives. We were also engaged for almost six months, which is also a long time in the culture here. Although, we were both aged 22, so we were still quite young.
21. My husband and I watch our wedding video every year on our anniversary, no matter where we are. He thinks it’s really cheesy, but it’s one of the few things I absolutely insist he does with me.
22. We plan a special outing for our anniversary every year, and three of the times I’ve planned it, we’ve gone to Anniversary Inn. There was a joke about Anniversary Inn being the only trip I could plan, but I sure showed him last year! (and have now realized I never posted about what we did.... I smell a retrospective post coming....)
23. I started playing flute in 5th grade (at age 10). I can still do it, but Samson will howl because it hurts his ears, so I don’t practice often. Just to be fair, he also whines at cell phone rings, so it’s not entirely my poor playing.
24.I quit playing flute in school when I made Madrigals (by freak accident) my senior year. Trying out was a fluke, and Mads and Wind Ensemble ended up being the same class period.
25. I sing second alto. I can sing tenor and baritone if I think about reading Bass clef music hard enough.
26. I taught myself to play piano on an electronic keyboard. I eventually and briefly took piano lessons.
27. The most difficult song I learned for Piano was The Jurassic Park Theme by John Williams.
28. We had a choreographed Madrigal performance to a medley of James Bond themes during which I tripped over an AV cord in front of an auditorium full of people—including my parents, who still have the smooth moves on video.
29. I have sung songs in Latin, German, French, Arabic and Scat (jazz).
30. I have read the entire text of laws that apply to my job(s). The two I remember parts of are The Patriot Act (went into effect when I was a new accounts rep) and The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
31. I know the approved 10-code for Utah and the phoenetic alphabet. I also use them in conversation without noticing.
32. I can tell you where all fire departments in the Salt Lake valley are (with the exception of SLC Fire) and what kind of emergency vehicles run from each.
33. My husband and I are horrible about large purchases. We signed the paperwork to build our house three days after we walked through the model home. We purchased his truck the afternoon after we started talking about it. There are way more poorly researched things than this, and we have not yet found a better deal later or been completely screwed by our lack of long-term research.
34. My wedding ring was the first one I put on when we went shopping.
35. My favorite flower is a rose.
36. I couldn’t swim until I was 16.
37. I couldn’t ride a bike until I was 11.
38. I read Jurassic Park at the age of 11, because the movie was coming out on my birthday and I thought that was cool. At the same age, I also read an in-depth biography of Lizzie Borden. I have divergent interests in literature.
39. The longest I have ever worked at one place is my job at dispatch. I have been there for four years this month. The shortest time I’ve ever had on a job was six weeks. (Not including jobs that were short-term to begin with as long as I finished the original term.)
40. I am really good at writing letters of complaint. I had the vice president of our credit union call me personally within a half hour of dropping off one particularly vicious but well-deserved correspondence.
41. I can’t sleep with a blanket tag positioned near my face. I won’t lay Mason down with that side of the blanket near his face, either. I didn’t even notice this until my husband pointed it out.
42.My husband and I sleep in the exact same position, and have since before we started dating.
43. My favorite movie is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
44. I watched Dirty Dancing as a child and didn’t realize what any of the plot actually meant until I was in high school.
45. I learned how to drive a manual transmission/clutch because it was all my family had when I was in high school.
46. I spent one New Years Eve (at midnight, no less) sliding up and down my friend’s driveway with her as I was helping her learn to drive a stick shift.
47.I have traveled on a bus full of hockey players more than once. I must have fit in okay because they played pranks on me while I slept just like “one of the guys”. I will never show anyone the pictures.
48. I have maintained the scoreboard and verified goals were good for hockey games.
49.I grew up listening to Abba and still have a special place in my heart for them. My favorite songs they sing are “Fernando” and “Dancing Queen”.
50. I once took soccer game stats in a concert choir dress. The soccer game was outside and I was one of the team managers. There was a Madrigal competition at my school at the same time as the game, so I went back and forth in that thing!
51. I once went on a blind double date where my friend and I (as the two girls) sat in the backseat together rather than by a date after discovering the driver had a Barbie’s head hanging from the rear view mirror by its hair.
52. My friend and I were so bored in choir one time we figured out that a septuply (is that even a word? We meant seven times.) augmented fourth is the same thing as an octave.
53. My butt has been on every stair on one side of the pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico because I’m a freaking chicken.
54. I have been in a car (on a one-on-one date, no less—no other witnesses!) when the driver didn’t hit the brakes once as we drove down Millcreek canyon from the top. It was scary. I made him buy me ice cream afterward.
55. I usually make a special spot in my schedule to watch one trashy teen soap opera. My most recent addiction is Gossip Girl. When Laura and I watched The O.C., I wouldn’t even answer the phone if it was on and I would tape it when we went to the gym while it was on.
56. I didn’t attend a concert (besides choir or school band events-I mean a professional concert) until I was 19. The first one I went to was Tim McGraw with Kenny Chesney opening before he was huge. We cut a trip to Vegas short so we could go.
57. I got to play a shotgun in our high school production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown because I was playing bass on an electronic keyboard that had sound effects.
58. I was one of 17 people fit on one couch in Madrigals. It wasn’t comfortable.
59. I have driven to las Vegas in around 5 hours. My average speed was 95 mph.
60. I love baking, and have been known to make 3-4 varieties of cookies at a time because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to make.
61. The first time I ever cut class was my sophomore year of high school. We walked to the grocery store, and the three of us split a package of Oreos and a half gallon of milk (to have that metabolism again!!)
62. I am a Gemini. The major characteristics all fit into my personality.
63. When I was 5, my uncle told me that people could only say a certain number of words in their lifetime, and he told me I was going to run out. I believed him and I cried, imagining trying to speak and being unable to.
64. My first job was as a model for Salt Lake Community College. I pretended to be a student on a math telecourse.
65. During my first job at SLCC, we had a break and took the opportunity to find out if wintergreen Life Savers really do spark in the dark. They do.
66. When I was 15, I had a dream my house burned down and I watched. I made my mom sleep in my bed with me afterward.
67. I hate grape, apple, or banana flavoring, but I like actual apples, grapes, and bananas.
68. My favorite flavor is generally cherry, especially for Tootsie Pops, other suckers, or Starburst.
69. It is almost physically impossible for me to cook a bag of popcorn without burning it.
70. My husband and I both avoided soda and caffeine for over three years. We broke our “fast” together in Hawaii. He had a root beer, and I had the best Coke I’ve ever tasted. It was only good once my eyes stopped watering and my throat stopped burning.
71. My first car was a 1986 Chevy Cavalier with no A/C and an engine buzz in the tape deck/radio. That’s right, I said tape deck. I was a great little car (thanks again for letting me drive it, mom) that we always said kicked “ASH” because those were the exact letters on the license plate.
72. My favorite song to play on Guitar Hero is “My Name is Jonas” by Weezer. My only video game related goal at the moment is to hit 100% of the notes on medium difficulty.
73. My idea of making a snack in junior high was adding food coloring to vanilla ice cream. Don’t add all the colors. The result isn’t black like you would think, but it’s rather disgusting.
74.My skin is freakishly sensitive. I’m allergic to most jewelry (including my wedding ring—I have to take it off at night) and I’m Latex-sensitive, but I also react to random laundry detergents and soaps without warning.
75. I came to a major genealogy halt when I discovered my great-grandmother’s personal records (birth certificate, etc.) and those of her family had been lost in a fire at their local city hall in small town Minnesota, and then they moved to Canada.
76. I found out through genealogy in junior high that I was distantly related to a good friend. She and I have the same great-great-great grandfather.
77. I have been hit on by a teacher and received a better grade ‘just because’, even though I didn’t realize what was going on at the time. I was hit on again by him after graduation when I was the hostess at a restaurant he came to.
78. I realized it during sexual harassment training for my current job and went “Hey, wait a minute…”
79. The first meal I ever attempted in a crockpot took nearly two weeks to scrub out of the crockpot completely.
80. I can’t whistle.
81. I sang a song from Sesame Street under my breath during an AP test to help me concentrate. It was American History, and I passed.
82. I’m really good at history, English, and math without much effort. Everything else takes lots of studying.
83. I hate science.
84. My favorite recess pastime in elementary school was playing tetherball.
85. When I was in 5th grade, we did state reports (I got Vermont and New Hampshire, because they were both small). I remember nothing about either state.
86. I also did a 5th grade president report on William McKinley. I had never heard of him, and only remember he was one of a few presidents to be assassinated.
87. For my country report in 6th grade, I got assigned to research France. My favorite part of the report was a brochure I drew to advertise the country with a hand-drawn Eiffel Tower on the front.
88. My favorite kind of music is acoustic pop, but I can’t play an acoustic guitar to save my life. I have tried to learn on my own, but will require lots of private lessons if I want to do this.
89. I played bassoon for about 5 minutes my junior year of high school until I actually got in a full bass line and thought it sounded like a duck.
90. I played a flute solo in my last concert. It was the melody line of “Winter” by Vivaldi (part of The Four Seasons suite). I was so amazed and excited when I played it exactly right.
91. I love puzzles, especially Crosswords, Sudoku, and cryptograms.
92. I can figure out most Jumble puzzles at a glance.
93. I hate Disneyland, and will have to be dragged there when it’s time for Mason to experience it. When I was 9 or 10 and we went, my dad asked me where I wanted to go next and I told him “Home.”
94.I like scrapbooking and have tons of supplies. My favorite part is doing hand-made cards.
95. I have a freaky ability to remember names, both of people I know in person and have seen in all manner of movies and television shows. I have never, ever lost The Kevin Bacon game (also known as Six Degrees of Separation), and I’ve only resorted to IMDB once or twice.
96. My favorite animal is a meerkat. I could watch them every day but I have no desire to live in Africa.
97. Toes freak me out. I think they’re disgusting and I hate it when people touch me with them. The only exception to this is Mason, because his feet are so stinking cute.
98. I won the spelling bee in 5th grade, and made it most of the way through the district competition before I was eliminated. During the second round at the district, the microphone went out and we had to shout our answers to the judges. The phonetic alphabet would have come in handy then!
99. I have only been in one physical fight in my life. It was with a girl my same age who lived next door. When her mother came over to demand an apology, my grandfather told her where she could shove that idea and then gave me pointers should I be in a fight again. He had been in the military-he had some good tips!
100.I have ordered something from a late night infomercial. It was the Turbo Jam workouts. I haven’t been very faithful in following them, but they are sure a lot of fun compared to other workouts I’ve tried!
73. My idea of making a snack in junior high was adding food coloring to vanilla ice cream. Don’t add all the colors. The result isn’t black like you would think, but it’s rather disgusting.
74.My skin is freakishly sensitive. I’m allergic to most jewelry (including my wedding ring—I have to take it off at night) and I’m Latex-sensitive, but I also react to random laundry detergents and soaps without warning.
75. I came to a major genealogy halt when I discovered my great-grandmother’s personal records (birth certificate, etc.) and those of her family had been lost in a fire at their local city hall in small town Minnesota, and then they moved to Canada.
76. I found out through genealogy in junior high that I was distantly related to a good friend. She and I have the same great-great-great grandfather.
77. I have been hit on by a teacher and received a better grade ‘just because’, even though I didn’t realize what was going on at the time. I was hit on again by him after graduation when I was the hostess at a restaurant he came to.
78. I realized it during sexual harassment training for my current job and went “Hey, wait a minute…”
79. The first meal I ever attempted in a crockpot took nearly two weeks to scrub out of the crockpot completely.
80. I can’t whistle.
81. I sang a song from Sesame Street under my breath during an AP test to help me concentrate. It was American History, and I passed.
82. I’m really good at history, English, and math without much effort. Everything else takes lots of studying.
83. I hate science.
84. My favorite recess pastime in elementary school was playing tetherball.
85. When I was in 5th grade, we did state reports (I got Vermont and New Hampshire, because they were both small). I remember nothing about either state.
86. I also did a 5th grade president report on William McKinley. I had never heard of him, and only remember he was one of a few presidents to be assassinated.
87. For my country report in 6th grade, I got assigned to research France. My favorite part of the report was a brochure I drew to advertise the country with a hand-drawn Eiffel Tower on the front.
88. My favorite kind of music is acoustic pop, but I can’t play an acoustic guitar to save my life. I have tried to learn on my own, but will require lots of private lessons if I want to do this.
89. I played bassoon for about 5 minutes my junior year of high school until I actually got in a full bass line and thought it sounded like a duck.
90. I played a flute solo in my last concert. It was the melody line of “Winter” by Vivaldi (part of The Four Seasons suite). I was so amazed and excited when I played it exactly right.
91. I love puzzles, especially Crosswords, Sudoku, and cryptograms.
92. I can figure out most Jumble puzzles at a glance.
93. I hate Disneyland, and will have to be dragged there when it’s time for Mason to experience it. When I was 9 or 10 and we went, my dad asked me where I wanted to go next and I told him “Home.”
94.I like scrapbooking and have tons of supplies. My favorite part is doing hand-made cards.
95. I have a freaky ability to remember names, both of people I know in person and have seen in all manner of movies and television shows. I have never, ever lost The Kevin Bacon game (also known as Six Degrees of Separation), and I’ve only resorted to IMDB once or twice.
96. My favorite animal is a meerkat. I could watch them every day but I have no desire to live in Africa.
97. Toes freak me out. I think they’re disgusting and I hate it when people touch me with them. The only exception to this is Mason, because his feet are so stinking cute.
98. I won the spelling bee in 5th grade, and made it most of the way through the district competition before I was eliminated. During the second round at the district, the microphone went out and we had to shout our answers to the judges. The phonetic alphabet would have come in handy then!
99. I have only been in one physical fight in my life. It was with a girl my same age who lived next door. When her mother came over to demand an apology, my grandfather told her where she could shove that idea and then gave me pointers should I be in a fight again. He had been in the military-he had some good tips!
100.I have ordered something from a late night infomercial. It was the Turbo Jam workouts. I haven’t been very faithful in following them, but they are sure a lot of fun compared to other workouts I’ve tried!
