25 Random Things About Me

I just posted this on facebook, so I thought I would post it on my blog too. I have been a little MIA lately in the blogging world and on facebook due to some crazy circumstances. Our computer died, our brand new flatscreen TV died, and our dishwasher died and sprung a leak and destroyed our new kitchen floor....all within one week!!! You know, just a few more things to add to the financial drama lately. I think I have cried myself to sleep all week. Our new kitchen floor is now in a broken heap in the backyard due to the water damage. I decided to finally sit down and write this list so I could take a break from my stress. Creating the list helped me remember some fun times and some fun people who have been a part of my life!
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1. When I was younger, my dream was to start a 'healthy eating' camp for overweight young girls.
2. I went white water rafting on the Snake River AFTER the bottom of the raft was ripped off. Talk about adrenaline rush! I thought my life was over. (Thanks Ang!)
3. One year at Girls Camp, there was a huge bell the camp leaders rang to wake us up every morning. Well, myself and a few accomplices pushed the bell off the stand and rolled it down a hill full of poison ivy. Needless-to-say, our mornings were more peaceful for the rest of the week. (I'm a little embarrassed about this one! What a brat!)
4. The 2 most rewarding and amazing events in my life are also my 2 most challenging events: being a missionary and being a mother. I wouldn't change either of them for anything!
5. I have had over 25 jobs. My first job was corn detassling at 13 years old. I discovered that there is boy and girl corn. I guess even corn has to find a way to procreate. Very interesting.......
6. Ben is my 60th roommate. I have had 47 roommates, 12 missionary companions and 1 husband.
7. I was picked out of a crowd to kiss a seal at LORO Parque in the Canary Islands.
8. As a child, I used to live next to drug dealers who shot a bullet through my bedroom wall right above my bed.
9. Against the advice of my Dad, my sisters and I put our boy and girl hamsters together for 60 seconds and ended up with lots of baby hamsters a few weeks later.
10. I miss fishing in Minnesota with my family.
11. I still have all the pieces to every board game I owned as a child. Sorry, Battleship, Gotcha, Memory, checkers, Don't Spill the Beans are just a few of them. I was a little psycho about keeping my things looking nice and in perfect condition....but yet I hate cleaning my house as an adult.
12. I have kept a journal since I was 8 years old. (I will have to make sure to add this list!)
13. At a haunted corn maze, one of the workers chased me with a chainsaw and pretended to saw my legs off. Let's just say...my 2 year old isn't the only one to occasionally pee her pants! I was 25 years old!
14. 2 pet peeves: I hate watching the same movie twice and I hate walking around in wet socks.
15. My ability to speak Spanish has helped me get more jobs than my college degree. (Although I need to brush up on hablando espanol!)
16. I, unlike the rest of the world, actually loved the FREE airplane food they used to give you on the airplane.
17. I love to travel and see new places for the first time. It's such a thrill to me.
18. I got braces when I was 26 years old. I worked at an Orthodontic office and thought, "Hey, FREE braces-why not?" It was one of the best things I have done. I love having straight teeth and I can't go to bed without flossing.
19. I have always loved palm trees & islands. My room as a teenager was full of posters of islands and palm trees. I even asked for a palm tree for my 17th birthday. I ended up receiving a 'palm plant' instead. (I lived in Minnesota-what did I expect?)
20. If I ever got a tattoo (even tho' I never will) it would have to be a palm tree.
21. I passed out during a job interview when I was 27...needless to say....I didn't get the job.
22. Greatest weakness: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies.
23. I didn't know I could draw until 2005 when I tried to sketch a picture of my baby boy. A month later I started taking drawing classes.
24. When I was 15, I was in a car with my sister and 2 friends. Our car veered off the road, rolled down a hill and landed upside down in a pond. I still consider it a miracle that all of us survived with minor bumps and bruises.
25. I have never seen Friends, ER or Seinfeld. I didn't have a TV for 10 years and I didn't care or miss it at all.

Random Purchase

A few weeks ago, I purchased a face painting kit online and we have had so much fun with it! The paints are professional grade and come with an awesome book full of cheek art and face painting examples. My kids are THRILLED to say the least.

Face painting is harder than I thought it would be-especially on children. They are so dang wiggly!

Luke picked a baseball theme because he was learning about the letter B last week at preschool. These face paints are so fun and I would recommend them to anyone.

Hard Econo Times= More Creativity!!!

We, like many others, have been hard hit this past year and we haven't been able to do all the things we want to do. In some ways I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing. Christmas was WAY more simple and WAY more enjoyable this year. I have also noticed that our family time is more precious and planned out. We do a lot more activities at home and we have focused on our talents and other things that bring us joy.

Sooooo, if you're ever bored you could..... ...take apart all of your Buzz Lightyear toys and try to fix them again...

...although I think Buzz has no chance of repair from a 4 yr old.You could make & publish your own books and fill them with all the words you know how to spell, like 'pop', 'boo', 'dad', 'mom' and etc.

And you could illustrate your own books with your favorite characters in them.

Pablo Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain one once he grows up!"

Quote of the Morning:

"If I didn't have 2 holes in my nose, then I wouldn't pick it!"- Luke, age 4