Blogiversary

I told Shane that today is my blogiversary. He told me he didn't know such a thing existed. Well, lucky for him (and me) it does.

And today is the day.

I've thought a lot about this. I wanted to have today be my hundredth post, but I'm a slacker & only tallied about 90. Anyhow, I've been thinking for a while that I wanted to do a 100 things list.

1. Just in case you didn't notice, I like books. I almost always have one to read, and if I don't, I'm looking.
2. I spend a lot of time looking at places to find new things read. One place that has led me to great books time & time again is the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers series. Some of my favorite books ever have come from these selections.
3. For a long time, my favorite book was Gone with the Wind. I've never been too keen on the movie; Clark Gable as Rhett always seemed too old in my opinion.
4. I did gymnastics until I was 14. The gym that we belonged to was always one of the top contenders in the state.
5. Unfortunately, when I started doing gymnastics at 9, I was too old. By the time I was 14 I was too tall, too old, and not talented enough to have my coaches really give a crap.
6. I had one coach for 4 years who I was deathly afraid of. Seriously, I would get stomach aches just thinking about the fact that I had to go to gym that night just because I knew he would be there and would probably be grumpy yet again.
7. His name was Jack. He wasn't afraid to yell, and he got right into your face to do it. His eyes bugged out a little when he yelled, so all you had were these scary buggy blue eyes staring you in the face while he yelled at you.
8. Some people could handle Jack. I couldn't. But he taught me discipline and respect and accountability in a way that no one else did.
9. When Jack left, I realized that he probably cared more about us as his students than any of the other coaches combined.
10. I saw Jack one time at a meet a few months after he quit coaching us. The other coaches had warned us he would be there, and when he came up and said hi to me and offered to help me tape up my ankle, I told him no. I regret that a lot. I think I should have been kinder. And my ankle would have been taped a whole lot better. I wasn't very good at it.
11. I have had casts on every limb of my body. I bet I could beat anyone in a contest for the highest number of casts. I had a club foot when I was born, so I was casted until I was 10 months. Then I had surgery to correct my foot when I was 6. I broke my left arm a year later, my right arm 2 years later, and my right ankle 5 years later.
12. I quit gymnastics after I broke my right ankle.
13. I started dance the same year. At first I didn't give dance much respect, because I thought gymnastics was harder. I quickly learned that though they were different, it didn't make dance any easier.
14. I did ballet and modern dance up until I got married.
15. I was on the modern dance team at Virgina Tech and at UVSC. Those were two of the best years I spent in college.
16. I started college my senior year in high school. I sometimes think it's strange that I didn't go to high school for that year, but I don't regret it for even a minute. I was so done with high school, both the classes and the mentality.
17. Even though I started at 17, it still took me til I was 23 to graduate from college.
18. I have an English degree from the University of Utah. The day I graduated, I went to commencement and didn't know a soul. Everyone was talking to their friends and I was just there by myself. I didn't go to college to make friends, and obviously I succeeded.
19. I still enjoyed my commencement ceremony immensely. Mitt Romney spoke, and at that point, I'd had no idea who he was. The commencement was much better than the gathering where I got my diploma. The department was coupled with 10 other departments in the college, and this made it so that it was more like a cattle stampede than a graduation. It sucked.
20. I tend to get too wordy and use far to many words to explain myself. And it's often physically impossible for me to tell a story without giving so much back story that by the time I get where I want to be, I forgot the point of my story. You might have noticed, since I do it when I write as well.
21. I went through a goth stage and a hippie stage.
22. Attending a Grateful Dead concert inspired my hippie stage. I don't think I even knew a Grateful Dead song before I went to the show.
23. My first "show" was in Las Vegas and I didn't even have a ticket. I spent two incredibly inebriated days in the parking lot, and then bought a ticket for the last day of the show from a guy selling them off the side of Tropicana Street.
24. In all, I went to 5 dead shows, 3 in Vegas, one in Salt Lake, and another in Phoenix.
25. When I went to the shows in Vegas, I usually stayed at my friend Rebecca's mom's house. She loved to open up her house to all these dirty hippie girls and boys. I still don't know why, but it was nice to have somewhere to clean up after spending the day in a dirty parking lot, drinking warm beer. Blech.
26. One of the strangest nights of my life happened after one such day in the parking lot. My good friend Cindy (ha, ha) had a car that overheated twice in the space of 2 hours. We were supposed to spend the night camping at lake mead. Instead, I found myself with 10 people in the middle of east Las Vegas with nowhere to go, 1 car that worked (mine) and another car that didn't.
27. Cindy's boyfriend Chris talked to some hippie named Jerry who stopped to help us. Jerry suggested putting eggs in the radiator to seal up the cracks. Jerry apparently got clear across the country on 3 eggs.
28. I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. So did Cindy, since she didn't let him near her radiator with any eggs.
29. We pushed Cindy's car to a parking lot after the second break down. I then shuttled half of the 10 people 10 miles to the parking strip of my (sleeping) uncle's front lawn. I told them not to make a sound until I got back with the other half. Cindy and her boyfriend got into a fight as we got into my uncle's neighborhood. Chris stormed off into the night. Apparently he was going to walk home because no one liked his eggs in the radiator scheme.
30. I had to knock on my uncle's door at 3:30 in the morning with a bunch of dirty kids. We were just going to sleep on the front lawn, but I wanted to give them a heads up so they weren't surprised in the morning.
31. My uncle made me come inside and gave me the biggest lecture ever about how irresponsible I was to bring all those kids to his house. But he wouldn't let us stay on the lawn & made us come inside.
32. I stuffed 7 of the other kids in my uncles den and told them to go to sleep and not make a sound. Cindy and I slept in my cousin's cosy waterbed in the next room. We sat and cried in the dark because I was sure my family would be mad at me forever and Cindy was sad her boyfriend had left.
33. He hadn't left.
34. He came to the door when he saw my uncle's lights turn on around 5 am. My uncle was a security guard & carried a gun, and came and got me after he answered the door. I told Chris to take a hike for a while, that I was in trouble & couldn't let him in until my uncle left for work.
35. Not taking the hint, Chris went to my uncle's neighbor's house and tried to get them to call the cops, because I had "said I was in trouble, and the guy had a gun."
36. The police informed him they couldn't do anything. Meanwhile, I went upstairs and went to sleep and forgot to let Chris in til after 10am. He had been making friends with the neighbors and climbing on my uncle's house, trying to see inside a window that was over the door to see if he could see me or Cindy.
37. We finally let Chris in. He promptly made himself right at home by taking a shower in my uncle's master bathroom.
38. I thought my mom would be mad at me for taking everyone there, but she wasn't. She was glad I had somewhere to stay that wasn't dangerous. That made me feel better.
39. I told you I can drag out a story like none other. But I think that is a funny one. I was glad when Cindy lost the loser Chris.
40. I had a lot of fun being a hippie. It meant you could wear little patchwork sundresses and not do your hair or makeup or take too many showers.
41. Although, it's amazing how much people who are largely unwashed still care about their image. The hippies I met were just as worried about how they looked, but it was in how dirty they could be, rather than how clean.
42. It led me to believe that most people are posers. They really, really want people to think that they are as cool as their image suggests, and will go to incredible lengths to prove it.
43. I never had quite that good of an image, because I'm not very good at pretending. I never really felt like I fit in with real hippies. I had a job, a car, a family, some values (even though I wasn't really living them), and a place to live which put me on the outs with most of them. I'm glad.
44. When I stopped being a hippie, I started being a mormon again.
45. Coming back to church, I felt (and often still do) on the outside. It seems like I'm always on the fringes of whatever group I'm affiliating myself with. My experiences of being a mormon and not a mormon make me "other" wherever I go. I've gotten used to it, and have found my niche, though.
46. It makes me feel like I wear my past on my sleeve. I think I probably have more in common with converts to the LDS church, despite my life-long membership in it.
47. I still love my religion. I like that it has helped me to forge a relationship with God that is all my own. It is something I rely on and cherish.
48. Alright, I'm getting pretty wordy and serious here. Hope you aren't getting bored.
49. I have 7 nieces and 4 nephews, 1 great-niece and 1 great-nephew.
50. I am the youngest of 4 girls. I love my sisters.
51. I cannot sing to save my life. It is an experience that is terrible to behold.
52. I love to talk to people. I talk to everyone, even strangers in the grocery store. Shane has gotten used to it.
53. I met my mother-in-law and my husband on the same day. I worked with them both loooonng before we were ever family.
54. I have worked at the same place for over 9 years. I have a great job.
55. My friend Rebecca and I have been friends since we were 13. I had her as one of my bridesmaids in my wedding. We still talk on the phone a few times a year. She has been with me forever.
56. I don't go to my high school reunions. There isn't anyone there that I want to reconnect with if I haven't already.
57. I've found people I knew in high school through blogging. It's cool. It's fun to see people without the high school filter on.
58. I go to the Nordstrom sale with my family every year. I love it. It's the one day when my inherent cheapness flies out the window. I even got a babysitter to watch my kids this year so I could go and have fun. I've never gotten a babysitter for such a purpose in my life.
59. I love Dr. Pepper. I need to drink less of it.
60. I can be shy when I don't know people. But this has gotten less prevalent as I've gotten older. I usually find that the people that initially intimidate me the most are far less intimidating once you get to know them.
61. I lived in the same house from the time I was 1 to when I moved out at 18. I also had the same phone number.
62. I would never, ever, ever want to go back to junior high.
63. If I had no one else to take care of, I would probably spend my whole life reading.
64. I wish I took better pictures. I try really hard, but I have to admit that I know I took better pictures with my non-digital SLR than I do with my digital. Not to say that I don't love my camera, because I do, but even after 3 years I'm still figuring it out.
65. I have a hard time telling my feelings to my mom. It is something I should work on harder. I am always afraid that I come off as ungrateful.
66. I am easily distracted. If I am nervous at all and I get distracted in what I am saying or doing, I may never remember what it was I wanted to say or do.
67. I am a worrier. I worried for years that we would have an earthquake (dang all those geology classes in 7th grade) and my nieces would be pinned underneath the big dressers that were in their rooms. One of my favorite things to worry about is all the dumb things I do or say in during the course of a day. Unfortunately, this happens quite a lot.
68. I try to be a peacemaker. I hate to have someone mad at me. I would rather lie and say everything is fine than admit that I have a grudge or disagree with someone. I know this is irrational, but I can't seem to break the habit.
69. When I first learned to drive, I drove a brown 1972 Ford Torino. It was ugly and got about .2 miles to the gallon. One summer, a local radio station was handing out bumper stickers with their frequencey, which happened to be 96. My friends tore one in half and reversed the numbers so that my bumper sticker said 69. Special.
70. I spent a lot of time at dance clubs during my formative years. I thought nothing was more fun than a night at the PALACE (for any of you who've lived in Provo).
71. My favorite club was the Ivy Tower. It had an alternative music night, and my friends and I used to lie and say we were 18 so we could get in. Ah, those were fun nights.
72. The summer I turned 17, I took a ballet workshop at the University of Utah. It required that I live in Salt Lake City for 6 weeks. That was my first taste of living on my own.
73. That was a fun, fun summer. We never had a curfew, since we lived with some college girls who knew Rebecca's older sister. I can remember a night when my friends Cindy, Angie, and Rebecca (who did the dance camp with me) stole cigarettes and smoked them down by the pond at Sugarhouse Park until late in the night. Being with your friends was the best back then.
74. I never had a boyfriend from my home town, or dated anyone that I went to school with. I always dated guys from other local towns that I met at dance clubs.
75. I was 18 when I met my husband.
76. I didn't kiss him until I was 22.
77. I married him at 23.
78. Shane didn't talk to me for more than 1 1/2 years at one point in our history. It was my fault. I missed him a lot during that time. I guess that is what brought me to his house on the night we got together.
79. July 24, 1997 is when we finally got together. It will be 11 years this week since he started to talk to me again.
80. He told his friend that night that he was going to marry me. It made me jump a little, but I knew from the first that that was the direction we would be moving. I made my decision immediately. I am glad I did.
81. I always thought I would have a daughter. But I knew Thomas would be a boy from the get-go.
82. I have learned a lot about boys in the past 7 years. I even want to learn to do the stuff they are interested in, like throwing footballs and shooting basketballs, so I don't embarrass them.
83. I have a thing for remembering dates. I can remember the date of almost every big thing that I've ever done. I even remember the dates that other people do stuff. Like my friend Rebecca. I still remember the date that she first when on a date with Shane's friend Matt.
84. That would be February 13, 1997, thank you very much. Give or take a day.
85. I rarely forget people. I hate that about myself, because I never think people will remember me.
86. I eat the same thing everyday at lunch. A bag of chips, a thing of yogurt, a pb & j sandwich. I even eat the same flavor of yogurt. I like what I like, and I don't often vary from it.
87. I have a counting thing. I am always counting steps or just moments that it takes me to do stuff. I think it is my special form of autism.
88. I also whisper stuff. I don't really know when I'm doing it. But mostly when I'm nervous about what I'm going to say. Kind of like a warm up. I do it a lot on the phone when I'm calling someone. I guess I have to have a practice run before the big moment. I know that this is weird. Again, refer to the last sentence of #88.
89. I like to run, but I'm not fast. I do like to push myself, though.
90. I think the perfect amount of distance to run is 10 miles. You get to this zone around miles 7-8 where your body is on autopilot, and you think, I run. That is what I do. I just run. It is a great feeling.
91. I haven't run anywhere close to 10 miles in 4 years.
92. I am a wimp and run on my treadmill most of the time. I make excuses for the weather. Oh, it's too hot, or too cold, or too windy. So I head downstairs.
93. I miss rocking my babies to sleep at night. I think that those moments when your babies are little, little are some of the sweetest moments of your whole life. I wish I could bottle them.
94. I think that being pregnant is the best thing. Even though I get sick, even though I get fat, I think that is such a special time. I wanted my babies birth days to last forever. I would have been sad to have a 3 or 4 hour labor; I wanted to savor it. Weird, I know. But I love that day.
95. I almost always have allergies. I am too lazy to take anything for them. So I am always stuffy. It gets a little old sometimes.
96. I like to sleep as much as possible. I am not a morning person. I tend to get an energy boost around 8pm that drives sleep from my body. I think I spent most of my childhood waiting to fall asleep and the other part trying to wake up.
97. I am famous in my family for being grumpy in the morning. My son Ben is just like me.
98. I have my husband cut my hair when I remember to have it cut. I am not good at doing my hair, or anyone elses. I can cut my boys hair pretty well, though. I've gotten good at that. But styling is beyond me. Thank heaven for ponytails.
99. I will soon be getting 2 hours of freedom while Ben goes to preschool in the fall. I can't wait for those 2 hours.
100. I am naturally a slob. But I try pretty hard for my husband to combat my inner nature. My compromise is having disorganized closets. And my desk is a mess, but Shane can't see that.

That is it. Holy cow, that took longer than I thought. Sorry if I got wordy, but I warned you.

Happy bloggiversary to me!