It's a game of TAG--I'm it! Things you may or may not know about me...

Allison 'tagged' me and so here are some things you may or may not know about me:

I'm grateful that Curt has a career that allows me to be a stay-at-home Mom. Yes, it's difficult at times--heaven knows we sure could use a second income and sometimes I wish I could trade places with Curt just to get a break!! Sometimes I want to poke my own eyeballs out and have to give myself time-outs! That is normal, right??? But there's nothing more rewarding and joyful for this season in my life which will disappear all too soon. I recognize the rewards for this privilege I have of staying home with our children. I'm thankful that MY babe, Curt, has full confidence in me! XXXOOXX

I have this adventurous streak--I have always wanted to hang glide off the Point of the Mountain in Draper, Utah. I never had the chance because I was pregnant for most of the last 3 years we lived there (miscarriage before Lex & Iz). It's not that I'm this crazy thrill-seeker ...maybe it's the desire to 'fly'- Curt reminds me of my responsibility to our six children and at the same time has taken out a hefty insurance policy on me--is he trying to tell me something? Maybe he has tamed me a little bit.


I'm a do-it-yourself-er. Maybe that's not a complete 'unknown' fact. But it gets kind of obsessive at times. I'm the type that has a hard time spending money on things that I can make or do myself. A lot of it is the thrill of a completed project or gained skill. We've saved a lot of money over the years--hey, I even learned how to change brakes on my car last year (thanks to detailed instructions from my brother over the phone and my neighbor's helping hand). I enjoy doing everything from baby bows/flowers, photography, vinyl signs, baby blankies/burpies/lovies, sewing custom drapery, pillows, duvets, painting, designing--you know, all the crafty cutesie homemaker stuff, to tiling, taking out the side of a deck to install stairs (with the help of brothers) and knocking a hole in a fence to install a gate for quick access to school (AF house). If there's a way for me to learn how to do it and the quality isn't compromised, I'd much rather take that route and gain a skill than spend the money to watch someone else do it. The jury is out on whether this is obsessive, frugal, resourceful...or a combination of all of that. (The pics are before/after I transformed my UT master bath from ripping out the carpet, installing slate, to re-staining cabinetry..what a project that was!)

I have a photographic memory for numbers. Whoppee right? Yeah, it doesn't really serve me well for anything but a convenience-I'm not a CPA or anything like that. But I can rattle off my credit card #'s and even their exp. dates, cvc codes and things like our phone number from when I was 5 years old and every address we've ever lived at (since I could read). If I've dialed your phone number more than once then it's probably stored somewhere in my memory bank. With the convenience of cell phones & their phone books I don't use my little 'whopee' memory as much as I could. Just one of those things that was passed on to me from my dad.

I'm proud of this next one----I am 34...been driving for 18 years...and I've NEVER had a speeding/traffic ticket! I can't say that I haven't deserved my fair share of them, but my dad always taught me to drive 'with the rear view mirror. ' I've been pulled over a handful of times, but escaped with a slap on my hand. I realize as I'm writing this that I'm probably jinxing myself, but that's a dang good streak--betcha none of you can say that about yourselves?!!! Shouldn't I receive some sort of major insurance discount or accolade for that achievement???

And lastly, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be 'when I grow up!' For this season it's an at-home mom. But I've always had the desire to go back and complete a masters degree. I used to think it would be in Special Ed ( I have a BS in Elementary Education), but as life's experiences change my needs, wants, and desires, that goal also changes. Sometimes I think deep down I have the ability to design and pursue opening my very own business of what--don't know yet! Other times my thoughts and passions lie with the pursuit of a medical degree of-sorts...becoming a Physician's Assistant (PA) in Pediatrics. Heck, I'm already half-way there with six kids and the sick days, diagnosis, treatment, etc...or at least it feels that way! We'll see what the future holds.

That took forever...now I tag Marla, Becky, & Poppy--go girls!