36 Random Facts About Me

Nate’s cousin did a blog post on her birthday with a list of 32 things about her. I thought it would be fun to do the same. In making this list, I’ve decided that I am more than a little bit quirky . . . I’m more in the realm of Brick Heck (“clinically quirky”). I’m a lucky girl that I have a quality husband and good friends who love me anyway.

Here goes:

1. I can look at any item we received as a gift and tell you who it is from. Every time I use a sauce pan, I think “Aunt Rae gave us these for our wedding.” I can also tell you where every item of clothing that my kids own came from (either who gave it to them or what store it was from if I bought it . . . and usually even how much I paid).

2. I have no sense of direction and I don’t pay attention to my surroundings. We once passed a car that was on fire and I didn’t even notice until Nate pointed it out to me.

3. I hate brushing my teeth with a dry toothbrush. I always run it under water after I put the toothpaste on. I’m pretty sure it is the only correct way to brush.

4. I have a really hard time watching sad movies about things that really happened (i.e. Titanic). It takes me weeks to emotionally recover.

5. I go way overboard on quantities when a good deal is involved. I once bought 36 packages of Q-tips at once because it was a killer deal. Then there was the Hamburger Helper incident of 2006. I think we bought twelve cases . . . and I don’t even like Hamburger Helper. I’m getting better. :)

6. I’ve already bought gifts for my future grandkids. They are cool things that my kids love and I worry that I would have to pay a fortune on ebay if I wait 20 years to get them.

7. I don’t love odd numbers. When faced with an odd number, I usually make up a math equation to make it even (in my mind). Example: Nate and I were married on June 12, 1999 . . . 6-12-99. It would have been perfect if it was 6-12-98 (but we didn’t know each other then). To “come to terms with it” I just add the two nines together. Then it is a beautiful number because you’ve got the 6+12=18 thing going. I was extremely happy that all of my kids were born on even days. Granted, Abby was born on the 30th (ending in zero is almost as bad as being odd), but I have a great equation for her birth date too.

8. When I go out to a restaurant I almost always end up wishing that I had ordered what the person sitting next to me got. Nate found the official term for such a condition. It’s called futterneid. My sisters never want to sit by me when we go out to eat because they know that I will want to taste their food.

9. My favorite chore is mowing the lawn (although it has been surprisingly easy to hand it over to Ben). I love it because a) I feel like I am getting my exercise for the day, b) it is loud enough that I can’t hear my kids whine or complain while I am doing it, and c) it stays looking nice for a whole week.

10. I have a strong affinity for the truth and don’t say things unless I mean them. When I was in Hawaii, I almost bought a postcard for the kids that said “Wish you were here”, but had to exchange it for one that said “Thinking of you” so I could be completely honest.

11. When I am eating popcorn, I like to put a Starburst in my mouth at the same time so it tastes like a popcorn ball. (I think I learned that trick from the Dawson sisters at the Clifton fireworks one year.) I do the same thing with Sugar Babies and popcorn to make caramel corn in my mouth.

12. I love thunderstorms and the feel of clean sheets. Listening to a thunderstorm while lying in bed (with clean sheets) is my absolute favorite.

13. I set my alarm for random times 7:12 or 6:48 . . . never right on the hour (but always an even number).

14. I divide my laundry into at least eight different categories before I wash it. People who do darks, lights, and whites are a mystery to me.

15. Planning parties causes me great stress. I always try to make everything perfect and always feel disappointed in how things turn out by the time it is over. I was in charge of the game for Ben’s first grade Halloween party and it was total bomb. It has been three years and I’m still rethinking it and wanting a redo.

16. I can’t curl my tongue.

17. My eyes turn a really pretty color of green when I’ve been crying.

18. I’m super afraid of/paralyzed by heights, but I went skydiving once and totally wasn’t afraid to jump out of the plane. Somehow having a parachute and a professional skydiver strapped to my back made me feel completely safe. I did throw up on the way down. (Word to the wise: don’t eat a huge breakfast at Denny’s the day that you go skydiving.) Now I have a fear of throwing up on strangers.

19. I’ve had nine jobs in my life: telemarketer at Matrixx Marketing (inbound calls only . . . don’t hate me); Walmart cashier; dispatcher for Allstate Road Help; receptionist in Merrill Hall at USU; teaching assistant for Andy Anderson’s Human Physiology; teacher’s aide at Edith Bowen Elementary School; dispatcher for the Forest Service during fire season; science teacher at North Ogden Junior High; and mom.

20. I put Miracle Whip on top of my green beans. So do all of my kids.

21. I love hanging out around the campfire when we are camping, but I hate bringing home campfire smell. I make all of the kids strip down in the laundry room and head straight to the showers when we get home because the thought of that smell getting into the couches/carpet/beds makes me twitch.

22. I’m a pacer. I can’t stand still to brush my teeth or talk on the phone.

23. I make some reference to Seinfeld at least once a day. Luckily, Nate knows the show as well as I do, so he gets all of my jokes.

24. I check my email approximately 200 times a day.

25. I hate having hot feet . . . partly because it makes me irritable and partly because I get heat blisters really easily.

26. I have to pee right before bed. If I go to the bathroom and then leave my bedroom to do something else, I have to go again (even if it has only been ten minutes).

27. Jane Austen books are like comfort food to me.

28. I love planning/taking road trips.

29. It takes me an exceptionally long time to pick out a font when I am typing. It has to match the mood of whatever I am using it for.

30. My mind has a way of jumping from “Nate didn’t answer his phone” to “he must be lying dead on the highway” in 7 seconds flat. I have a unique ability (curse) to think of the worst case scenario in any situation.

31. I once paid $25 for a beat up, 1970 version of Husker Du on ebay because I remembered playing it when I was a kid (stupid nostalgia). I have since learned to just be happy with looking at vintage items on ebay (i.e. the exact same metal Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox that I had in 3rd grade) or finding deals at the DI.

32. I have a strong stomach most of the time. I have dissected fetal pigs and frogs and squid that all reeked of formaldehyde. I even had an anatomy lab in college where we worked with human cadavers. No big deal. BUT, if hear a crunch when I kill a spider or see someone pick their nose and eat it, it triggers a serious gag reflex.

33. I’m totally okay with being 36, but I freaked out when I turned 23. I was the age of a returned sister missionary and wasn’t married yet and felt like an old maid. It is funny how young 23-year-olds seem to me now.

34. My eyelashes are blonde and completely disappear if I don’t wear mascara.

35. When I was eight years old, I cried until my mom let me get my ears pierced. Now, I never wear earrings. The last time I can remember wearing them was on July 4, 2000.

36. I’m looking forward to my kids being teenagers so I can get back to taking Sunday afternoon naps.