It's just a hobby

#23- List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.


I am a dabbler in many things, a master of none.  I think, however, that I can come up with 5 hobbies.

1. Cooking: I like to cook.  It soothes me. I like to try at least one new recipe a week. Pinterest has been my downfall on this one...

2. Needle crafts (knitting, sewing, crocheting, stitchery, quilting, etc): My mom got me started sewing quilts at a young age, and I've loved that ever since.  I learned to crochet in college, I learned to knit last year, and I've been stitching for awhile.  I love the "mindlessness" of these hobbies, I can just let my hands go while my mind wanders elsewhere.

3. Photography: I do this one purely because I love to.  I like having nice pictures of things and people I love.

4. Reading: There is nothing in this world that quite equals curling up with a good book. It is an escape for the heart, mind, and soul.

5. Writing: I don't do this one nearly often enough anymore, but someday I would like to write a book.  Someday...

Futurama

#22- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

5 years: It will be 2017.  I will be 32, Greasemonkey will be almost 38, and T-Bone will be 6. I'll hopefully be finished with my Bachelor's Degree by then. I'd love to be working in the OR, but it's a tough place to find an in. I'd love to have one or 2 more kids by then, since T-Bone will be getting ready to start 1st grade (holy cow!). We'll probably still be living in our same house, but I'll definitely be driving a bigger car.

10 years: It will be 2022. I will be 37, Greasemonkey will be pusing 43, and T-Bone will be 11. (Just to put a little bit of perspective on 10 years: I was getting ready to start my Senior year of high school 10 years ago).  I'd like to be out of floor nursing by then, hopefully working for an insurance company, workman's comp, etc. I'd like to be done having kids, possibly with a few of my own and a few adopted.  I've always wanted to adopt a couple of kids, I feel like there are a lot of kids out there that need good homes, and if I can provide that for them, I should. Anyway, chances are pretty good we'll still be living in our same house, but hopefully there will be some young families in the ward by then. Although, ten years from now we won't be such a young family anymore.

15 years: It will be 2027. I will be 42, Greasemonkey will be knocking on the door of 48, and T-Bone will be 16 (my baby will be driving!).  If I stay with IHC, I will have been with the company for 22 years at this point. That'd be pretty cool. Hopefully by this point Greasemonkey will be managing his own branch of MotoStation.  My kids should all be in all-day school at this point, so I'd love to go back to school for my Master's Degree.  It would be pretty awesome to be able to teach Nursing, I'd even love to just lead clinicals. Let's not lie, we'll probably still be in our same house in the same old neighborhood. It is a good place to raise a family and teenagers, after all. Oh, and I'll probably still be driving the car from the 5 year mark.

Super

21. If you could have one super power, what would it be and what would you do with it first?

I've been thinking on this one for quite awhile.  I've been trying to figure out what it would actually be.  The power of invisibility would be pretty cool. Flying would be pretty awesome as well. Honestly, though, I think that the best superpower would be, wait for it... the power to apparate.  

Think about it: the ability to transport yourself (and anyone holding onto you) anywhere you want to go. 

Dinner in Paris? Done.
Shopping and a Broadway show in New York? No problem. 

A day at Disneyworld and Harry Potter Land?  Bring it on.

Seriously, best. Superpower. Ever. 

Oh, and as for what I'd do with it first: let's not lie, I'd take Greasemonkey to Disneyland for our anniversary.  He hasn't been in 25 years, after all.

Memoir

I promise, there is a Yellowstone post in the works.  In the meantime, we'll carry on with the list:

#20- Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

"Pat your tummy with a pat, pat, patty-pat, patty-patty-pat-pat-poo."  I'm pretty sure that was the song that was playing when the event occurred.  But, I get ahead of myself.  Let me set the scene: a long time ago my grandparents lived in a big house in Holladay. If you went up the million stairs and were brave enough to run past the witch that lived in the computer room at the top of the stairs (seriously, a room FULL of computers), you would reach the small apartment over their garage. Our parents would often send us up there to play while they did parent stuff downstairs. Well, one day (probably a Sunday, that's when we usually all went to visit) there were a bunch of the cousins playing up there.  Our parents had set us up with some toys, the Sesame Street record, and told us to have a good time.  One of us, I don't remember who, decided that we needed to explore what was inside the beanbag that was up there.  So, we unzipped the zipper, and were so excited to find little foam pellets in there.  We had a blast throwing them at each other, jumping in the bag to make them poof everywhere, and just making a general mess. Probably stunned that none of us had some down to tattle in awhile, one of the parents came up to investigate. What they found was a snowstorm of foam beanbag filling.  They wanted to be angry, you could see it in their faces, but they were too amused.  They dragged the shopvac up the stairs, put us in a line, and vacuumed us off one by one as they sent us out the door.

My family used to have the most wicked car ever.  Seriously.  I'm not even kidding.  It was an old (I use the term "old" relatively, I think it was from the 80's), diesel Suburban. It was rad. The middle bench seat folded down completely so there was an enormous amount of space between the back seat and the front seats.  Well, one day my sister and I were playing barbies, and probably getting underfoot of my mom, so she asked us to take the barbies somewhere else to play.  We got the brilliant idea to take them out to the Suburban.  We folded down the middle seats, hauled all of our crap into the back of the car, and proceeded to play barbies back there for hours.  It was a dang good time.  F'reals.

Once upon a time I was the only girl in a primary class with 5 boys.  There were other girls my age, but they were all born the year before me, so they ended up in the class ahead of mine, but I digress.  One day we were all sitting in class like good little children (ha!) when someone noticed a fly buzzing around.  Let me tell you, a fly is incredibly distracting to a room full of 8 year old boys. Anyway, one kid decided he was going to take it upon himself to do away with the fly.  He spent several minutes tracking it and trying to kill it.  Finally, it landed on the window.  This kid, we'll call him Karl (that is his name, after all), crept up on the fly, slowly raised his fist into the air, and then BLAM!!!  He got the fly.  He also ended up putting his fist through the window.  True story.

Home is wherever your feet take you

#19- If you could live anywhere where would it be, and why?
 There are a few places I have lived.  All have been in Utah:

 I spent 3 years in Saint George while I went to nursing school.

I lived at Brighton Girls Camp for the summer between my Junior and Senior years of high school.

And I've lived in this gorgeous Salt Lake Valley for most of my life (I love it here!!)

There are, however, many places I would like to live, if only for a short while.  They include, but are most definitely NOT limited to some of the following:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Dingle, Ireland

Washington DC

Manhattan

 And a few where I have permanent residence, if only in my mind:

Wherever this place is.

And finally, Hogwarts.  It will always be a little bit home.

But really what it comes down to is this:

Forgiveness is more than saying sorry...

#18- What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?

I've been thinking about this one for WEEKS now, and I can't come up with anything.  So I'm going to skip it.  I can do that, after all, it is my blog.

Greatness

#17- What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

We are sleep training in our house right now.  For awhile T-Bone awesome sleeper that would take 2 naps a day, and still do a straight 12 hour stretch at night.  It was heaven.  And then about a month ago he started waking up at night.  For the life of us we couldn't figure out why. We tried everything we could think of the make it stop.  We rocked, we snuggled, we gave him a snack at bedtime, there were nights I finally just brought him into bed with me so I wouldn't have to get up every 20 minutes.

So, about a week ago I got this hare-brained idea that it was time to take away the binky.  I thought to myself, "If he doesn't use it anymore, he won't freak out at 3 in the morning when he wakes up and can't find it."  We'd done some sleep training with him before, and it had generally gone fairly well.  Usually by night three he was settled into the new routine. Anyway, back to taking away the binks...

After his first birthday we took them away except for when he was going to sleep (naps and bedtime). We originally planned to take the binkies away completely at a year, but I chickened out.  So, we decided that a good time to stop would be when I had several nights in a row off work so I could be the one dealing with it.  Let's just say that it's not going well.

I fully blame myself.  I'm an enormous pushover when it comes to my child, first of all.  When he's laying there screaming I want nothing more than to go and snuggle him and love on him.  It is also quite self-centered. I like my sleep.  As a full time mom working full time (mostly) night shifts, I live in a constant state of sleep deprivation. Any more missed sleep makes for a not-so-happy mama.

Which all brings me to the thing I most wish I was great at.  I wish I was great at patience.  When I decide I want something, I want it right now.  When I think it's time for my baby to be done with the binky, I think it should just go away with no problems. And he should sleep through the night. And I should have endless patience with the messes, the whining, the endless readings of "Edwina the Emu" and "Jamberry".

Most of the time my emotions are treading on the thin ice of my patience. If I could be great at one thing it would be patience with my child, my husband, my family, my friends, my coworkers, my patients, and everyone else around me.

Accomplished

#16- What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

My definition of accomplishment has changed in the last year or so.  Some days my greatest accomplishment is taking a shower and getting dressed. Some days it goes as far as completing a sewing project.  But as for my top five of all time?  Here we go:

1. This face right here:

That sweet little slice of toddler heaven is my number one accomplishment.  Not only did I grow this child inside me for the better part of a year, I get to spend everyday watching him learn and grow. He may still be a work in progress, but he is still my #1.

2. My marriage.  It took me 4 months to convince Greasemonkey that he even wanted to date me, but once I had him hooked things just fell into place.

Once again, it is still a work in progress... every day of my life it's a work in progress. But finding the perfect man for me, and growing closer together every single day is the second great accomplishment of my life.

3. My career. I worked dang hard to end up where I have in my profession.  It took me 4 years of college to get my associates degree (lame, I know), and then the passing of nursing boards, but all of that just makes me appreciate it more. Because of my chosen line of work I get the opportunity to help people and change lives every. single. day. I am nurse, hear me roar.

4. Life long friendships.

I have known all of the amazing women in this picture for 15 years.  15 years!!! That's longer than we'd been alive when we met. These women are my life long friends.  Together we have seen junior high, high school, college, marriage, and children.  We may not see each other often, but when we do, it's like no time has passed between visits.  

5. Day to day life.  Sometimes, just making it through a day and collapsing into bed in one piece is the greatest accomplishment of all. 'Nough said...

Animal-ish

#15- Which animal best describes you, and why.

I've struggled with this post for over a week now (as you can see from all of the other stuff I've been posting). But I think I've finally settled on one.

It's no secret that there is one animal I feel I relate to more than any other.  Maybe it's a height thing.  Maybe it's a sheer awkwardness thing. Either way, I feel a special kinship with giraffes.  So much so, in fact, that I wish THIS were a real website. However, that is beside the point.  The point is that I love giraffes. A lot.

Anyway, here are a few interesting facts about giraffes to help you love them as much as I do:

~Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that giraffes were a love-child of camels and leopards.
~Giraffes can sleep and give birth standing up.  In fact, they only sleep about 2 hours a day.
~They can run 37 miles per hour.
~Not only do giraffes possess the record for the longest neck, they also possess very long tails... up to 8 feet long!
~Two of the nine species of giraffes are currently considered endangered.

~Giraffes don't have vocal cords.  They communicate by throwing their heads back and emitting puffs of air.

And now some pictures:

A cute mom and baby

I love them for their awkwardness

Aw, they're kissing!

Seriously, though, you thought of me when you saw this... don't lie.

Strong as an Ox

#14- Describe 5 of your strengths.

I don't feel like a particularly strong person most of the time. On any given day I'm doing everything I can just to stay afloat, and not necessarily playing to my strengths.

1. I know how to take charge of a group of people.  The young men and young women in our ward are working on a special music number for Mother's Day, and yours truly has been put in charge of the whole affair. Well, this past Sunday, they all met together for the first time to practice.  It was MASS CHAOS!  So, I jumped up onto the piano bench (in my skirt, no less), told the kids that if they were going to act like 1st graders I would be happy to treat them like 1st graders, "1, 2, 3, eyes on me!", and quickly got them quieted down and organized into some semblance of a choir. The young women are used to me, but I'm sure the young men think I'm a complete psycho...

2. I know how to listen. It may not always seem like I'm listening, because often I have no idea how to respond or empathize with what you are going through, but I do know how to listen.  I'm absorbing everything you tell me and filing it away to use when needed.

3. I'm a fairly decent mom. If there's one lesson that I've been taught repeatedly by T-Bone, it's patience.  From his 8-days-late arrival into this world, to the mini-tantrums on a daily basis, he keeps me on my toes.  However, I know that even someone as young as my little man needs boundaries, and he gets them.  There are times that he'll try and push me and he'll come up against a brick wall.  At the same time, I know how to just sit still and cuddle him while we read a story. I still have a lot (like, everything) to learn about being a mom, but I like to think that I'm holding my own.

4. I'm a pretty good cook.  When I met and married Greasemonkey, he was an INCREDIBLY picky eater.  What I've learned in the past 4 years, though, is that he's not picky as much as he's inexperienced. So I've been working on expanding his food acceptance. I generally try to make at least one new recipe a week, and the generally goes in my crockpot.  Ironically enough, I'm a bit of a picky eater. I will try anything at least once, though.

5. I am fiercely loyal. Once you are part of my herd, I will protect you with everything I have. I take care of my own and will do everything in my power to make sure that they are happy, healthy, and living a good life.

What makes you strong?



Weak

#13- Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

I don't think anyone really likes to think about their weaknesses. I know it makes me uncomfortable. But, I promised to honestly answer all of these questions, so I'll do it regardless...

1. Food: Yes, food is one of my weaknesses (I am aware that this is not the kind of weakness you all were expecting, but it's my blog...).  There is a reason that I have been overweight my whole life. I love food, and I love to eat. I am a comfort eater. When I am sad, I eat. When I am happy, I eat. When I am at a social gathering, I eat. When I am alone, I eat. Therefore, food equals weakness. 

2. Sarcasm: I use sarcasm as a shield. In all honesty, I am an incredibly awkward person.  I have a difficult time making immediate connections with other human beings. When I am uncomfortable my sarcasm rears it's ugly head, no matter how hard I fight it.

3. Laziness: My husband's standard line for any activity/chore/whatever that he doesn't finish is "I got lazy."  In fact, we often joke that when he dies, I'm going to put "I was going to keep living, but I got lazy" on his tombstone. But the truth is, I'm just as lazy. I'd rather play Words With Friends than vacuum the floor. I'd rather read a book than weed the front yard. I'd rather play on Pinterest while watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother than fold laundry. It's just the way it is.

4. Shopping: I am a compulsive shopper. If I have a spare half hour, I can guarantee you'll find me cruising through Target or Old Navy. I love the thrill of finding a good bargain. I like the little high I get from buying new things. When I'm bored my mind automatically wanders to where I could be shopping, what I could be buying, to new things.

5. Feelings of Inadequacy: I know for a fact that this is a common problem among women.  This is evidenced purely by the fact that I can think of at least 20 people that either repinned or facebooked THIS article. However, it is so difficult to not compare ourselves.  I feel inadequate as a mom when I run out of patience. I feel adequate as a nurse when I lose my compassion for a patient. I feel inadequate as a wife when the house is a mess and dinner isn't on the table. I feel inadequate as a friend when I forget a birthday, choose to text instead of call, or bow out of plans. The problem is, who defined "adequate?"

So, what is one of your weaknesses?

In my shoes

#12- Describe a typical day in your life.

This is a hard one for me, because while my life follows a very distinct pattern, every day is just a little bit different. For example, Monday is my Saturday: I do laundry, clean the house, grocery shop, etc. On Tuesdays, I work most of the day. Thursdays and Saturdays I spend half the day asleep after working all night long. Sundays are choir practice, church, and dinner at my parents house.  So, since they're the only 2 that are anything alike, I'll describe the typical Wednesday/Friday.

I quit using an alarm clock after I had T-Bone. He is fairly predictable in his wake-up time.  I usually drag myself out of bed around 8 am when I hear him talking to himself in his crib.  We make our way into the kitchen for some breakfast, usually oatmeal for T-Bone and yogurt for me.

After breakfast we make our way downstairs to watch some Play With Me Sesame while we get dressed for our walk. We then spend an hour walking at either the mall or the parkway with our friends Amanda, Josh, and Jackson. Mama needs her exercise!  Sometime on Wednesdays we play on the playground for a few minutes.  On Fridays we go to my mom's school to do music time with the first graders.

Once we've had our fresh air, exercise, music, or playtime we'll head home and eat some lunch. T-Bone likes chicken nuggets, hot dogs, fruit, or cheese. I usually eat leftovers or a sandwich. After lunch we'll play with toys in the basement for awhile, or go kick the ball on the front lawn.

By this time, we're both ready for a nap, so I'll lay T-Bone down with his blankie and his Elmo, and turn on his Beatles/Queen lullaby mix.  I give him a kiss, and tell him to have a good nappy. Then I'll go lay down for a nap myself in preparation for working the night shift.

After my nap I get up and get dressed for work. I make sure my bag is packed with my kindle or a book, pack a lunch, and probably brush my hair.

I hang out with my boys for a few minutes, and then it's off to work for the next 12 hours.

Somewhere in the mix I check Facebook, read my email, play on Pinterest for awhile, and occasionally blog. Usually the internet is just sort of on in the background and steal moments while T-Bone is otherwise occupied.

And there you have it, a day in the life...

Like Nails on a Chalkboard...

#11- Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

You know, usually this list is endless for me, but for some reason I'm having a hard time coming up with some on the spot.  Alright, here we go:

1. People who chew with their mouth open.  This also goes for people who fill their mouth so full of food that they physically CAN'T close it to chew. Gross.

2. Anytime someone starts a sentence with, "I don't mean to be rude, but..." or "No offense..."  If you have to start your thought with that, don't say what you're about to say.  These statements do not give you carte blanche to say whatever you want to. More than likely it's going to hurt the recipient's feelings.

3. When complete strangers say to me, "Wow, you're really tall.  You must have played basketball in school."  No, actually, I was a complete and total nerd.

4. People who stare at me while I'm working out.  What, you've never seen an overweight girl sweatin' her booty off with bedhead and no makeup on?

5. General invasion of personal space.  I don't have much of a personal space bubble, since I invade other peoples' for a living.  But if I'm pregnant and you touch my belly without asking, you might lose a hand. (As a side note, you only need to ask once... that grants you endless belly-touching rights)

6. Internet arguing.  Really?  You think you're going to change Senor Troll's mind with your brilliant argument?  Not likely.

7. Disregard for the well-being of pets.  If you choose to be a dog/cat/fish/whatever owner, take care of them and train them right.  I don't want your cat napping on my back porch.  I don't want to hear your dog bark at 1 in the morning. I also don't want to watch you leave your pets outside 24/7 in the middle of the worst winter Utah has seen in years. Dogs need to be played with, people.

8. "You look tired."  Just say what you mean and tell me I look like crap.

9. People who phrase everything like a question.  Not only is it annoying, it's kind of confusing sometimes.

10. Wal Mart.  Yep, Wally World is one of my pet peeves.

Well, That's Embarrassing!

#10- Describe your most embarrassing moment.

But I learned that there's a certain character that can be built from embarrassing yourself endlessly. If you can sit happy with embarrassment, there's not much else that can really get to ya.
~Christian Bale

I'm not an easily embarrassed person, I gave up on that a long time ago. I'm constantly doing something to make a fool of myself. However, there are a few times I can think of. There's that time in junior high that I fell UP the stairs... in front of the basketball team. Or the time I was in a job interview and forgot where I went to college (true story... I still got offered the job).

The time that really sticks out to me, though, is when I was in my second year of nursing school. I'd already been working in the healthcare field for a few years, so blood, poop, etc didn't really bother me anymore. Let me set the scene for you:

We were sitting in lab, where we were required to wear lab jackets over our clothes or scrubs. It was an unusually warm early spring day, so the building thermostat was still set for colder weather. We were studying post-partum care, and learning about lochia (if you don't know what that is, you probably don't want to know).

So, there we were, looking at different (lab created) examples of what lochia looked like. My stomach started feeling a little queasy, but I figured it was just because I'd skipped lunch that day and it was going on 3 o'clock. I figured I'd sit on one of the hospital beds and just relax for a minute. As I'm sitting there I break out into a cold sweat and start to get tunnel vision. I remember thinking that it sounded like my professor was talking through a concrete wall.

The next thing I know I'm opening my eyes and staring up at my classmates from the floor. A couple of the guys helped me onto the hospital bed while one of my other classmates checked my vital signs. My professor opened up her lunch box, handed me a little cup of peanut butter and a spoon, and told me to start eating.

So, there you have it, in black and white: my most embarrassing moment. I will forever be known as the girl who passed out in the postpartum nursing lab. (As it turns out, it was just a low blood sugar reaction, but still...)

Hangin' with my peeps

#10- List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how. (I'm only going to do 5... ten is a lot)

1. Bishop Decker-- Bishop Decker was my bishop when I was living in St. George going to school. He was called to be the bishop of a brand new student ward, and he called me to be the Relief Society President. Bishop Decker is a pretty awe-inspiring man. He's about my parents age, but he's acheived a lot in his life. He's a marathoner, and has done the St. George Ironman. He's a math professor at Dixie State. He's raised a beautiful family. He has a zest for life that I've yet to find a match for in anyone I've met. One of my favorite memories is when our ward went to Lake Powell. I was riding in the boat, and I looked behind us to see that everyone but the bishop had fallen off the water weenie. He wasn't just riding it, though, he was riding it while doing a handstand. Bishop Decker saw me through many hard times. Together we laughed and cried, and he was incredibly influential in helping me gain a testimony.

2. Jean Falsone-- Madame Falsone was my junior high school French teacher. She has been on my mind a lot in the past few days since I learned of her passing away earlier this week. I've had many influential teachers in my life, but she really stands out. She taught me so much more than a foreign language. She pushed me to learn new things, try harder, and want to be better. She had a quick wit, a flair for the dramatic, and an impeccable sense of style. I will occasionally bust out french phrases leftover from my junior high school days, phrases that she taught me and used often. I still have, buried in the recesses of my mind, some of the strange historical facts she taught me. She had a passion for language, culture, the arts, and manners. She was incredibly confident in who she was as a teacher, a person, and a woman. She was the first teacher that I felt like I connected with on a personal level.

3. Marcie McDonald-- When I was 14 I made the decision that, come Hell or high water, I was going to France. My parents agreed that I could go, but I would be responsible for coming up with half the cost and all of my own spending money. At this point in time my mom was teaching kindergarten at Meadowmoor (now Spring Lane) Elementary, and she mentioned my plight to her principal, Marcie. Marcie took me under her wing, gave me my first job as a sweeper, and made sure that I was able to handle my new responsibilities. I'd actually known Marcie for quite a long time, her daughter and I had been Girl Scouts together as children, but she was a good person to have in my corner. She continued to be my boss for the next almost-3 years. She is the one who nicknamed me Annabelle, a name that still gets used today.

4. Floss Waltman-- For any of you who don't know who Floss is, she was the president of Brighton Girls' Camp. She, along with Duke, Cleo, and Basil, made the decision to hire me to work at Brighton when I was 17 years old. I originally applied to be a KD, one of the many young teenage girls who works in the kitchen. When I applied for the job I thought it would be a fun summer, but a long shot that I would get hired. I still remember driving to her house above Hogle Zoo for my interview. I was young, I was nervous, and I was in total awe that it was happening to me. We sat down for the interview, chatted for a few minutes, and then those wonderful women sent me into the other room while they discussed the fate of my summer. After 10 nerve-wracking minutes they called me back. Floss looked me in the eye and said, "We've talked it over and we don't want to offer you the job of KD." My heart sank, I hadn't realized how much I actually wanted the job. Then she smiled, with that wicked sense of humor she has (for she knew exactly what was going through my head) and followed up with, "We would like to ask you to be our assistant cook." She knew what I needed that summer. She is a fantastic example of how to be a strong, independent, and ever-faithful woman. Knowing her has been life changing, not only for me, but for countless young women from all over the valley.

5. T-Bone-- Ok, this one is obvious. Everyone is familiar by now with my love for my baby, and the path I took to discover that love. He is probably the most influential person in my life. Everyday he teaches me something new, tests my patience, and fills me so full of love I could burst. One smile and kiss from him makes me want to be an infinitely better person.

Burning, Fiery Passion

It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.
~T.S. Eliot

#5- What are 5 things you are most passionate about?

1. Food. As silly as it seems, I love food. I love to eat. I love the comraderie that comes from sharing a meal. I love the preparation of a meal. I love watching people's faces as they try, and delight in, something I made for them.

2. Motherhood. As has been discussed many times in this blog, motherhood has not come easily to me. It is a challenge that I grab by the horns every day of my life. My feeling is, if I weren't passionate about it, I wouldn't be able to tackle it everyday. I love the Sharkbaby so deeply, so passionately, with a love that only a mother can understand. The passion for motherhood, for raising a child into a good adult, drives me.

3. Reading. Is it possible to be passionate about a passive activity? Yes. Yes, it is. Reading, knowledge, study, these are all important things to me. We read often in our house, both separately, and as a family. One of my favorite times of day is storytime during the bedtime routine with Sharky. I love that he will bring me books throughout the day, crawl into my lap, and read stories with me. I love that he reads stories with himself. There is a power in knowledge, and if that means that I read "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom" a thousand times this year, so be it!

4. Family. I mentioned in a previous post that I love seeing my family succeed. If I lost everything in this world, I would still make it if I had my family by my side.

“The family is the corner stone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions, and the values of the child. And when the family collapses it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled. So, unless we work to strengthen the family, to create conditions under which most parents will stay together, all the rest — schools, playgrounds, and public assitance, and private concern — will never be enough.”-Lyndon Baines Johnson

5. Education. Everything that is taught in the education system needs to be reiterated at home. Learning does not only happen in school. Our earliest learning comes from our parents. I was blessed to come from a home environment where education was not only encouraged, it was expected. After high school we would go to college. Period. End of story. Curious George, however, was not so blessed. Education was not a priority for anyone in his house. It didn't matter what sort of grades they brought home. There was no expectation of post-high school learning. What happened at school, stayed at school. I am incredibly passionate about learning in the home, and at school, working as a team with the educator to prepare my child for the best life they can possibly have. Will I have high standards set? Yes. My children will thank me some day, just like I thank my parents now.

Dreams

#7- What is your dream job, and why?

I love the career path I have chosen for myself, and I love my home career of being a wife and mommy. If I had to choose my dream job within the nursing field, it would be as a private nurse for a plastic surgeon. I'd get time in the OR, I'd never have to work nights, weekends, or holidays, and the side perks wouldn't be terrible, either.

However, my ultimate dream job would be as a travel writer. I would get to combine a few of the things I love. I would get to travel all over the world, experience new places, eat new foods, and meet interesting people.

I've had a few opportunities to travel in my life, and I've always enjoyed it. I like museums, finding out about local culture, and eating in local restaurants. I love meeting locals and learning from them. And then having the opportunity to write about the places I've found would be the icing on the cake.

But while that is a lovely dream, I would never in a million years trade the life I'm living now for it... no matter how often I threaten to run away. :)

Sixlets

#6- What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

I've been thinking a lot about this one. We all experience hard things everyday. When compared to other peoples' hard things, mine are fairly small. But that's the thing, we can't compare our hard things to anyone else's. They are our own, and the way they affect us and shape our lives make us the people that we are. Anyway, back to my hard thing...

I've written a few times about how having a baby changed me. Anyone who even semi-follows this blog knows that I suffer(ed) from postpartum depression. For the first few weeks after I had the Sharkbaby it took everything I had just to get through each day. Honestly, there are some days that I probably wouldn't have made it out of bed if my mom hadn't stopped on her way in to work to make me get up.

Every step I took felt like it drained me of any energy. Every time the baby cried, I would cry right along with him. There were many times I considered just running away. Anywhere had to be better than where I was. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't even smile. My world was gray, and not just because it was January.

For a little while after Sharkleton was born, I lost myself. I didn't know who I was anymore. I was just floating along from moment to moment, day to day, waiting for things to get better. And that was terrifying. It took me so long to find myself, that to have that identity stripped away broke me.

And that is the hardest thing I have ever experienced. The losing, and subsequent rediscovery, of myself. Becoming a mom changed me in ways that I never could have expected. It is hard, it is scary, and everyday brings something new and unexpected. But I can do hard things.

High Five

#5- What are the five things that make you the most happy right now?

1. The Sharkbaby- He is not, nor has he ever been, a cuddly and snuggly child. He prefers space, independence, and the ability to do his own thing at leisure. However, last week when I was having issues, he was more cuddly than he's been since he was a newborn. He would spend hours sitting in my lap reading stories to himself, watching Elmo, or just hanging out looking at pictures of himself on my laptop. He is able to sense my moods, often before I even realize how I'm feeling. He is a sweet boy that never ceases to make me laugh.

2. Sleep- Since I'm currently in the middle of a loooooong night shift floated to an unfamiliar floor, I would really like to be at home in bed. A solid, uninterrupted night of sleep hasn't happened in my house in probably 2 years (between having a 1 year old, and pregnancy-induced insomnia prior to that). So, bring on the Ambien, soft sheets, and cozy pj's. I'm ready to call it a night.

3. Watching those I love succeed- Curious George has been job-hunting. Today he received a call from a company he applied with (that we've been crossing our fingers for) to get paperwork for drug testing for an interview. My sister has spent the last 5 weeks learning about traditional Eastern medicine in Thailand. My brother has a 3.9 GPA and was on the starting line up for his Jr. High basketball team that won the championship game. My other brother is an EQP, a full time student, and works 30 hours a week. My baby learned 2 new signs today. All of these things make me very happy.

4. Getting in shape- I'm going to be at my goal weight by October. I'm eating right, I'm walking 3 days a week, and I'm going to start working with kettlebells this week. I can do it, and that knowledge makes me very happy.

5. The ability to change my hair- Anytime I experience something dramatic in my life I change my hair. I cut, I color, I style, I feel better. Monday afternoon... change is coming. Are you prepared?

Sweet 16

#4-List 10 things you would tell your 16-year-old self, if you could.

I'll admit, I've really been looking forward to this one, and thinking hard about what I want to say.

1. Nurture the friendships you are building right now, they will still be your friends in a decade.
2. Apply for a second year at Brighton Camp. I know it seems hard and overwhelming after the first summer, but you'll regret not doing it again.
3. Try out for madrigals your senior year. Trust me, you will be able to do mads and take your CNA course.
4. Don't get into online dating during college. It just leads to dating a string of lame guys. There is someone out there for you, I promise.
5. Treasure your years in St. George (yes, you will go to Dixie). You will build yourself a second family there that will get you through some hard times.
6. Pajama pants and a hoodie equals not a good look for you. Take the extra 30 seconds and put on some jeans.
7. There is no shame in asking for help. This advice will serve you well at multiple points in your life.
8. During your senior year of high school, Mr. Hummer is going to offer to tutor you so you can take the AP Chemistry test. Do it.
9. The belly button piercing is a terrible idea. Don't do it.
10. Relax. Your time will come... for everything.