I have to interrupt the trip down memory lane because my friend Carly tagged me. I am supposed to tell you six interesting things about me. Well, I don't know how interesting they are but here you go.
1. I have had four reconstructive surgeries on my knees all before the age of 21. Three on one and one on the other. Consequently my knees are not the picture of beauty they once were. The first one was a product of a faulty layup playing basketball and the next three were from various soccer injuries. I have two three inch long scars on my right leg and one on my left. A bright young three year old once got overly excited and started yelling, "There is a worm crawling up your leg!" No, just a little scar tissue sweetie. He was really disappointed.
2. I have an unnatural fear of water and drowning. I have never been a great swimmer, I mean I can get to the side of swimming pool but that is about the extent of my aquatic abilities. I also think that there are creatures lurking just beneath the surface waiting to attack when I show the first sign of weakness. When I was young I thought that Jaws lived in the irrigation ditch by our house (just down the road from bigfoot's cave.) My bus stop was right by the ditch and I would always quickly pass by with much trepidation.
3. In fifth grade I won the National Audubon Society Essay contest for an essay that I didn't write. We had to write the essay as an assignment and I forgot about it until the morning it was due. My dad said he would whip something up for me and drop it off at school. I am ashamed to say that I didn't even read it before I turned it in. A few weeks later they announced the winners over the intercom of the entire school and a representative from the Audubon Society came to my house to present me with the grand prize of binoculars and my very own bird watching book. To this day I still feel guilty that Aaron Fuller only got second when the prize should have been his.
4. My secret lifelong dream was to be a cheerleader. Everything about appealed to me: the outfits, the moves, the hair, and the jackets with the zip out hoods with your name on the back. I never followed this dream due to absolutely zero talent in this area but I would often practice at home in front of the mirror. I perfected the clap, you know the one where you cross your hands and then bring them back out before you clap. I am super good at that. I also worked on the different facial expressions that went with the dances and could tie a really good bow with ribbon around my ponytail. I could never quite master any tumbling, dancing, stunting, cheering, or painting cool posters for the halls so my dream never came to fruition.
5. I lived in China for six months and taught English to Kindergarten age children when I was twenty. It was a great cultural experience and I had so much fun. I also got engaged while I was there...big mistake. He was another American teacher in our group not Sum Yong Guy from the great Communist Curtain.
6. I had major power hair from 6th grade into my sophomore year of high school. What was I thinking? I have at least triple the amount of hair of the average person and it is naturally curly on top of that. I would put my head upside down, defuse it, use a half bottle of Rave hairspray, and then curl it with a 1/4" curling iron to add a little extra volume. It was huge!!
7. I have a bad habit of leaving cupboards and drawers open after I use them. I will often walk into the kitchen and find 5 or 6 cupboards open or go in my bedroom and draweres will be left open from getting dressed that morning. What a slob. I have tried to do better but I just can't seem to rememeber.
Whoops that was seven, I guess I got carried away. There you go. Now you know more about me than you even wanted to. I now tag Linds, Rachael, Celeste, Rebecca, and Bobbi.
2. I have an unnatural fear of water and drowning. I have never been a great swimmer, I mean I can get to the side of swimming pool but that is about the extent of my aquatic abilities. I also think that there are creatures lurking just beneath the surface waiting to attack when I show the first sign of weakness. When I was young I thought that Jaws lived in the irrigation ditch by our house (just down the road from bigfoot's cave.) My bus stop was right by the ditch and I would always quickly pass by with much trepidation.
5. I lived in China for six months and taught English to Kindergarten age children when I was twenty. It was a great cultural experience and I had so much fun. I also got engaged while I was there...big mistake. He was another American teacher in our group not Sum Yong Guy from the great Communist Curtain.
6. I had major power hair from 6th grade into my sophomore year of high school. What was I thinking? I have at least triple the amount of hair of the average person and it is naturally curly on top of that. I would put my head upside down, defuse it, use a half bottle of Rave hairspray, and then curl it with a 1/4" curling iron to add a little extra volume. It was huge!!
Well, needless to say it was a bad mom morning. Later that day I picked up a book that a friend had given me titled, I am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson. She previously anchored on the Early show and now shares her experiences of motherhood. I was needing some solace and maybe a little incentive to continue with this whole mothering thing. She asks the same questions that where going through my mind. Is it supposed to be this hard? No one told me it would be like this-am I doing something wrong? Will my children turn out okay, despite my inadequacies?
#1 I am grateful for 69 cent diet cokes at McDonald's. Where else can you drive through and get 42 ounces of calorie free, carbonated goodness for mere pocket change? I'm lovin' it.
#4 I am grateful for my ipod. I know that everyone has one and the novelty has worn off but I continue to cherish my little electronic friend. I have to drive to Salt Lake for work and I get SO tired of the radio. Now I think, I feel like a little Britney today and wallah, Lucky is suddenly blaring through the speakers. 
#6 I am grateful for my Dyson. Cleaning has taken on a new found pleasure with this household tool. I have no empirical evidence that it never loses suction (insert Australian accent) or picks up better than any other vacuum but just thinking that it does and seeing the dirt in that clear container makes me feel so good. I feel that I have done my best to make our home a cleaner more sanitary environment and I love the perfect vacuum lines it leaves.
