100 Things

I surpassed my 100th post a long time ago, but I just didn't have the gumption to conjure up 100 things to write about myself. And there's been so much going on that it's been simmering forever on the backburner of my mind. I really, really enjoy reading everyone else's 100 Things lists. I undoubtedly find out at least 50 things about them that I didn't know before, then when I see those people I remember to myself all those new things that I discovered on their lists and I feel like we're old pals. It's a good feeling. So, without further delay, here are a hundred things you may or may not know about me already.

1. My middle name is Tamarron, supposedly named after a ski resort my mom saw in Colorado one time? Nice. I like it, though, really I do.

2. I'm a small town, country girl at heart.

3. I love baking and cooking and discovering new recipes, but I'm not at all gourmet.

4. I have to have meat or some kind of warm protein in every meal. I could never be a vegetarian and I will rarely eat a salad as a main course!

5. I have to have a treat of some kind after every lunch and dinner. I have a sweet tooth and I got it from my dad. And I passed it on to Jack.

6. I love Jamoca ice cream from Baskin Robbins. It's my favorite all-time flavor. Got that from my dad, too.

7. My dad passed away over four years ago, and I miss him a lot, especially now that I have kids that he never got the chance to meet.

8. I love to dance, especially salsa and swing.

9. I drive as long as I possibly can after my fuel gauge's empty light comes on. The closest I've come to an empty tank is 0.5 gallons of gas remaining. I admire people who always keep a full tank of gas in their cars. Maybe some day when we have more money I'll stay on top of that, but for now I'm living on the edge!

10. I don't like going to the movie theater. There are lots of other things I'd rather spend money on.

11. I like shopping at Wal-Mart, they have everything and it's cheap!

12. I wish I had more time/desire to read more books.

13. I like getting my hands dirty working in the yard and garden. It's edifying.

14. I love pickled beets.

15. I went on my honeymoon to Cabo San Lucas, and to date it's the best vacation I've ever been on.

16. I've never been on a cruise, but I want to so badly.

17. I love to eat. It's my favorite pass-time. And I do it often.

18. I have a Travel Club membership.

19. I competed in a Biathalon when I got home from my mission.

20. I served my mission in Milan, Turin and Genoa, Italy.

21. I dated a guy who once told me I had "Fat Potential" because my ankles were bigger than his. I've been very determined to stay thin ever since.

22. I'm the only one of my siblings that doesn't play the piano.

23. I love going to the dentist. I don't even need laughing gas, just being there relaxes me.

24. I stole Phil from another girl that was actually my friend at the time. Oops. I won!

25. I hate unloading the dishwasher. I put it off until I can't handle the dirty dishes piling up in the sink. Why is that?

26. Otherwise, I am a cleaning freak. I clean and organize when I am stressed out or bored. One time I diagrammed a new layout for each closet in the house. It was very therapeutic.

27. I don't drink caffeinated drinks. They make my heart race and make me shaky all over. But I love to run to Sonic during Happy Hour and get a large Caffeine Free Diet Coke with about 6 limes. Mmmm.

28. I love Grape Propel. I drink a lot of that, too. I usually buy a case of it every week.

29. My favorite TV show is Frasier. I never get tired of watching it, and it's about the only thing I watch now that American Idol is over.

30. I LOVE NFL FOOTBALL. Phil converted me.

31. I love living in Utah and I love the winters, too. You'd never know I grew up in Arizona.

32. I could never live in Arizona again, but I really love to visit.

33. I love Mexican food. Rosa's in Mesa has the best shredded beef tacos ever.

34. The Arizona Mesa Temple is the most beautiful temple there is and I was married there.

35. I don't know what I'd do without sisters - that includes my sisters-in-law. They are all my very bestest friends.

36. I think Phil looks like Mr. Knightley on Emma (the one with Gwyneth Paltrow). He's hot.

37. I hit the jackpot when I married Phil, no doubt about it.

38. I come from a sarcastic and funny family who can rarely communicate without using some line from a movie.

39. I suck at quoting movies, I always get it wrong, and consequently get made fun of by other people in my family.

40. I am the third of six children. My sister just older than me died when she was hit by a car at the age of two. I never got to meet her, but I am really looking forward to a great reunion some day.

41. I love singing in (good) choirs.

42. I love music, and I used to play the flute. I have sung in two non-LDS wedding ceremonies.

43. I wish I were more outgoing and made friends more easily.

44. I want more kids. That's right, I said KIDS in the plural form.

45. My hair gets darker and darker the older I get, but I prefer to stay blonde.

46. People compliment my feet a lot, they say I have "great feet" or "great toes" - whatever that means.

47. My jeans are size 4 Short. Regulars are just too long.

48. I love whipped cream, especially the kind you make yourself. No vanilla, just sugar to sweeten it.

49. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with my mind racing. That's where my best ideas for teaching, talks, decorating or planning come from.

50. I love watching chick flicks, even the cheesy ones on the Hallmark channel, especially if there's some kind of a makeover going on.

51. I love doing math and I love writing papers. Sometimes I miss school (but mostly not at all).

52. I don't like pets. I'm not a pet person. It runs in my family.

53. But some day I really want a buckskin horse like the one on Dances With Wolves, and I'll even name him Cisco.

54. I saw Dances With Wolves 5 times in the movie theaters. I was ten.

55. I went to BYU-Hawaii for a summer term, and I have a sweet hula dance that I learned in my class there to show for it.

56. I only buy bras from Victoria's Secret, even though I HATE their pornographic commercials. 57. I'm afraid of the ocean. I prefer to lay on the beach all day than play in the waves. Plus, I hate cold water. Hawaii is the only exception, where I snorkeled and scuba-dove multiple times with ease.
58. I prefer Mayo over Miracle Whip any day.

59. I love gummy bears. I stole a handful of them from my 2nd grade teacher during recess one time!

60. I have never had a broken bone.

61. My driver's license is expired.

62. I love taking naps when I have the chance. I am a royal grouch if I'm over-tired or hungry.

63. I hate feeling left out or missing out on things going on in mine and Phil's families.

64. My nieces are coming to stay with me for 10 days this month. I can hardly wait for them to get here!

65. I can't sleep without a blanket on, even in the dead of summer. And a sheet doesn't count.

66. I detest plucking my eyebrows. I do it once or twice a month. I just can't inflict that kind of pain on myself!

67. I have a very low pain threshold.

68. I was the Diving Captain on the swim/dive team my senior year of high school. I know, it surprises even me!

69. I bite my nails when I am nervous, anxious or stressing over something.

70. I used to shave my arms for a few years, but stopped because I was afraid my arm hair would start to get stubbly. It's a sexy look, though and it feels great.

71. I have TMJ and have been told by more than one dentist that I should probably have jaw surgery.

72. I've never been skiing. My second (and last) snowboarding effort was a disaster.

73. I used to wakeboard, a lot.

74. I know all the words to the Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere". It's a sweet tune.

75. In 9th grade I played volleyball, basketball and ran track (200m, 4x100 relay, long jump and high jump).

76. I love seafood. I love sushi.

77. I've never visited the East Coast, even though my dad was from the Boston area. Wait, I went there when I was 6 months old! That doesn't count at all.

78. I am fascinated with family history and heritage, but I have no idea how to do extraction or the actual geneology work. Anyone?

79. I love teaching and speaking in church.

80. I would love to work for the American Heart Association and be a public health awareness advocate.

81. I will never, ever give birth with a midwife or without an epidural, nor will I ever go to a chiropractor.

82. Someday I want a fabulous kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

83. I want to live in Oak City some day.

84. I want to learn to can and make jam.

85. I love having a garden, and I love pulling weeds with Phil. It's good bonding time.

86. I love kids. I used to turn down dates before my mission so I could babysit for my friends.

87. I used to be a Pearl Jam fanatic in junior high and high school. I went to their concert when I was 15 and quickly overcame my obsession.

88. Tulips are my favorite flower.

89. Growing up I always had well-defined muscular calves. My sisters teased me and said I had "Nephi Legs". See picture below.

90. The older I get, the more I notice my mom in me. And it's a good thing.

91. I don't like hosting parties because I worry so much about everyone having a good time and whether or not there will be enough food. But I LOVE having a reason to get together, so if I have to be the one to host it, I'll do it. I think I'm getting better about it, though. I've already hosted three big parties in my home this year!

92. When our kids are grown and Phil and I are empty nesters, I want to travel all over the place.

93. I am flattered and consider it a supreme compliment when people tell me I resemble or am a lot like Phil's mom. And it happens often.

94. I wash my hair every other day. I dread the getting-ready process that starts the second I get out of the shower until I walk out the door. I have coarse, wavy hair that looks hideous if it dries on its own.

95. My two favorite movies as a little girl were Raiders of the Lost Ark and Sleeping Beauty. We rented them from Adventureland Video almost every weekend.

96. I am afraid of heights. I get vertigo when I'm up too high, especially if I'm up high out in the open.

97. I used to be a total night owl, but the older I get the more of a morning person I am becoming. I love getting started early in the day.

98. For me, family always comes first. Always.

99. I am passionate and emotional about most things. I cry easily and I'm more sensitive than I let on.

100. I am finally at a point in my life where I feel beautiful, confident and happy just how and where I am. It's nice to finally look in the mirror and like what I see. It's taken 28 years to get here and I've learned a lot on the way. I've still got a lot to learn, though.