~Tagged~

A- Attached or single: Very happily attached.
B- Best Friend: My husband.
C- Cake or Pie: Cheesecake or Black Forest Cake.
D- Day of choice: Thursday--It's the day I set aside each week to be for me.
E- Essential Item: My sewing machine.
F- Favorite Color: Red.
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Neither--I prefer cinnamon bears or gummy-o's.
H- Hometown:
I- Indulgence(s): 7-11 Monterrey Jack Chicken taquitos, ice cream, adding lime to my diet pepsi.
J- January or July: January. It's the only time of year I don't have a huge obligation.
K- Kids: Mona Lisa, Ratchet
L- Life is Incomplete Without: Feeling the Spirit.
M- Marriage Date: 1996.
N- Number of Siblings: 2 sisters, 4 brothers.
O- Oranges or Apples: yes.
P- Phobias or Fears: heights.
Q- Quote(s): I just found my quote for the year: The great strength of a good woman-a Saint, if you will-is her personal testimony of the Savior and her faith in his spokesmen, the prophet and the Apostles of Jesus Christ. If she follows them, she will have the countenance of Christ for her beauty, the peace of Christ to support her emotionally, the Savior's example as a means to solve her problems and to strengthen her, and the love of Christ as the source of love for herself, her family, and those about her. She can be sure of herself as a wife and mother and find joy and fulfillment in her role in the home. Ezra Taft Benson.
R- Reason To Smile: I am taking the month of January off and taking care of myself.
S- Season: Spring. I love the colors, the weather, and the feeling of new.
T- Tag others: whoever sees this.
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I'm a survivor.
V- Vegetarian or Meat Eater: I grew up on a cattle ranch. Meat and fresh garden vegetables. W- Worst Habit: Not taking care of myself.
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: X-rays on both arms (twice), my elbow, my toe (3X), and my ankle(3X). Ultrasounds with TNT (8X), with Ratchet (4X), and then with my laparoscopy (3X).
Y- Your Favorite Food: Gyros and cheese.
Z- Zodiac: Virgo.

~A 12-Question Meme~

1. What I was doing 10 years ago: November 1997 I was working for a geoenvironmental engineering firm and enjoying the second year of my marriage to my amazing husband.
2. Five years ago: November 2002 I had become a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) and moved into our first house. TNT had started dancing and was about to start preschool.
3. One year ago: November 2006 I had just returned home from helping my in-laws with their 4-year-old twins and newborn triplets. I was working on Nutcracker costumes all hours of the day and night.
4. Yesterday: I went to hand therapy, the fabric store, lunch with the Bear, two more fabric stores, picked up the kids, and then worked on costumes and laundry until I fell asleep on the couch.
5. 5 snacks I enjoy: Monterrey Jack Chicken Taquitos from 7-11, Kettle Corn, Butterfingers, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and cinnamon rolls.
6. 5 things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: Pay off all our bills, either move to a bigger house or remodel the one we have, buy a summer home, and then use the rest to create a charity to help foster and abuse children.
7. 5 locations I would like to run away to: Italy, my new summer home (see #6), anyplace with my husband, Belgium, and the East Coast.
8. 5 bad habits I have: falling asleep on the couch, procrastinating, watching too much tv, not reading my scriptures, and caring too much about what people think about me.
9. 5 things I like doing: sewing, crossing something off my list, decorating, exercising (I don't do it often but I really do like it), and making out with my husband.
10. 5 TV shows I like: CSI:Miami, Numb3rs, L&O, Reba, and Alias.
11. 5 things I hate doing: dealing with conflict, hearing gossip, being overscheduled, listening to my kids fight, and cleaning house.
12. 5 biggest joys of the moment: watching Mona Lisa dance, listening to Ratchet's funnies, crossing something off my list, knowing I'm going on vacation in 10 days, and being appreciated.

~101 Things About Me~

This should be interesting.

1. My name is Becky.
2. No, it's not Rebecca.
3. My parents gave me a nickname.
4. And I don't have a middle name.
5. I'm from Idaho.
6. I grew up on the same plot of land my father was born on. He still lives there.
7. It's the hometown of Napoleon Dynamite.
8. I've only seen the movie once.
9. I haven't been there for three years.
10. I left as soon as I could.
11. Most of my childhood friends still live there.
12. I live about 800 miles away. It's almost far enough.
13. When I got engaged I made my husband promise we'd never have to live in Utah or Idaho. He agreed. We call it our pre-nup.
14. We call my husband Bear (because he was grouchy as a child).
15. We weren't dating when we got engaged.
16. I'm three years older than him.
17. I graduated from the University of Idaho.
18. I have a degree in communications and a minor in English.
19. I took social dance classes and weightlifting for fun.
20. I'm now a professional seamstress.
21. The second part of our pre-nup is that he would get a college degree.
22. His degree is in Computing and Software Systems.
23. He took math classes for fun.
24. He's a software engineer.
25. We've been married for 11.5 years. I fall more in love with him everyday. He's amazing. I don't deserve him.
26. We were married in the Seattle LDS Temple.
27. My husband met my parents on our wedding day and still married me.
28. I have four brothers and two sisters. I'm #3.
29. I'm the white sheep of the family. My older sister has recently joined me.
30. There were 15 kids in my mom's family. Three set of twins. My mom is #10.
31. My mom had an affair and I'm the result. I have three brothers and two sisters in my "biological father's" family.
32. I found out when I was 13.
33. Over the next year my parents gave me anything I wanted.
34. I went to Europe with my high school.
35. I was too young and didn't appreciate it.
36. Fortunately, my in-laws are normal.
37. I love my in-laws. They have taught me what a typical family is. Not perfect, but exceptional in their own right.
38. We have a 9-year-old daughter.
39. She's one of the top three science students in the third grade.
40. And can do math in her head.
41. She's been dancing for six years. Apparently she's really good.
42. She loves to attend "Street of Dreams" and tour homes with me. After she gives her opinion on their mistakes. I usually agree. She's one of those people who can take all the best aspects of six different houses and combine them together in one. It's a gift. I admire her.
43. Our son is six.
44. He can match pitches.
45. He's also one of the top science students in his class.
46. He has a large vocabulary.
47. They're studying weather. This morning he announced that it was overcast and the cumulous clouds weren't quite dark enough for it to rain. It didn't rain today.
48. My first pregnancy cost our insurance company $43,000.
49. My doctor told me he thought I was going to die.
50. The second was more than $100,000.
51. My doctor said he couldn't guarantee he could save me if I got pregnant again.
52. I had a tubal ligation. I'm still sad.
53. I broke both my arms on Friday the 13th when I was 11. No one believed me. When they finally x-rayed my arms they were broken in seven places. At least that's what I heard.
54. This year I had my arms x-rayed again. We could see the break scars. My doctor counted "at least eleven." I think they might have said several.
55. I stubbed my toe in September. It really hurt. I finally went to the ER at 1am.
56. After my x-ray, the doctor's exact words were: "You have a toe fracture. Actually I'm using the term very liberally. You're toe is SO broken." The third bone in my little toe was split from top to bottom and separated 1/4 inch.
57. I didn't cry until I got home.
58. When I was 14 I was thrown from a horse on a gravel road.
59. I had six stitches and a concussion. One of the scars is in the shape of a horseshoe.
60. I don't remember anything for about six hours before.
61. When I was 15 I cut my thumb while opening a can of tomato soup at a church activity.
62. When I saw the bone I went into hysterics.
63. My leader (who had taught first aid at camp) asked me what the first thing you should do for an incision wound. I said, "Don't panic!"
64. When I was 24 I fell and hit the back of my head while ice skating. I had a major concussion.
65. I still have the bump.
66. I was one of the top five spellers in my 5th and 6th grade classes. Because of that I'm a bit arrogant. I don't always use spell check. I really should.
67. I've been sewing for 29 years.
68. I like to sew. It's my only talent.
69. I have panic attacks. I used to think it was the Spirit telling me I was doing something wrong. It's good to know that I'm not a total sinner.
70. I've been serving as the Young Women Secretary in my ward for 3.75 years. It's my favorite calling ever. I probably shouldn't say it aloud. That's usually when they release you and give you a new challenge.
71. I have very little tact. Which is good since I didn't used to have any.
72. I'm a huge advocate for education. My parents aren't high school graduates.
73. I've learned that the more I know the less I know.
74. I love the quote: Small minds discuss people, medium minds discuss events, large minds discuss ideas. I'm working on having a large mind.
75. Nerd is a term of endearment in my house.
76. My husband is a nerd. I love him.
77. I had braces as an adult. At the same time as my husband. We still made out. There's no way for braces to get caught on each other.
78. Bruce Willis once winked at me. He's much better looking in person.
79. I was ice skating at the same time as Arnold Schwarznegger and he fell down in front of me. He asked me to help him up and I said I thought he would pull me down and didn't help him. I commented that he must not do his own stunts. His wife and daughters laughed. He was only slightly amused. He's much shorter than he claims.
80. I met Clint Eastwood at the Jazz Festival at the UofI. He's much taller than he seems. He was the tallest person backstage by far.
81. When I was eight I rode a horse that competed in the Kentucky Derby. On the way home from the race the train had to stop quickly and Little Town broke one leg. They kept him to use as a sire. My uncle worked on the ranch in Wyoming with the horse's owner. They had a weight and age restriction. I was the only cousin old enough who was small enough to ride.
82. I started cooking meals for my family when I was seven.
83. They called my food burnt offerings.
84. I don't enjoy cooking.
85. People think I'm creative. I really just steal ideas from online and make them my own.
86. I have a hard time trusting people.
87. I also despise gossip. Anyone who spreads gossip loses my trust instantly.
88. Breaking my trust is a complete deal breaker for friendship.
89. I don't have many close friends because of it. I wish I had more.
90. I feel like a fraud most of the time. I just know if people knew who I really am they wouldn't like me.
91. I've been reading the Old Testament for two years.
92. I've never read it all the way through before.
93. I didn't graduate from seminary. I went my freshman year but was kicked out due to tardies. (I was in the furthest building from the seminary building and truly could not make it in time without leaving my other class early.)
94. The teacher said I could come back when I changed my attitude. I never did.
95. I did however graduate from Institute at the University of Idaho.
96. I didn't have a testimony until I was in college.
97. I am prone to migraines. All the medications stopped working. Caffeine prevents them. Therefore, I drink a Diet Pepsi everyday. I only get about two migraines a year now. Before it was about two per month.
98. I have anxiety depression. I'm on medication but, the medication works better when I exercise. Unfortunately I lack the motivation and organization to exercise like I need.
99. I'm taking January 2008 off to take care of myself. I have two spa gift certificates I plan on using.
100. I hope to set some good habits to follow that will sustain me through the rest of the year.
101. I'm relieved to finish this list.

~Four Things~

We've all seen the "Four Things" email. Here are my "Four Things:"

Four jobs I’ve had in my life
1. Picked green beans and did tests on them for Del Monte
2. Worked in a bowling alley
3. Catering
4. Technical Editor

Four movies I can watch over and over
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. Sabrina
3. How to Steal a Million
4. My Best Friends Wedding

Four TV shows I love to watch
1. House
2. Numb3rs
3. Alias
4. Law & Order

Four Songs I Can Hear Again And Again
1. Almost anything by Billy Joel
2. Because of You – Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson version
3. Now & Forever – Richard Marx
4. Girl From Ipanema – Stan Getz

Four places I have lived
1. Small Town, Idaho
2. Medium Town, Idaho
3. Bigger Town, Washington
4. Current Town, Washington

Four places I have been
1. Europe: Germany, Luxembourg, France, Belgium
2. New Orleans
3. San Francisco
4. Boston

Four foods I love most
1. Gyros
2. Taco Salad
3. Pizza
4. French Dip Sandwiches

Four websites I visit daily
1. Google
2. Yahoo
3. Isomedia
4. Splitcoaststampers

Four places I would rather be right now
1. Shower
2. Spa
3. Hotel
4. Gym

Things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Going to Texas
2. My broken toe healing
3. My wrist tendonitis going away
4. Finishing the interior painting in my house

~Perfectionism or Insecurity~

I've had this blog for several months now and I haven't made any posts because I couldn't decide on the layout. Pathetic, right?

My husband calls me a font snob. I download new fonts on a weekly basis. I can't remember the last time I used Times New Roman or Arial. Of course, these are 1/3 of the fonts I seem to have available. Now I'm contemplating taking an HTML course just so I can change the font.

I had a friend in college who always said he wasn't materialistic, he just like nice things. I would change it to "I'm not a perfectionist, I just like quality things." But, is that really true? I've viewed a number of blogs and don't recall thinking nice format or great font. So, what is wrong with me? Am I so willing to impress or please that I have become a font or layout snob? Or am I a perfectionist? Or in reality . . . just incredibly insecure?

Thoughts to sleep on.