Thursday, November 1, 2007

My 200 List

I was behind the times and didn't do a 100 list when I got to my 100th post. I hadn't seen anyone do it then, but later when I read other people's lists I loved finding out new things and started to compile my own list in my mind.

With this being my 200th post, I decided that while the girls napped today, I would jot some things down and 45 minutes later I thought I had enough. I began numbering them and I got to 178. I was surprised I had that many things and double checked to see if I had numbered them wrong. I figured if I was that close to 200, I would just go for it. Here goes.....

My Crazy Long List of 200 things about ME!

1. I had a perfect childhood.

2. I loved growing up in Salem. I love our nieghbors, my friends, my elementary school, our ward, riding our bikes to school (once in awhile), rafting at the pond, jumping off the bridge, Salem Days. The list could go on.

3. My parents are two of my very best friends.

4. I regret I was at times a difficult teenager.

5. I love each of my brothers and am so happy I’ve stayed close to all of them.

6. When I was little I hoped my next sibling would be a girl.

7. But Brad arrived and gave me Gold Barbie. He was so small and soft, that I didn’t mind he was a boy.

8. I cried when my third brother was born because I had been praying for a sister.

9. Years later I realized I could use it to my advantage.

10. I am not sad I don’t have a sister now.

11. I have my mom and that’s better.

12. And I don’t have to share her.

13. I had a perfect wedding day.

14. I didn’t cry at my wedding until my dad gave his tribute. His words were beautiful.

15. I didn’t get any morning sickness with my boys.

16. I felt horrible for 4 months with my girls.

17. I have very fast labors. I feared having my kids in the car after Trey came so quickly.

18. I haven’t ever gotten near my due date. Trey was 2 weeks early. Everyone else was 4 weeks early.

19. I once said I would hate to have twins.

20. Then I had my boys.

21. And then my girls.

22. I love twins now.

23. I will always hate the twin pregnancy part. Preterm babies scare me. I was on best rest for two months with both sets of twins.

24. I was so proud that Josh was 7 lb 2 oz and that Matt was 6 lb 8 oz. That’s a lot of baby!

25. I love that old people stop and talk. And that any other twin mom shares her story.

26. I never refer to my twins as twins. I didn’t want them to feel labeled.

27. Actually, I hardly think of them as twins, more like siblings born at the same time.

28. I never felt gulity about not nursing my babies.

29. I love the toddler stage more than the baby stage.

30. I love it more when they can talk.

31. And even more when they are potty trained.

32. I love to give Kaitlyn piggy back rides.

33. I love Brynn’s crazy smile and laugh.

34. I love that Josh is such a terrible liar. He can’t keep a straight face.

35. I love Trey’s hugs and sweet notes I get after I scold him.

36. I love Matt’s fascination with saying words he knows he shouldn’t.

37. I love that Rich knows every sports fact I can dream up.

38. I am a hugger. I have been known to hug people I just met.

39. I love telling my kids I love you.

40. And love hearing them say it back even more.

41. I know the value and importance of having a good friend.

42. I love Advil and Drixoral.

43. My heels crack and bleed in the summer. I close the deep, painful ones with superglue.

44. When I get a white inflammed tastebud, I cut it off with fingernail clippers. It feels better immediatly.

45. I hate lipstick. I can’t live without lip balm.

46. I wish I were always on time.

47. I hate scrap booking.

48. I love writing letters.

49. I love mailing thank you notes.

50. I make lists and love checking things off.

51. I never iron Rich’s clothes. He just gets sprayed down with water as he walks out the door in hope that they will fall out.

52. I love getting rebate checks in the mail.

53. I wish I had more patience.

54. Rich wishes I would save more money.

55. I love looking at the stars.

56. I love sleeping out in the backyard, but hate the mosquito bites I always get overnight.

57. I love donating blood. I think it is a wonderful gift.

58. So is being an organ donor.

59. I love the world after a snow fall.

60. I love going sledding.

61. I love snowball fights.

62. And building snowmen.

65. I love hot chocolate.

66. And cuddling up with the one you love next to a warm fire.

65. I love when it rains and I can stay inside all day and not feel guilty.

66. I love decorating the Christmas tree with my kids.

67. I rearrange the ornaments after they leave.

68. I love sitting on a furnace heater with a blanket and getting all toasty warm.

69. I love that my grandma’s are some of my best friends.

70. I drive too fast. I have been pulled over 6 times but never got a ticket. I haven't been pulled over since 1998.

71. I type fast.

72. I clean fast.

73. I walk fast.

74. I talk fast.

75. I interrupt people.

76. I like friends who talk fast and interrupt me too.

77. I don’t sit down often, unless it’s to type or to drive.

78. I love the movie Elf. I watch it once a month my kids and laugh every time.

79. I got my first cold sore when I was 20. I hate getting them.

80. I get nervous around big, scary dogs.

81. My favorite outfit is a pair of flip flops, hoodie and great pair of jeans.

82. I would love to take a hot air balloon ride.

83. I would love to learn a foreign language. That will never happen, unless we are called on a mission and I have the gift of tongues. Even then it probably won’t since Rich went to New Zealand on his and spoke English.

84. I would love to live abroad, but know I would get homesick.

85. I believe in guardian angels.

86. I know prayer works miracles.

87. But sometimes I fall asleep praying.

88. And I can never remember to say them in the morning.

89. Sometimes the anticipation of something is better than the event. Sometimes.

90. I love a good book.

91. I love book orders. Most of the books I buy are for me to read.

92. I spent $40.00 on Trey’s book order last week and wish Rich didn’t see me writing the check.

93. I love to vote, but rarely like politicians.

94. I love reading magazines.

95. I love getting the Sunday paper.

96. I love coupons.

97. I am a sucker for sales. I have shirts in my closet with the tags on and I don’t know if I’ll ever wear, but they were such a bargain I couldn’t pass them up.

98. I love giving things to Goodwill. (Like the great deal shirts with tags attached!)

99. I love an organized house. I wish mine was more so.

100. I don't like it when people just drop by unannounced.

101. Growing up the three things I disliked most to do as a family were cleaning out the fridge, mopping the floor, and cleaning out the garage. My mom didn't make us do it often. I now know why she wanted a few extra set of hands.

101. I hated digging my bucket of weeds as a child. I enjoy doing yard work now.

103. I don’t ask my kids to help because something always gets cut in half with the clippers.

104. I love doing fun things with my kids.

105. At times I think they think of me as more of a friend than a mom.

106. This gets me in trouble when I turn on full mommy mode.

107. When the boys were young, we spent an entire week in front of the TV while I played Harry Potter on Playstation. I got stuck on the very last enemy. I never actually won it. I look back on that time and smile. That was not wasted time.

108. Then we all sat around a Gameboy until I won James Bond on Gameboy. I was so proud, Rich wasn't so sure. The boys thought I was awesome.

109. I haven’t played the Playstation in years, but I still love my Gameboy. I’ll play it while I ride the bike.

110. I am bad at having my kids do chores.

111. I am good at having them clean up their messes.

112. Lately, I have been trying to be more of a fun mom with a structured schedule and very set rules.

113. I still wish I played with them more often.

114. I do not like eating chocolate bars, chocolate chips and chocolate in most things.

115. I love anything pumpkin.

116. I love diet soda. I drink it on the bike and in the morning.

117. I avoid caffeine. It gives me a headache.

118. I love remembering people on their birthdays.

119. I like to think I am tough and don’t complain when I am in pain.

120. I don’t tend to cry that often, but have periods when I’ll cry more. I think a good cry is healthy.

121. I love HOT baths and showers. I think that’s what I miss most when I’m pregnant.

122. I love going on walks with my babies.

123. I cook Rich breakfast every morning, but do not always make dinner.

124. I love to bake more than cook.

125. I love to eat the marshmallows out of the cereal. So do my girls.

126. I would love to get a massage, but have never paid for one.

127. I truly missed running after my back surgery.

128. Now I love my exercise bike.

129. I love talking on the phone. Cell phones are from heaven.

130. I like fixing things around the house and hate when I have to call a repair man.

135. I cheated on spelling tests when I was young.

136. And lied on my reading charts.

137. I have since stopped lying and cheating.

138. I hate feeling regret or guilt.

139. I love a great pair of stiletto heels. (It helps that Rich is 6' 6")

140. I love looking at maps, but can’t remember where things are located.

141. I love taking long drives up the canyon in search of fall leaves.

142. I love BBQ hot dogs and roasting marshmallows over a fire.

143. I love the smell of Christmas trees and cinnamon pine cones. And new babies.

144. I love playing Santa.

145. And the Tooth Fairy.

146. And the Easter Bunny.

147. And throwing birthday parties.

148. I love Halloween and dressing up.

149. I love making sugar cookies with my kids.

150. I love decorating the house for every holiday. (Even St. Patrick’s Day)

151. I love playing Spider Solitaire on the computer.

152. And playing board games with my kids.

153. I love to crochet the edges of baby bibs and make baby quilts.

154. I love double seated shopping carts at Sam's Club and Costco.

155. I want to see all 50 states and get so excited when I go to a new one.

156. I want to see Mount Rushmore, Niagra Falls, the Great Pyrimids, the Great Wall of China, and Machu Pichu.

157. I wish I knew all the rules of punctuation.

158. I loved Barbie dolls and Cabbage Patch Kids as a child and have already bought both for my girls.

159. My first Hollywood crush was Kirk Cameron. Now I realize they are all nuts!

160. I was always happy that I did not have a middle name so I could use my maiden name after a I got married.

161. My girls do not have middle names.

162. When I was small I choked on a piece of steak and my dad pulled it out. We had steak last night for dinner and I cut my kid’s pieces up very small.

163. I use my digital camera every day.

164. I didn’t have a cavity until college. Now I have a mouth full of fillings.

165. I am terrible at water skiing, but was great at snow skiing.

166. I am allergic to all types of fur.

167. A lot of fruits make my mouth itch and give me hives.

168. I love thunderstorms and rainbows.

169. I love daffodils and daisies. I think they are happy flowers.

170. I loved to wear vanilla oil perfume in college. A man in a store once asked if I had cookie dough in my bag.

171. I now love the scent of Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue, but I rarely remember to wear it.

172. Most perfumes give me a headache.

173. I love the smell of my hands after I squeeze a lime.

174. I love eyeliner and mascara, but could live without the rest.

175. I have worn contacts since I was 21. I can see fine without them and have gone to drive the kids to school before I realized I didn’t have them in.

176. I love going to the zoo and visiting museums. So do my kids. I love that.

177. I love having a clean house, but it takes so much effort and it's not my favorite thing to do. I’ll go in massive spurts and deep clean everything at once. Then clean a little each day. It makes me tired trying to keep up.

178. I have to have the house tidy before I leave.

179. I love taking naps. But rarely get one.

180. I dread Fast Sundays.

181. I love having sister-in-laws.

182. And nieces and nephews.

188. Am blessed with a wonderful Mother and Father-in-law.

189. I love my patience husband.

190. I am so lucky to have married my best friend.

191. I have loved living here in Kentucky with Rich.

192. I am grateful for all the help he gives me helping with the kids.

193. Raising a family is not a one person job.

194. I look forward to Rich’s completion of residency so he can have more control of his time.

195. And more days off.

196. I hope I can love and help him every day.

197. And live to see our kids grow up and get married.

198. And become a grandma.

199. And spoil them like our parents have ours.

200. And be with my family forever.

11 comments:

Marcie said...

I am so glad you did this...it was such a treat to read.

I have been wanting to do this list for myself for a while. It will probably be a while more before it gets done.

After reading this list I know why I like you so much. I could cut and past about 80% of your list and use it for mine. Thanks for sharing.

Heather Woolley said...

That was so amazing. I loved reading every single one (I read it twice actually). You have such perfect perspective about life. I know you write on here for you, but I get so much out of it too. So, thank you.

Tiffany said...

What fun! the best part of reading it was that I could either here you saying eaching item or see in my mind you doing that particular thing. And I learned something -- I'll have to try the superglue, but cutting a taste bug off scares me! Oh, and Amen to no ironing! I just pull Josh's shirts out of the drying right when they are done and hang them up -- that's as pressed as they usually get. SOMETIMES the Iron Fairy visits the house, but it's very rare!

Sue said...

I love when people do these lists. I could have read to 200. I could realate to a lot of things on your list but the ones that stick out are; sitting on a heat vent (the best way to get warm), perfumes instantly give me a headache, I long for naps I used to be able to take, the whole middle name thing, I loved using my maiden name since none of the girls in my family where given middle names and I also did the same thing for Romey, I'm so glad that you are happy now about being an only girl, Romey begs daily for a sister and I'm just not willing to give her one. It was really fun learning more about you.

Stephanie said...

Your amazing! How do you find the time. I loved reading your list, Thanks for sharing it with everyone

Ashlee said...

The more I read your blog the more you surprise me. First, you are bit of a dare devil. Second, Video games? I'm impressed that's one area I have not entered. Third, you must have the energy of a dozen moms or maybe I just lack the energy of normal person. Either way you accomplish so much!While I was reading I found myself laughing and agreeing with much of it. So fun!

jamie said...

What a great post. Thank you so much for letting us into your world like that. It was so clever. You're amazing. :)

Kristi said...

Holy COW. I don't think i could have come up with 200 things about myself. You are such an inspirational and FUN person. Reading this, I consider myself extremely grateful to be your friend. Oh, and by the way, the whole ironing thing made me laugh out loud, and gave me a good idea (kiss those crisp shirt days behind, Todd!)

Laura F said...

You are so cute, and I get such fun ideas for my blog here. I hope you dont' mind if you see things popping up from time to time that look familiar. :-) You've always been so fun and creative, thanks for keeping in touch over the years, I wish we lived closer!

Shelly said...

I love your blog Cheryl!!...and I loved your list. It was fun to read and it was completely YOU! Anyway, I related to a lot of things you wrote. I really enjoyed it a lot.

kara jayne said...

Of course once I got an invitaiton t the blog I had to read this FIRST!!!

SO GLAD I DID!!!

I KNOW I'm going to love you, and here are a few reasons why...

I'm with you all the way on talk/walk/clean/drive FAST!

You will find me 99% of the time in jeans, hoodie, and flip-flops.

I super glue the cracks in my fingers, toes, and heels. Been doing it for years!

I hug easily too, and know I will have a big one waiting for when we finally meet!

Your prayer comment cracks me up and makes me feel better because I do the same thing...fall asleep...forget in the morning! Thanks again for the invite! I need to go to bed now!