Tag - You're It.

Thanks to my fun cousin Alyssa, this is the first time I have been officially "tagged". I always find it fascinating to read about what my friends and family choose to write on their "top 5" lists, but I can never think of anything when asked these questions for myself. Anyways, here goes...

5 Joys...

1. I love the sound of Avery's laughter. It erases all my worries and always makes me smile, even if only for the moment.

2. As any past roommate can tell you, I still find GREAT satisfaction in my evening desserts! Brownies, cookies, a delicious bowl of ice cream. My roommate Kimmi used to always tease me about how much joy and pure pleasure I exuded when eating my nightly treat.

3. Spending time with my family and closest friends. Whether it be a girls night out, a big family dinner, or even a new excursion that Jason, Avery and I experience together - I love sharing old memories and making new ones with the people closest to me.

4. Winning! For being a rather reserved person, I am incredibly competitive. While I used to be rather cutthroat about it (I think my phrase was "Why play if you can't win?"), I have toned down a little in recent years. Don't get me wrong, I still love to win, but I am no longer willing to bust someone else's fingers (or my own) to do it. :)

5. Fair rides! Nothing brings me more joy in the fall than heading down to Puyallup on a weekday and standing in line right at noon to buy my Super Dizzy Pass. That guarantees me 10 full hours of going on any ride as many times as I want! I also love that occasional surprise when you drive by a big parking lot and you see a traveling fair set up... I have been known to stop and buy a few tickets!

5 Fears...

1. Birds. I love to watch them (from a distance) and I think they are cute, but I can't stand when they fly close to my head! We used to have some that would nest by the front door of my parents' house and they would dive bomb you when you tried to go through the door.

2. Claustrophobia! If Jason and I ever do get picked for the Amazing Race, this will be my downfall (that and the fact that I wouldn't shave my head). I've always known that I don't like really tight places, when I am not in control of being able to let myself out. But on a recent camping trip, the room we were staying in was so small that I actually had a slight panic attack. I spent the rest of the nights sleeping on the couch.

3. Sleeping through my alarm. On nights when I go to bed especially late, I will have Jason set his second alarm for me. I used to be afraid that I would sleep so late for work that the kids would show up before me - I am not a morning person. Now I am trying to be up at 5:10 for seminary...

4. Losing Avery (literally). I don't worry about this on a regular basis - she sticks pretty close to me. But there has been a time or two that she wandered out of sight in a store, and the mere seconds that I couldn't find her were nerve racking.

5. Life without a loved one. After my brother passed away, I realized how quickly life can change, and usually there is nothing we can do about it. I don't fear death; I believe that we live after this life and we will be together as families. But I do fear the heartache for those of us left behind when our loved ones leave first.

5 Obsessions/Collections...

1. I am an avid rock collector and always have been. My Mom used to make me throw out some of my rocks every time I cleaned my room (I had huge cans full of them). Unfortunately, I think this gene has been passed onto Avery... I just threw a handful of them out the backdoor this morning. Last year, Jason and I began a rock collection from the various places that we travel as well. It's fun and completely inexpensive!

2. I have become more obsessive about having my house clean in the past few years. Not really "eat off the floor" clean, but picked up and devoid of "piles".

3. Anyone who knows me well would tell you that I am a huge traditionalist. I hate change. Especially when it comes to the Holidays. At Thanksgiving, we must have a fruit plate, and at Christmas it must be a live tree that smells! There are many other "musts", but I will spare you the list.

4. I am a cheese snob. Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese is always on my shopping list. I love cheese! When Jas and I were first married we scrimped on everything - including cheese. I made it a few months before I gave in and had to go back to my Tillamook Cheese. It cuts better, melts better, and simply tastes better.

5. Picture taker - I am so grateful for digital cameras. We have literally thousands of pictures of Avery. Most don't have the best lighting or composition, but I always want to catch the memory. I'm trying hard to enjoy the moment, rather than looking at her life through the camera.

5 Surprising Things about you...
Hmmmmm....

1. My standing Hula Hoop record is 23 minutes. In college, I worked for King County Parks. We used to travel to different parks during the summer and entertain any kids who were around. When we got bored we would have hula hoop contests. We could even walk the bases on a baseball field while hula hooping without dropping it.

2. I hate getting ready for bed. I will stay up an extra hour at night just to procrastinate brushing my teeth and washing my face. I know it doesn't make sense, but logic doesn't matter when I am sitting on the couch at 11:00 at night.

3. I am a huge fan of 80s hard rock music. I used to listen to Poison, AC/DC, Def Lepard and Van Halen when I was in middle school. I credit my older brothers for this exposure. I still really like their music, much to Jason's chagrin.

4. If I had not gone into Education, I think I would have been either a Geology major or Psychology major. I actually did get an endorsement in Psychology and I loved statistics, but I knew that I wanted to work with kids. Someday I hope to get a PhD in Educational Psychology.

5. I love kickboxing. While I wouldn't say that I enjoy exercising, I do like the cardiovascular benefits of punching, kicking, and knee smashing.

Tag 5 People...
Anyone who would like to share! Come on.... Monique, Amanda, Jauna, Darc... :)