1...2...3...Not It!

I must admit, I read others' tagged info. with a great deal of interest; however, not sure my life or @ least writing will be quite as provocative now that it's my turn thanks to a friend from high school:) I highly doubt it will be nearly as fascinating as the Transformer tag that my boys & I played @ the park yesterday, but here goes:

10 YEARS AGO I WAS...a sister missionary in Warsaw, Poland bidding farewell to my trainer & thinking of Elder Parker's return to WA!

5 THINGS ON MY "TO DO LIST"...just 5? Hmmm...before I go to bed since it's now 10P, I still hope to 1) fold 3 loads of laundry, 2) watch American Idol (don't worry! I recorded so Chris & I could watch uninterrupted when he gets home from work), 3) roll out & bake 5 doz. Valentines cookies (to decorate with my boys & their buddies after an outing to the zoo tomorrow a.m.), 4) figure out how much $ is left in our acct. (with respect to certain bills being sent today) & last but not least, 5) figure out some drastic way to keep my boys in bed vs. roaming freely (if I could remember verbatim, I'd elaborate on Chris' soliloquy the other night an hour after bedtime: basically this is not a circus & most of your little friends went to bed over 2 hrs. ago, we already read books, you had a drink, we took turns lying with you, even played Mariners monopoly for crap's sake & now we love you, but don't want to see you again until the morning. They didn't think it was very funny, but I was very amused:)).

THINGS I WOULD DO IF I BECAME A BILLIONAIRE: Make sure the ole' missionary funds/college savings were nice & full 'cuz we're nowhere near where we should be now in all honesty! Landscape our backyard (currently greenbelt, which I realize each spring has not been done yet after ignoring all winter while hibernating:)). Attempt to pay back my parents' for the 30+ years of loans they've so generously donated:) Divvy out fair amounts to my sisters & in-laws so they could share the wealth. Take a vacation @ least monthly! I'm sure there's something else philanthropic I could think of...

3 OF MY BAD HABITS...just 3? Where do I begin? I'm not the most punctual gal in town, not for lack of trying, just attempting to do too much in too little time:)! Depends on severity of my OCD for the day...definitely have a tendency to overdo things or dwell on things that are out of my control(I know that's vague, but not to my advantage in several situations)! Chris would say picking @ things i.e. the blemishes on my face or food. Let's move on to more uplifting topic...

5 PLACES I'VE LIVED:
1) Canada (don't remember when my dad played football there since only 2 y.o., but @ least it's in another country:)
2) Seattle, WA (U Dist. while my dad was in dental school)
3) Provo, UT
4) Poland (Warsaw, Lodz & Gdansk to be exact)
5) Puyallup, WA

5 JOBS I'VE HAD:
1) Beautification Engineer/Asst. for Bridgeport Dental Arts (thanks Dad for great paychecks through high school & summer opportunities:))
2) Asst. Manager @ Afterthoughts (jewelry store in the mall-Chris makes fun of it, but I liked it:))
3) Waitress @ Johnny B's Comedy Club with Emily Cragun:)
4) Publicity Writer for Performing Arts Mgmt. @ BYU
5) Operations Asst. @ UW Athletic Dept./Seattle Sports & Events Council (who facilitated first Seattle bowl football game)

THINGS MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME...that's probably for a reason:) Now you'll all know just how many quirks I have-ugh!
1) Well, I think it's very liberating to fill a grocery cart online or watch items on E-bay that I have no intention or basically can't afford to purchase. You should try it sometime! It feels like you've just gone on a shopping spree, but without the buyer's remorse:) I've done it lately @ Gap, Gymboree & Pottery Barn!
2) I guess another thing that goes along with this fetish is my boys & I wear the same color scheme every day & have done so for 5 1/2 yrs.. Not necessarily the exact same thing like twinners but coordinating apparel.
3) I sell candles for Gold Canyon Candle Co. I'm not a die-hard saleswoman & will never put pressure on anyone to buy or even host a party, but I personally like to have the access/discount & for some reason think a good-smelling house disguises the clutter:) So now that it's public knowledge...let me know if you want 'em:)
4) I refuse to shower every day & even then, haven't washed my face with any sort of routine for my entire life:) Sorry if you find that to be gross like my husband! I feel that I still have good hygiene & am just low-maintenance that way...efficient or lazy?! TBD-
5) I have a thing with #s. For example, I eat things in even increments & have to leave even amount (except 3 or 5 are okay?!). I have to get up @ time like 9:05 or 9:15 & start/finish things like nursing a baby or reading my scriptures @ similar time OR increments like a whole chapter. Hard to explain, but pretty deliberate & sad to say, second nature now!

I'M ADDING A SECTION...CAN YOU DO THAT?! 5 HUMOROUS THINGS YOUR CHILDREN/SPOUSE HAVE SAID/DONE TODAY OR THIS WEEK (I'm doing this section for selfish reasons 'cuz I need to write 'em down more often; I could probably come up with 5 apiece for each of my 3 boys:)):
1) Cole saw a police car when we were driving to preschool & asked "Do policemen always protect us from bad people or do they sometimes have to arrest/give a ticket to good people who just made a mistake?"
2) Cole & Dane were "camping" with some friends in their playhut. I was concerned & watching closely for the sleeping sit. 'cuz Cole was the dad & a girl friend was the mom?! I encouraged the mom to go & check on the sons in the different rooms of the hut to make sure they weren't scared of the outdoors. Cole said "Yeah, you go comfort Dane & I'll just stay here & go to sleep right away"
3) Dane was very thoughtful when considering to whom he should give Valentines since he doesn't have a preschool class. In addition to good friends, uncles & cousins, he decided all by himself to make one for both of the elders (we see 'em every Weds. 'cuz teaching a good friend who's getting baptized next week) & the son of my niece's high-school basketball coaches:) He's got a broad circle of friends even if he's alienated a few as Batman when he thinks they don't recognize him & says in a low voice "They don't know who I am:)"
4) Cole sounded just like Chris this evening when I spilled a whole cup of juice on the hardwood floor & said "Who did that? You did that! Great! Now our whole house is going to be ruined..."
5) No exact quotes, but my boys were quite proud of their new skills @ cleaning the bathroom:) They volunteered & proceeded to do the tub, 2 sinks & the mirrors...I didn't want 'em to mess with the toilets any more than they already do when they use 'em!

PEOPLE WHO HAVE A TURN NOW TO FEEL THE SAME JOY OF BEING TAGGED:):
1) BRITT
2) RACH
3) GINGER (looking forward to your site being back in commission soon:))
4) KRISTA (even though you share with the fam, I'm sure they'd be interested in any deep thoughts you have to offer:))
5) JENN McCRAY