Day 3

Describe your relationship with your parents

First off, let me just say, once again, that my parents are the coolest!  Because of them, I have had the most amazing experiences in my life.  I've been able to travel the world, explore new countries and cultures, and do things most people only dream of doing (like bungee jumping and playing with tigers).  Both of them have taught me so much: my parents taught me to be open-minded, compassionate yet firm, mindful and respectful of others, and always willing to give help when it is needed.  They taught me to love learning, and they taught me the immense joy of reading.  And before I go on, I just wanted to tell them thank you.

My mom is my best friend.  I know I can go to her with anything, whether it be complaints, sorrows, happy tidings, questions, or worries. I was once in a family studies class where the professor talked about a "fused family." A fused family is a family that is really inter-dependent.  They consult each other on everything, and family always come first.  They spend a ton of time together, and it is viewed as a betrayal if a family member pulls away from the family.  I tell you this because my mom and I always half-joke that we are fused.  We call each other every day, and I know that she's ready to talk for as long as I need to.  She makes the best sandwiches and smoothies in the world.  My mom is an angel, and I am always trying to learn from her example.

My dad is my rock.  Well, he's really the rock for the whole family.  I think that without him, the majority of our family would be kind of lost.  He is so level-headed and focused--sometimes it can be a little frustrating because he has a vision, and expects everyone else to have that same vision, whether they like it or not.  But my dad is so adventurous.  I inherited my adrenaline-junkie tendencies from him.  He is the kind of person who will take off at a moment's notice to find the next great adventure--and I love jumping in the front seat and taking off with him.  He may appear rough and tough when you first meet him--and don't get me wrong, he's still tough on you after you get to know him--but he's really just a big soft, cuddly teddy bear.  My favorite memories are those of my dad and me cuddling together in front of the TV, not saying anything, but just hanging out.

I really can't say this enough:  I love my parents, and I don't know what I would do without them in my life.

Day 2

Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears

1. Fear number 1: As I mentioned previously (see yesterday's post, number 2), I am deathly afraid of stairs.  And yes, that is a legitimate fear!  Stairs are scary.  Seriously, what's the scariest part of a house?  Stairs that either go down to a dark basement, or go up to a creaky attic.  In horror movies, stairs inevitably lead to bad things.  In real life, I am super clumsy, and I have hurt myself way too many times on stairs to feel remotely comfortable climbing them.  Also, oddly enough, I'm more scared going down stairs than I am going up stairs.  When I climb stairs--especially if the stairs are really narrow, or they're metal, or they're hanging above open spaces (and yes, I have been on stairs that hang over open spaces)--my heart starts racing, my stomach turns into an Olympic gymnast, and sometimes I even start to shake a little.  It's weird.  Just go with it.
2. Fear number 2: Rats.  There's not much more to say about that.  I remember the first time I saw a rat.  It was in Germany.  We were wondering around at night, just seeing the city (I think we were in Munich), when all of a sudden we stumbled across a fat, white, rat.  Luckily, it was dead, but I think that first experience kind of scarred me.  The next experience I had with rats was in India, and let me just tell you that the rats in India are absolutely huge and disgusting and scary.  Having one run across your semi-bare feet (I was wearing flip-flops) is an awful, awful experience.  Having one live in your house, slowly decaying under your mother's bathroom because it ate ALL of the rat poison is an even worse experience.  I was literally terrified to sleep for days after we found the rat in our house.  Now, even mice scare me a little bit.  I'm ok with pet mice and rats (although I think it's creepy), as long as they don't come near me.
3. Fear number 3: My third fear is that I will someday die in a fiery car crash.  I have no idea where this fear came from, but I panic just a little any time a car come near me too fast on the freeway.  I'm more comfortable in my little car now than I was when I first started driving (my parents had to beg me to get my driver's licence), but it still makes me nervous.

Day 1

List 20 random facts about yourself

1. I have recently discovered that my favorite comfort food is guacamole.  I could sit down and eat practically an entire carton of guacamole--it's so good!
2. I am terribly, deathly afraid of stairs (more on that later)
3. I find cooking therapeutic
4. I also find that when you are having a bad day, the best way for you to feel better is to change into some over-sized sweats and a t-shirt, crawl into bed, and read your favorite book.  It is just as therapeutic as cooking, but in a different way
5. Sometimes I think that being a therapist or a psychologist would be really cool
6. Psych is the coolest, funniest show ever.  But New Girl is a pretty close second
7. I am extremely competitive, although I try not to let that raging beast out if I can help it
8. My favorite book in the entire world is Pride & Prejudice.  I have three copies of the book and all the film versions on DVD
9. My two dearest wishes in all the world are: I wish I could draw and I wish I could dance (properly, I mean; I wish I was trained and all that jazz)
10. I am a total people-pleaser.  One Thanksgiving, three different families asked me over for Thanksgiving dinner: my mom and dad, my sister, Heather, and my sister, Chelsey (although I don't think that Chelsey's invitation was very serious--it is quite difficult to go down to New Mexico and back in three days).  I was so distraught about where to go for Thanksgiving dinner that I actually broke down and cried miserably over the situation because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
11. I want a horse so badly!
12. I also want an Irish Wolfhound named Thor and a Goldendoodle (or Yellow Lab or Golden Retriever) named Isis
13. No, I am not a huge fan of Norse and Egyptian gods.  I just think that an Irish Wolfhound needs to be named Thor (if you don't believe me, go take a look at the Irish Wolfhound), and I took the name for my Goldendoodle/Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever from the show Downton Abbey.  If you've seen the show, you'll understand
14. I have a not-so-secret goal of visiting every country in the world
15. My parents built a townhome in Park City, UT, and we had a pseudo-competition within the family to name the house.  My sister, Chelsey, came up with the names Hawksridge and Ambleside.  The house was dubbed Hawksridge. And right here, right now, with all ya'll as my witnesses, I am claiming the name Ambleside for my own house.  I might even get creative and make a little sign.  Well, I guess a trip to Pinterest is in order!
16. Oh yeah, I'm obsessed with Pinterest
17. I love, love, love music
18. I am a night owl
19. I love my curly hair.  Curly hair is the best
20. If I were a filthy rich, multi-billionaire, I would either live on a big, sprawling ranch in somewhere like Montana, or a beach house with a small acreage in somewhere like Hawaii, or in the countryside of England 

30 Posts in 30 Days

Ok, let's face it: I am not the best of bloggers.  There are far too many gaps between the dates of my posts, and when I do post, my posts tend to run long.  This, I imagine, must be very irksome to the very few readers that visit my blog.  So, I have determined to put an end to this--at least for a little while.  I completely and unabashedly stole this idea from a friend's blog, so for her sake I hope you enjoy it.  Here is the list of what I will be posting for the next 30 days.

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

3. Describe your relationship with your parents.

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

7. What is your dream job, and why?

8. What are 5 passions you have?

9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

10. Describe your most embarrasing moment.

11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

12. Describe a typical day in your current life.

13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

14. Describe 5 strengths you have.

15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?

19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?

22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?

27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?

28. What is your love language?

29. What do you think people misundertand most about you?

30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

Well this should be fun!

Nephew

My nephew sleeps like a boss.

Love

It's like a bruised twilight
It's like the first star in the sky
It's like a thick, goose-down duvet
It's like the faint shimmer of the nightlight

It's like the sun peeping through the storm
It's like rolling down hills
It's like baking cookies
It's like diving off the high board
It's like making pictures in clouds

It's like holding a snowflake in the palm of your hand
It's like the sizzling air in a lightning storm
It's like the first breath of spring
It's like the tang of a summer night

It's like nothing

And yet, it is Everything.

Parents

I love these guys. They're the best. I dont know where I would be if I didn't have them in my life.

Mom, Dad--you guys are awesome!