Things about me

1. I was born and raised in hot, sunny Phoenix and never moved away till I went to college in Tucson. After graduation, Heath and I moved all the way across the country to Maryland. I find it funny that I (and our children) will be moving around constantly for the next 20 years!

2. I LOVE the snow! Even after growing up in Phoenix and almost never seeing snow, I am very upset when we get winters with very little snow out here. #2 on our list for moving this year is Alaska to insure we get lots and lots of snow!

3. I went to school with the dream of becoming an OB/Gyn. I never thought I would be a stay at home mom, but it is the BEST job in the world. I also homeschool the kids and plan on doing so throughout their high school years. Being a part of my kids' every day lives is so incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, I just couldn't be any happier!

4. I am (or at least I was) completely obsessed with scrapbooking! I used to do it ALL the time and I am pretty sure Heath cringed every time he heard I was going to the scrapbook store. Now that I don't have much time to do it, I have an obsession with collecting scrapbooking magazines (which Heath also hates, because they add a lot of weight for moving.)

5. I would love to be Susie Homemaker. I love everything to do with the home, which makes me seem a little "old fashioned", but it works for me.

6. I LOVE to cook and bake, and since it is an essential part of life, it is one hobby that I get to do all the time! One of my many joys in life is to hear that someone loved my food. I try to be modest, but deep down I am glowing =)

7. My husband is my soul mate, without a doubt. We get along so well, I could count our "fights" on a few fingers, and we never argue. I never thought there would be someone that I could be around 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and not get tired of. Now I have 3 of those people! When I am away from Heath and the kids, I am sad and I miss them...I never want to leave them!

8. My favorite author is Janet Evanovich who writes a series of books about a female bounty hunter. They are about the only fiction books I read and they provide a lot of comedy relief.

9. My all time favorite tv show is Friends. I used to be obsessed with them when Haliey was a baby. I bought all the seasons and would sit and watch them all night long when I was up with her. Heath was worried for a while because I told him I was going to paint the living room purple.

10. All of my favorite movies have to do with really close family or friend relationships. Father of the Bride, Practical Magic, American Pie, Family Stone...

11. My all time favorite band is Lifehouse. They are the only band I have ever been able to say is my favorite. I love music and love plenty of singers and have lots of favorite songs, but they are my only favorite band (ever).

12. I can never give one answer to "what is your favorite..." questions (except, of course, the band one =). I love everything! I love life and everything I experience. I love every season and have reasons why. I love the beach and the mountains, the snow and rain and hot weather, the forest and the desert. I can usually see both sides of everything (which helps in life greatly) and I love it =)

13. I wish that someday I had a huge property that my parents, sister, brothers and their families could all have houses on so we could always be close to each other. It would be even cooler if all my aunts and uncles and other family lived near us and we took up a whole street!

14. I love the Southern "way" and was really disappointed when we weren't able to move to Mississippi. I was looking forward to drowning myself in cajun food and Mardi Gras activities. I love to read books or watch movies set in the south just to get that southern feeling. I love Virginia, but it just wasn't the south I was looking for. I want the antebellum home with the wrap around porch, sitting outside in the afternoon drinking iced tea, the accent and all. I have always wished I was from the south, wished that I came from some kind of culture with lots of history and traditions. Now I get to move around and experience all kinds of these!

15. I love being pregnant and giving birth. I feel as if I could do it my whole life. I love the experience of being pregnant and I love the accomplishment of giving birth. I feel that I was born to be a mom and that's what I should do, have babies and raise them. I will have as many as Heath will let me, right now it's at 3. I hope there will be some more after that though =)

16. I was in the delivery room when my youngest brother, Jon (now almost 18!), was born. It was one of the most amazing, moving. and inspirational moments of my life. My brother and I share a very special bond, partly I am sure because I was there to watch him come into the world.

17. I may still become a midwife/doula later in life because I love birth and babies so much. There is nothing more precious in life than the moment you bring a baby into this world, and I love being apart of that.

18. Adding to the birthing note...I love birth naturally. I used the Bradley Method with both of our children (where the dad is the coach). The pain is worth it and it is like completing a marathon, you feel like you accomplished something at the end and you are ready to embrace your victory!

19. I have always parented my children by instinct. Hailey and Drew both spent time sleeping in bed with us (one a lot more than the other), I breastfed them until they were 2 (on demand), I always held them as babies, they were either tied to my front, or close to me in some position with a sling. I don't care whether I do everything "right" or not, I do what I feel is right for us, and am very picky about the advice I take. I read up on everything child related, including medical stuff, and I question everything. I am a well educated mother. And because of all this, I have no regrets.

20. When I walk into a bookstore I feel an instant peace and I am more relaxed (right before the giddy, jumpy feeling comes on because of all the books I can read.) I love to collect books and have to restrain from getting a stack of 25 books every time I go to Barnes and Noble. To make myself feel better, I buy books for the kids. This seems justifiable =) and consequently, they have a collection of about 40 books now! Eek!

21. I am the oldest of 4 children and a true daddy's girl. I definitely have him wrapped around my finger =) I love him and miss him so much that I often call just to hear his voice. It doesn't matter what he talks about, I am happy listening to whatever he says. He is also the person I go to for all my problems. He is very knowledgeable in everything...computers, cars, politics, life. I love my dad!

22. I am crazy about my lists. I make dozens of lists for everything from budgeting to things I want to do...it could go on forever. My most recent list (besides this one) was organizing my master grocery list into categorized grocery lists on index cards, and then taping inside the cabinet doors with the corresponding items. Now when I make a grocery list, it goes a lot faster. =) My lists make me feel super organized.

23. When I walk into an office supply store, the feeling is about the same as walking into a book store. I love pens, paper and other organizing office things. Not surprising since I love to make so many lists!

24. I don't like talking on the phone or calling people. I don't think twice about calling one of my best friends (you know who you are =) or my family, but anyone else...someone I know or don't, I will postpone calling them for days because I dislike it so much! I usually don't even make doctor's appts until days before we should go because I don't like calling them on the phone!

25. I am a night owl and always have been. Going to bed at 2 am is on time, or early even. When Heath goes to bed around 9 or 10, I am ready to "start my day" with projects or whatever I have been wanting to do all day. I like to have time to myself to get things done, and staying up late makes me feel as if I accomplish this. It is the one thing I do for me.

26. #1 on our list of places to move is Hawaii. We spent a couple months there when Hailey was little and fell in love. It is an amazing place and we hope to one day have the privilege of living there.

27. I am a mom. I am a wife, mother, homemaker. It is who I am, it defines me, it is what I want to be forever and I wouldn't change it for anything.

28. I like to write and tell detailed storied (if you couldn't tell =) I like to make sure that everything is described well, one sentence just doesn't do it for me, haha =)

29. I have never really been out of the country. We used to walk across the border in Nogales when I was in college to go drinking. But I don't think walking out of the country counts as being out of the country. We could be living out of the country next year, what a change that would be!

30. Before Heath and I met, I had been to a total of about 4 states. Now, we have traveled together to at least half of them. (I haven't counted in a while). Hailey has been to most of those states with us.

31. I could eat chips and salsa all day long every day. When I want to go to a Mexican restaurant it's because I am craving chips and salsa. When we get there, I usually eat a couple bowls myself and eat a tiny bit of my food. I usually wind up taking most of my meal home with me. My favorite person to do this with is my girlfriend, Tricia. I remember when we used to go out for mexican and always had to ask for more salsa constantly. We'd get to about our 3rd bowl (individual bowls, mind you) before they started bringing us large bowls. We love chips and salsa!

32. My favorite place to have holidays is at my mom and dad's house. I love going up there and having all the family gathered together in the kitchen and I love to eat my mom's cooking!

Ok, I'm done for now...at some point your brain just stops working.