Day 19: Your Biggest Regret in Life.

Day 19: Your Biggest Regret in Life.

Wow.  That's so hard.  There are things I would certainly change but if I did I wouldn't be where I am today.

I wish I could say this!

I probably would have gone to college and put off getting married and having kids for a few more years but then I may not have the family I have today. Which is something I would never give up for anything.

I regret not taking full advantage of my time in school.  I look back now and there is so much more I wish I would have done.  I encourage my kids to get involved in everything they can so they can look back and not have to say "I wish I would have..."

I regret not doing something about our exercise and eating habits sooner because it's so much harder to take it off than it is to put it on. I don't want my daughter to struggle like I have, and as the Mom I think the burden of nutrition falls mostly to me.

I have several more regrets that I'm just not willing to put out there to the world, so I will say that I regret doing the things I have done that caused pain to those I love the most. Family and friends are everything and I hate knowing I have caused hurt to those people I care about most. That is my biggest regret.

Day 18: A Book You Could Read Over and Over Again and Never Get Sick Of.

Day 18: A Book You Could Read Over and Over Again and Never Get Sick Of.

This will be hard. I read so many books but I do not re-read books ever. I can't, there are so many books I always have waiting to read that there just isn't time.  So here are a few that I just love, in no particular order.

Game of Thrones series.  My current favorite.  These books take a while to get into. And I tried to read them a few times before I actually got into them.  It took seeing the show on HBO in order to actually picture the people in my head enough to keep them straight.  I highly recommend them.  They are quite lengthy (the last one was 1100 pages) and it takes a little work to keep all the characters straight..but so so worth it.  My favorite character is Daenerys Targaryen or the Khaleesi..(which is basically another word for Queen).  I love her. 

The Khaleesi

I tend to read books in series so another of my favorite is by author Patricia Cornwell and her series about Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.  There are 19 books so far in this series and I just finished the last called Red Mist. I love the voice she writes in and I love all the characters.

Any book written by Jodi Picoult, I highly recommend..Nineteen Minutes (about a school shooting) House Rules, (about a child with Asperger's) and Plain Truth (about an Amish teenager) are just a few.  These books always take a controversial topic and weigh in on both sides.  I loved My Sister's Keeper but hated the fact that they changed the ending in the movie.  I don't know why an author would allow that to happen.

For fun reads I like MaryJanice Davidson and her Betsy the Vampire series and JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  Both great book series that are fast to read, no thinking required.

I could go on and on...

I like James Patterson's series on the Women's Murder Club.

and Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse series. Trueblood on HBO is based on this series.

And...okay I'll stop there.

Day 17: Your Highs and Lows This Past Year

Day 17: Your Highs and Lows This Past Year

Let's go with 2011..

In 2011 we bought a house!  A beautiful big place to grow and raise our family and settle for years house!
It took us six months from the time we decided to buy until we closed and were able to move in but I really found the house of my dreams.  We have enough room for our kids and us and a guest room and an office and to host parties and lots of people!  Sure, it was a tough road to get it and I would never recommend someone buy a Short Sale unless they have all the time and patience in the world.  (Which we didn't..and I don't) But in the end it all worked out.  I would..(and have)..recommend my Realtor Jessica and our Finance people at Academy Mortgage to everyone.  They were awesome.  We have since sent 2 friends to them who have found homes of their own.  Sure we know it needs a new roof, and paint and had a few more problems than we thought it did but it's our home and I wouldn't want any other place right now.

In 2011, my kids started Junior High and High School.  This was a high and a low. I was so excited for them to start new chapters in their lives but I was and am scared for them to go out into this world that I can now protect them from less and less.  Cody played for the Bingham High School football team and had a good season.  Kelz applied to be a SBO like her brother and didn't make it..but applied to be on the school's HOPE squad and did make it.  I love that they get involved.  Cody started driving this year which is one of the scariest things I have ever known.  Not that he is a bad driver, more that anything can happen out there on the road. 

In 2011, I've learned that my friends aren't who I always need them to be. I've lost quite a few friends this year and I'm still struggling to deal with it. I am in such a different place in my life than so many of them.  My kids are mostly grown and I can leave them home and go places without them and so many of my friends are just starting their marriages and having children.  My siblings are so different in age from myself that the same will happen there soon as well. My friends have been my family for so many years that I'm struggling a bit to find where I fit in.  I spent my time at home on weekends and my time with crying babies and diapers and while I'm excited for them, it's just not who we are anymore.  I know part of it is that we started so much earlier than everyone else, but I think we have changed who we are too.  I met some new friends this year, friends I hope to get closer to one day.  I've had to go outside my comfort zone and branch out a bit but I'm hoping I find a place where I am happy. 

In 2011, I have ignored my health and health problems for so long that they have caught up with me some. I ended up with bronchitis four times and pneumonia once, and multiple illnesses in between. That is a scary place to be for me. I catch everything that goes around work and comes home and I get it worse and longer than anyone else.  Definitely a low.

In 2011, I started a second job at UTA Police. We needed the money to get into the house and now sadly we need the money to make ends meet. I work 2 ten hour shifts there, bringing my weekly total to 60 hours.  It's a struggle for sure.  I like the work and have finally made friends with the people there, and the money is awesome. I don't mind being there but I am very resentful of the time it takes from my family, and any alone time I used to have.  It has also taken a huge toll on my health as of late so we have had to reevaluate our priorities and expenses so I can maybe quit one day.

In 2011, we added another dog to our home.  Yes we already had 3 dogs, but what the hell, let's add one more.  Cooper came along and he's added a lot of fun and love to our house but he brought some problems too. None of the other dogs love him so we have had to make adjustments to keep him alive. He has some eye problems that cost us a fortune to treat.  He eats carpet, and iPhone and Nook cords and shoes and just about everything. But he is family and we love him.

One constant this year has always been Jon and the kids. They are my world and we all have our highs and lows but at the end of the day we ge through them together and that's what matters to me most.

Day 16: Your View on Mainstream Music.

Day 16: Your View on Mainstream Music.


I love all different kinds of music.  I usually have my stereo tuned to a top 40 station. Or satellite to the 'Today's Hits' station.  I like a lot of the new music that comes out. I like listening to the same music my kids do, so we can sing in the car together, and have something to talk about.

I'm not a huge Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus fan, but I recognize that each generation has their own set of "musicians" that the kids go crazy over. Like my generation loved New Kids on the Block and several other boy bands. And usually they fade out as quickly as they become popular.

I love that iTunes is around so instead of having to buy an entire CD to get one song you can pick and choose what you want to hear and I can get all sorts of new songs as well as songs I loved from when I was younger. I love that music has the ability to make you feel and remember and make you think that a song is written just for you.

So I guess my view is that most of mainstream music is pretty good, I don't mind it and if I don't like it..I can always change the station!

Day 15: Write 15 Interesting Facts about Yourself.

Day 15: Write 15 Interesting Facts about Yourself.

Okay...

1. I currently work 2 jobs, 60 hours a week.  It's sort of killing me but I like both jobs quite a bit, I just don't like not having any time to myself.

2. I am the first-born child (I refuse to say oldest).  I have two sisters (23, 21) and one brother (21). I was an only child until I was 11.

3. I have three tattoos and I love them and can't wait to get more.

4. I graduated, got married and had Cody all in the same year.  Actually all in four months.

5. I would wear flip-flops year round if I could.  I hate shoes, and I really hate socks.

6. I have had type 2 Diabetes for almost 3 years now. I take 7 pills a day.

7. I worked graveyard shift for 10 years and I loved it. I would give almost anything to work it again.

8. I would rather read a book than do almost anything.

9. I have always had more guy friends than girls. 

10. I'm a list maker.  I always have 3 or 4 going at a time.

11. I am really considering go back to school.

12. My kids are my number one priority and I think that's how it should be for any parent.

13. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

14. I had straight hair until I got pregnant with my daughter, then it went curly and gets curlier every year.

15. Jon and I will hit 20 years together this year. I would be totally lost without him.

Day 14: Your Earliest Memory

Day 14: Your Earliest Memory

Hmm.. this is a hard one.  I remember being pretty young when the family dog (probably more my Uncle's dog) Spot died, he lived at my Grandma's house and I spent quite a bit of time over there and someone came to the door to tell us that they had found him and he was laying in the street, maybe hit by a car.  We went out and got him and carried him inside and layed him in the corner on a blue blanket and sorta just watched him die.  It was so sad and I remember crying for days.  My Mom said for months after that I would say I could see Spot's eyes watching us from Heaven.

And I remember making bread with my Grandma.  For as long as I can remember she made bread every weekend when I was growing up and I was always there so I always helped by putting 7 cups of flour into a bowl.  That's all I remember..7 cups. 

Those are probably the most vivid memories I have from when I was younger...  I wonder why we can't ever remember more.

Day 13: Somewhere You Would Like to Move or Visit.

Day 13: Somewhere You Would Like to Move or Visit.

I haven't ever travelled much but some of my favorite places are on the beach in Alabama, visiting California, and playing VEGAS!!!  I have been to Washington DC twice and loved it there!   I would like to visit New York City and more places back East. Would love to travel outside the country as well.. London and Paris sound delicious!

If I was to move anywhere it would be Vegas.  I love everything about Vegas!  No snow..Hot summers..  Busy night life but still places to live outside Vegas that are safe and clean.  More open minded people than in Utah.  I don't know that I could ever leave my family, however.  My kids are so close to my parents and my siblings that if we did move I would have to wait until the kids got older.  And by then who knows where my kids will live.  I hope they choose to stay close but I know Utah is so limited in what it has to offer and I just feel like they are bigger than that.  I can see Cody moving somewhere else but I'm pretty sure Kelz will stay put and choose to raise her family close to where her Dad and I are.  (I keep telling myself that they both won't ever leave!)

So for the foreseeable future..we are here to stay!