Well, my friend Aimee issued a challenge to tell 100 things about yourself. It seems like a lot, but I'll give it a go. Then, you do it, too! It's so fun to get to know you.
1. I have lived in 4 states in my life: Utah (0-2 months), Wyoming (2 months to 8 years), California (8 to 18 years), and Arizona (18 years to present).
2. I miss living in California. Being land-locked really gets to me sometimes.
3. I have been dying my hair since I was in the 6th grade.
4. I have really short toes.
5. I can not stand long fingernails. On me or anyone else. YUCK.
6. I used to be a dancer, and often regret not having been a dance major in college.
7. I write a lot of poetry in my journal.
8. I usually don't share the stuff that I write with anyone but David...and even that is on a pretty limited basis.
9. I am almost legally blind without my contacts.
10. I sleep with my contacts in most of the time...much to my sister-in-laws dismay. She always reminds me of a friend of hers that went blind from doing that, or something...lol
11. I love yoga.
12. One of my goals in life is to have an unmedicated childbirth. I think the female body is just such a miracle, and is perfectly capable of performing the task on its own.
13. My life is pretty much a constant contradiction in terms.
14. I am a stay-at-home mom that makes sure dinner is ready for David when he gets home.
15. But I am also kind of a "closet feminist".
16. I like to think of myself as deeply creative.
17. But I am extremely routine oriented and regimented about certain things.
18. I studied communications and broadcast journalism in college.
19. But I am so annoyed by the media nowadays.
20. I love being a mom.
21. But I am so afraid of what it will be like to have TWO kids!
22. One of the best days of my life was a few years back when I took the entire day to walk around Washington D.C. all by myself. I went exactly wherever my heart desired, and spent however much time I wanted to seeing all the sights. I was in awe the whole day.
23. My belly button turns into a major "outty" (sp??) when I am pregnant, and it totally grosses me out.
24. I never remember to charge my cell phone.
25. One of the things I love about David the most is his incredible work ethic. I really admire that quality in him. He tries to be the best in absolutely every aspect of his life.
26. My Dad also has a really strong work ethic, and that is one of the reasons I think I notice/appreciate it so much in David.
27. Nothing grates on my nerves more than a TV that is turned on too loud.
28. At 9:00 a.m. every day (after a little bit of the Today show and Sesame Street), the TV in our house gets turned off. It doesn't get turned on again until after dinner.
29. I get migraine headaches every once in a while. They are pretty lame.
30. I have grown to enjoy cooking. I actually feel like it's kind of a creative outlet for me.
31. I love to read.
32. My favorite book is "The Red Tent". A very empowering book for women.
33. Having a daughter motivates me to be a better woman.
34. The only thing truly keeping me from considering getting a nose job is the message it would send to my daughter(s). Oh, and the $5000 it would cost.
35. So far, it has taken me almost 45 minutes to think of these 35 things... this is hard.
36. I love watching NFL football.
37. I hate watching baseball.
38. I don't remember the last time I ran at a full sprint.
39. I go to the gym at least 2 or 3 times a week.
40. I enjoy working out a lot more when Sarah is there.
41. I love chatting with girlfriends. There would be a pretty big void in my life if I couldn't relate with other women. Especially other mommies.
42. My favorite time of day is sunset.
43. One thing that made me love Arizona was the sky at sunset. No other skies compare with the colors you'll see here.
44. One thing that I don't like about Arizona is the fact that there are no gorillas at the Phoenix Zoo. What is a zoo without gorillas?!?!?!?! They are my favorite to watch.
45. When I was in the 5th grade, I did a science project on gorillas.
46. When I was in 1st grade, I did a science project on volcanoes and won first place. I think my sister was a judge...so it may have been rigged.
47. Growing up, I always wanted to be a cheerleader because my sister was a cheerleader.
48. I was a cheerleader all through high school, and was captain of my squad during my senior year.
49. I went to London in '98 to cheer in their New Year's Day parade.
50. I also went bungee jumping in Mexico that year.
51. The only two countries I have ever visited outside of the United States are the U.K. and Mexico.
52. I take that back.... David and I went to the Bahamas on our honeymoon.
53. David also surprised me with a trip to Hawaii as a "babymoon" just before Ava was born, and it made me realize what a lucky girl I was (am).
54. I love the fact that Ava has David's blue eyes.
55. The smell of gasoline gives me a headache.
56. I do at least one load of dishes and one load of laundry every day. I don't know why, but it's like a compulsion.
57. I love feeling productive.
58. For this reason, no matter how tired I am, I absolutely can not take a nap during the day. It makes me feel like a complete bum.
59. I would really love to go to China, Italy, and Egypt someday.
60. Maya Angelou is my all-time favorite poet.
61. I took a writing class last year and loved every minute of it.
62. Having a dog like Kona in the house makes me feel safe at night.
63. I look way better when I am tan. But then again...who doesn't?
64. I am not very good at applying make-up. I do the same basic thing every day.
65. I really miss my brother Gregg. He passed away when I was 12.
66. I hate birds.
67. I hate clowns.
68. I have a lot of nightmares. Our family watched scary movies a lot when I was growing up, and I am pretty sure this has something to do with my hyperactive imagination.
69. I am the youngest child in my family by ten years. I always wanted a sibling closer to my own age.
70. I cried tears of joy and relief when I found out I was having another girl. I'm not ready for a boy yet.
71. I don't like having my feet massaged. I think it's gross. I know I wouldn't want to rub anyone else's feet. Why would they want to rub mine???
72. I think my best physical feature are my arms.
73. I learned a lot about life from the piano teacher I had when I was growing up.
74. At around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, I absolutely must have some sort of chocolate. Usually a mini-Snickers (or 10).
75. Other than that...I don't usually crave sweet things.
76. I am absolutely positive that that only person who will read all 100 of these things is my Mom. :)
77. Somewhere, my Mom is laughing.
78. I just realized how much I use the word "absolutely".
79. One of my favorite quotes is: "How you do anything is how you do everything." Think about it for a while. It's so true.
80. I also like the quote, "We don't see things the way they are, we see them as we are."
81. That quote is from another one of my favorite poets, Anais Nin.
82. I became interested in Anais Nin when I heard her name mentioned in a Jewel song.
83. Jewel used to be my favorite musical artist, until she became everything I hated with her last CD. She sold out, big time. I even wrote a complaint letter, but didn't know where to send it.
84. I was able to manuever into the front row when I saw Jewel in concert.
85. The first concert I ever went to was Tori Amos concert. This was during my freshman year in college. I can't believe I had never seen a concert until then.
86. Since then, I have seen Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, Weezer, Incubus, Rage Against the Machine, and Counting Crows...to name a few.
87. I can't throw a frisbee to save my life.
88. But I rule at ping-pong.
89. I consciously keep a little bit of a distance from the swimming world to try and keep our family balanced.
90. I have never put much effort into decorating my house, because part of me is just waiting it out until we move into a bigger one.
91. I like to read scriptures every morning while I eat breakfast. It starts my day off right.
92. I get teary-eyed whenever I hear the National Anthem. I am such a cheeseball.
93. I kind of make it a point not to read "princess" fairy tales to Ava. I don't like that they teach girls that they must be rescued by a man in order to be happy. It's the closet feminist in me coming out (see #15).
94. Playing the piano is a way for me to vent my emotions.
95. Practicing yoga regularly helps me feel grounded.
96. I don't like the new Sesame Street theme song. The one from when I was growing up was WAY better.
97. I really enjoy our family's bedtime routine. David gives Ava a bath while I clean up the kitchen from dinner, then we all get together on the couch for storytime and prayers. Then David and I take Ava into her room and sing her a bedtime song. It's such a happy and peaceful time of day. I just love it.
98. I have never seen a scorpion.
99. I have a scar on my right leg from the last time I tried to go skiing. I haven't been since.
100. This is probably the last time I will ever try to think of 100 things about myself.
Wow! That was hard. If you read even a few of those things...then I hope you feel like you know me a little better, and it wasn't a waste of time. So, now write 100 things about you!! I'd love to read them...`
The newest addition to the Tait family has arrived! Ella Marie Tait was born on Monday, February 25th at 5:23 p.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and measured at 20.5 inches.
Ava is already turning out to be a great big sister. She especially loves singing to the baby....make sure to check out the video below for a peek at her awesome singing skills.
**As for the delivery...I'll spare you all the details for now, but let me tell you, it was amazing! I can honestly say it was the most exhilarating experience of my entire life. It was extremely intense, but well worth it. David was the best labor and delivery coach that a girl could ever hope for. Poor little Ella was a little bruised on her face because she came out so fast, but other than that, we are none the worse for the wear. :)
