Eight tidbits about yours truly!

I was "tagged" and have to share 8 unique things about myself:

1. I LOVE taking showers. They make everything better: they help me wake up, they help me relax before bed, and they are essential after a work out! Z must take after his Dad because he also LOVES taking baths and is content when he is naked! What can I say - Like father, like son.

2. Languages are fascinating to me. In high school I invented my own cryptic alphabet to use in my journal. I felt like I had gone to Hogwarts instead of the MTC when I was learning Portuguese. After learning the ward acabar which means "to do away with" I felt like I was learning spells! I could put a string of spells together and magically people would understand me! Russian is cool because it has an alphabet different than most. It was like combining the cryptic alphabet and spells. Russian also helped me get into medical school - my interviewer addressed me in Russian and I understood and spoke back! I have learned essential phrases in multiple languages - only the most important ones like... I'm going to kill you.

3. In Junior High my form of rebellion was reading Stephen King books. I would check them out from the library and enter the house through the garage. I would hide the books in seldom used cupboards or tool boxes and then smuggle them downstairs when no one was home. I would stay up late terrifying myself. I remember getting a drink at 3:30 AM and swore that I saw Annie holding an axe on the other side of the window! (I still can't read the story of Lazarus' resurrection without getting the creeps thanks to Stephen King).

4. In sixth grade there was an unfortunate boy that let slip he believed in evolution. I took it upon myself to ridicule him as often as possible. I would call him "monkey-boy" or make monkey noises behind him on the playground. I wish I could apologize to him now because after BYU I too am a firm believer in evolution. Much to my parents dismay I have become converted to Darwin's ways. It is fascinating that all the diversity on this earth is created by the same 4 nucleotides and 20 amino acids! Histone proteins are identical in animals, plants and microorganisms! Insulin is so similar in other mammals that we can use cow and pig insulin in our own bodies if we can't make our own!


5. I hated my fifth grade teacher so badly I frequently acted up in class. I would yell at him and tell him how stupid I thought he was. Don't worry - he did the same back to me. In fact he told me I played sports like a girl. At the end of the year I received two N's in citizenship (needs improvement). I had straight A's but I was so afraid of what my parents would say I threw away my report card!

6. In high school I couldn't tell Leisy and Laney apart! I would have to look at the color of their backpacks before I spoke to them. Of course Laney had the brilliantly bright pink backpack so it was a dead give away. Hint: If they are together and you can't tell the difference - look for pink. It has always worked for me!

7. I inherited my mother's bladder. (I should stop writing now, that explains everything). In high school I was in All State Choir and we were singing in the tabernacle. Needless to say I couldn't leave in the middle of the performance! It was a gospel song with a lot of clapping and dancing around and I peed my robe... or pants under the robe. It was awful. Nobody could see and I had a change of clothes in the car. I was humiliated.

8. One night after working at Arctic Circle I was starving and headed across the street to Sconecutter. (It was the only place open). It was raining really hard and when I swung into the drive thru the planter box and the newly planted tree jumped out of nowhere! Leaves were covering the car. I felt so stupid I quickly drove home without ordering anything or fixing the damage to the tree. 10 years later we still giggle when we see the leaning tree next to Sconecutters!