104 things you may not know

Margaret and Amanda did a post with 100 things about them on their 100th post, and though I thought it would be way too long to read, I found myself hooked reading both times and learning very interesting things about them, so I figured I'd do mine also. Oops, I've missed my 100th post by a couple, so I'll just do 104 things about me since it'll be my 104th post.

1. I made my own wedding dress because I couldn't afford to buy one. The materials cost about $100.
2. I'm a Home Economics Education major.
3. I'm the sixth of ten children in my family.
4. I'm the first child in my family to graduate from college (Assoc from Ricks College and Bach from BYU).
5. I taught Home Ec at Hunter Jr. High in West Valley City, Ut and at Park City High in Park City, UT.
6. I had a life-long commitment to myself to only marry a guy if I knew him for over a year.
7. I thought I'd get married at 18 because that's how old my mom was when she got married, but when I turned 18 I realized it would be crazy for me to get married so young, so then I decided I didn't want to get married because I kept seeing everyone around me getting a divorce. I ended up getting married anyway, but I was 24.
8. I'm going to bribe my kids to wait until they're at least 23 to get married.
9. I had a life-long commitment to only get married in the temple.
10. I've never used birth control in my life.
11. I was infertile for the first 2 1/2 years of my marriage.
12. I took clomid (a fertility drug) to get pregnant with my first baby.
13. My next 3 babies were complete surprises and were NOT conceived with the help of a fertility drug. Tilly, Hyatt and Keirsa were spaced 2 years apart by my infertility, but this next baby will only be 12 months younger than Kiersa. So much for infertility!
14. I learned how to drive a semi truck. My husband, Hyrum, taught me by stopping on a deserted highway in Eastern Washington and forcing me to take the driver's seat. I never went to trucking school.
15. Learning to drive a semi was the scariest, hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I cried a lot during that time.
16. I decided to learn to drive a semi so I could go over-the-road with Hyrum rather than be left behind and only see him once a month for a couple days.
17. I was a passenger for 6 months while only Hyrum drove, but after I learned to drive one, I team-drove with him for a year and a half, and I've been to 45 states now. I've just never been to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii.
18. My left ear sticks out a little bit farther than my right ear.
19. I have crowns on my two front teeth.
20. I broke my two front teeth in a waterslide accident when I was 11.
21. I have an obsession with teeth since I'm self-conscious about mine, and that's the first thing I notice on people.
22. I tell Hyrum that if he had nasty teeth, he would have had to get them fixed before I could have married him. Sounds shallow, doesn't it? I just think it would have caused problems if I had to look at bad teeth everyday and kiss him for the rest of my life.
23. I'm a perfectionist.
24. I was married in the Medford, Oregon temple because the Rogue Valley is my favorite place on earth.
25. Mine was one of the first marriages in that temple because it was brand new.
26. While waiting for the sealing ceremony in the celestial room, a temple worker told me I was the most "beautifully modest bride" she'd ever seen. Normally wedding dresses aren't modest enough for the temple because of short sleeves or low necklines or something.
27. I always wanted to get married in June, but Hyrum wanted to get married in December. I think it's because he didn't want to wait another 6 months since he'd already waited over a year a half for me to marry him.
28. I was married on December 30, 2000.
29. Hyrum bought an engagement ring for me 2 months after I met him.
30. Hyrum had my engagement ring for a year and a half before I would accept it from him. When he thought I'd never say yes to him, he wrapped it up like a present and tried to give it to me as a Christmas present. I wouldn't open it and I refused to take it.
31. I was positive I'd wait for my missionary when he left on his mission.
32. I made it 9 months before I Dear-Johned my missionary, but I still waited for him to return so I wouldn't have regrets or "what-ifs".
33. Hyrum is the reason I Dear-Johned my missionary.
34. Hyrum waited for me the whole time I waited for my missionary. I know I put Hyrum through far more pain than I put my missionary through because Hyrum had to see me everyday and know I couldn't let go of my missionary, yet he never belittled me for it.
35. I had a confirmation from the Holy Ghost that I should marry Hyrum 2 months after I met him, but I couldn't get my missionary out of my heart until he returned and I saw how he'd changed. It became crystal clear after that that I was in fact supposed to marry Hyrum. My missionary and I are much better suited with who we are with now.
36. I made a list of what I wanted in my life when I graduated from high school, and at my 10 year reunion they gave it back to me and when I read it, I realized that Hyrum fulfilled everything I'd written on there. We thought it was pretty cool. We were definitely made for each other.
37. I have a chicken pox scar on my right lower lashline. I can't grow eyelashes there and it makes it really difficult to do my mascara.
38. My eyes are my favorite feature, aside from the pock mark.
39. I can't stand my hair. I have bad hair days every day. I've given up on it and just usually wear it back.
40. The most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me was said when I was finding it difficult to get to the post office to mail her something because I was extremely busy, 8 months pregnant and was dreading hauling my other two kids through pouring rain. The statement was "If it's such a burden to haul kids around, then stop having them!" She's not a mother yet, which is the only reason I can think she'd say something like that.
41. The sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me is "I love you, Mommy. You're the best mommy in the whole world." Tilly said that.
42. If I had unlimited money, I'd get regular chiropractic work and weekly massages.
43. Ever since getting pregant, I can only ride one rollercoaster before I feel sick.
44. I never used to get sick on rides. As a kid, I could ride them over and over and not feel a thing.
45. I've only been carsick and thrown up once.
46. People tell me I work too hard while I'm pregnant, but it's never hurt my kids, so I keep doing it.
47. I was moving boxes, clothes and furniture while I was in labor with Kiersa. Hyrum and Maren timed my contractions while we moved stuff.
48. My obstetrician with Hyatt taught Hyrum how to check my dilation and effacement so we'd know when to head to the hospital.
59. With Hyatt, I left for the hospital when I was dilated to almost 5 cm (out of 10), and spent 20 hours in the hospital in full-on labor before Hyatt was born.
50. With Kiersa, I didn't want to labor in the hospital so long, so I didn't leave for the hospital until I was almost at 7 cm.
51. I should have left sooner because I didn't get enough antibiotics via IV before Kiersa was born, so she had to have antibiotics for 2 days in the hospital.
52. Kiersa's labor was only 3 1/2 hours in the hospital, and she basically pushed herself out without me doing very much to assist her.
53. Talea's labor was 9 hours from induction to birth.
54. I got toxemia when pregnant with Talea and was induced 2 weeks early.
55. Talea was only 5 1/2 pounds, and each baby has been one pound heavier than the previous one.
56. Hyrum delivered Kiersa and Hyatt, with the doctor close by and Talea was in the room to watch Kiersa's birth.
57. The nurses tell Hyrum to go to school and be a labor and delivery nurse or an OB because he really knows his stuff.
58. I told Talea she can pull this next baby out, but Hyrum felt sad that his job was being taken away, so I told Talea she has to "assist" Hyrum. It was my doctor's idea in the first place and Talea can't wait.
59. I have a scar on my nose from a pyogenic granuloma (google it) I got while pregnant with Kiersa.
60. PGs happen in less than 5% of pregnancies, and I got one!
61. I snow skied once while at Ricks and have never cared to try it again.
62. I got a terrible enema after falling when I water skied behind the George's boat and have hated it ever since.
63. I love tubing in the river and behind boats on the lake.
64. I love to sew, but never get a chance to do it.
65. I can no longer hand sew or embroider because my carpal tunnel is getting so bad.
66. I was a Mary Kay consultant for about 8 months and was just about to get the first car, but I quit when Hyrum decided to buy the kitchen business and couldn't help me with it.
67. Hyrum was doing Mary Kay with me for the purpose of retiring and us doing it together so we could spend every moment of every day together like when we drove semi.
68. Hyrum and I spent 2 years on a semi where we were less than 3 feet away from each other 24 hours a day, except if we used separate bathrooms.
69. We adored it, though most people say it would drive them crazy.
70. I get easily irritated, grumpy and emotional while pregnant.
71. When I get really, really, really mad or irritated about something someone does, I write them an email and let them know how I feel, and it gets me in trouble.
72. Every time I've written those mean emails, I've been pregnant.
73. I don't know that things would get to me so much in a non-pregnant state.
74. I always have regret after writing a mean email, but I keep writing them when provoked.
75. I have no desire to be the favorite aunt, sister, or daughter, like my sister does.
76. I'm secretly competitive, but hate to play games if score is being kept.
77. I got several C's and D's in 6th grade, so my dad gave me a pep talk and I got straight A's the next two years, and kept good grades through college.
78. I have a great memory, except while pregnant.
79. I'm a good speller, and reading poor spelling bugs me.
80. I HATE it when Hyrum bites his nails because it makes a nails on the chalkboard squeek.
81. No one is allowed to stand when peeing at my toilet, unless they want to clean the toilet afterward.
82. No matter how sneaky he is, I catch Hyrum every time he has secretly peed standing up. I just KNOW it's happened because it's something that bothers me SO bad.
83. Hyrum can't figure out how I can tell he's peed standing up.
84. I tell people to go pee in the bushes if they refuse to sit.
85. I'm a little more leniant on that rule with guests, but I hesitate to have them over again if they've stood.
86. I've only lived in 4 states (Oregon, California, Idaho and Utah).
87. My two favorite things about Oregon are: no sales tax and I never have to pump my own gas.
88. I hate sweeping and mopping and cleaning bathrooms.
89. I don't mind dishes (but I despise hand washing ) and laundry isn't that bad, but it does stack up before I do it.
90. I bought a high capacity HE washer and dryer so my laundry could stack up and still be done in only a couple of loads. I'll never go back to regular washers and dryers again.
91. I started hated cooking when I started cooking for a picky eater (Hyrum).
92. In college, I had a professor try to convince me to switch majors to clothing and textiles so I could design patterns (she thought I had talent), but I wasn't interested.
93. I love interior design and enjoyed teaching it at Park City High.
94. I used to want at least 6 kids, but after the birth of each of my kids, I've wanted to quit because I get stressed out easily.
95. Hyrum and I had 3 miniature pinschers that were our kids when we thought we'd never be able to have kids. One was killed by a hit-and-run car incident recently.
96. I was born in the house my parents still live in.
97. My whole life I've wanted to buy that house and live in it for the rest of my life, until recently. I think I want to stay in this area now.
98. I lived in that house my whole life (aside from one year in California and college and teaching) until I got married.
99. I love riding horses, but it hurts my knee now.
100. I'm 10 months older than Hyrum.
101. Every guy I dated, except for one, was younger than me. Hmmm.
102. I dread girls nights out because I'm uncomfortable in social situations without Hyrum, and therefore don't have many girl friends. I stick to my family.
103. I love yard work.
104. My biggest fear is that if Hyrum dies before me, I will become mentally unstable or I'll die of sadness. I honestly don't know how I could live without him because he is EVERYTHING to me.