Fifteen Facts

I am going to copy Lindsay's idea and do the 30 Day Challenge. I just think it looks like fun. So here we go!

Day 1: A picture of yourself and 15 facts.

1. I like to live in imaginary worlds. Reading and watching movies are some of my favorite pastimes.

2. I am an avid gamer. No, not a video gamer. A board, card, and pretty much anything else gamer.

3. I like to make people laugh. And I tend to make myself laugh the most.

4. I like to watch documentaries, all kinds. That nerdiness surprises people.

5. When I was younger I designed what I wanted my future house to look like, but I haven't once thought about what I want my wedding to be like.

6. I am lactose-intolerant. And mint-chocolate chip ice cream is my downfall. Or cheese.

7. I don't just like things, I obsess over them.

8. I have watched every season of Survivor and Amazing Race. No, I am not ashamed.

9. I would seriously eat mashed potatoes at every meal.

10. I tend to not care about fashion rules. Actually, I don't even know all the fashion rules.

11. I work with people with disabilities, adults and kids. And I absolutely love it!

12. I can't sleep with socks on.

13. I am really bad about answering my phone or text messages. And I wonder why no one calls or texts me anymore...

14. I would rather ride than drive.

15. I have trained my body to fall asleep to the movie The Day After Tomorrow. I fall asleep so fast if you put that movie in!

Sorry for the previous ugly post

I HATE PUTTING PICTURES ON BLOGS! It never stays in the format I put them. But I was fed up with trying to fix it, so there you have it. The post is still good, so read it, even with the annoying pictures.

HAPPY 2011 EVERYONE! :) Let's make this another great year.

Gratitude and Acknowledgement

4 years of my life I spent out in Utah. During those good years I had many friends that touched my life in their own special ways. Now call me nostalgic or sappy or whatever you want, but I just wanted to go through some of those people. They all helped me become the person I am today. I thought about writing this post a few weeks back but decided not to because I thought it might embarrass someone or whatever. Then Sunday in Relief Society we had a lesson on gratitude. The teacher talked about the importance of expressing it and it made me think of this post. Maybe, there is a better way to express my gratitude for the many people in my life. But I think this way it also helps me recognize what each person has done for me. And hopefully it's a little refresher so I can continue to try and learn these lessons. This post will probably be long, so feel free to skim or skip it altogether. :)

FRESHMAN YEAR

Becky "Dos"- Great example of how one simple act can make someone's bad day a good one. She was so observant of how others were feeling. I can't count how many times she did small simple things that really changed my day and ultimately my outlook on life.

Rachel- Taught me "somethings are worth getting up at 6am to wait in line out in the cold" :) Seriously though, she was so good about making everything fun. I am pretty sure there was never a time that Rachel and I got together and didn't laugh and have the best time ever. Also, she taught me laughing is contagious. And she has the best laugh ever!!! She was also my sports buddy! I am so grateful I had her to go to sporting events with and watch them on tv! My college years would have been very boring if it wasn't for her.

Lisa-A fantastic example of what a true friend is. She always seemed to be doing something for her friends. She truly does all she can for the ones she cares about. I probably still owe her for everything she did for me.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

All the guys I hung out with Sophomore year- I definitely learned many "dos" and "donts" of dating from them. :) But I also learned many other things in my time with them through their examples and discussions with them. I have some very fond memories from times with them. Specific things from some of them: Tagg- A great example of sincerely making a person feel special and appreciated. I still have a list of "Taggisms". Wes and Brian- They were good examples of always trying to do the right thing. Jason K.- He showed me the beauty in not rushing. Taking time to sit back and enjoy God's creations. Devon and John- Sometimes you just have to let loose and act like a little kid. We always had a good time enjoying life. Jake- He always took the time to listen to me when I needed someone to talk to. Jake was there when I truly needed a good friend.

Char- Thinking of Char brings to mind being happy, positive, and many other good thoughts. Char was a perfect example of having a good attitude. Even when life would try and bring her down she would take a positive look on things. She loves life and is always up for anything. I truly loved that about Char. We went on so many fun adventures!

JUNIOR YEAR

Summer of 2009 Group- That summer was one heck of a good time, as summers always are. These people showed me that sometimes staying up till 5am talking, playing drinking games with lemonade, watching tv shows, and doing whatever else is better than sleep. Sleep you don't remember but I will always have those memories. (Until I have dementia, and at that point I will catch up on all the sleep that I missed) One more thing, the group was extra fun because of our dynamic. We were all funny and crazy in our own way which made for some pretty fun and funny times!

Rusty- He was true to himself. Rusty is one of the funniest and best guys around. And one of the wonderful things about him is he doesn't put on a show. He is who he is. And I LOVE it!

Lindsay- She is one of those people that are good all the time. :) She is a wonderful example of being nice to everyone and being everyone's friend. Another thing she was way good at supporting and being involved in Church things. She was such a great example to me in that way.

Mary- I like to think that I became more witty after knowing Mary because she is the most witty person I know. And I love it. (Though her skills probably didn't rub off on me.) Mary helped me with lots of little things that she probably doesn't even realize: spending my money wiser, being more organized, listening to music on youtube, wasting time on the computer ;) etc. She was also good at making the most of the time we had.

Matt- One of the funniest people I know, but he knew there was a time and place for it. And this may sound funny, but he was truly humble too.

Andrea- She was an example to me in leaving Utah and moving somewhere totally on her own. She had so much courage and spontaneity. Her example helped me realize change is a good thing and I could move on with my life too. She also made life fun all the time! You couldn't help but enjoy yourself when you were with her.

SENIOR YEAR

Brett and Josh- They were my home teachers my Senior year. And quite possibly the best I ever had. They truly cared about me and made such a great effort. Both were such good examples for me when I needed it.

Guys at BYU Food To Go (Spencer, Drew, and Chris)- These guys made work so much fun. But they also were such good examples of how a husband should treat their wives. I often thought that I want my future husband to have some of the qualities these guys have.

Todd- Todd was such a great example of always trying his best at everything. Even on days when we didn't really want to work he would put in 100%. Something I also really liked was that he was always reading a new book on something that interested him. It showed the importance of continuing your learning outside of school.

Ben- He showed me that simple funny texts can really make your day. Ben is always making people smile. And he is so good about giving people compliments. You always feel good about yourself when you are around Ben.

LAST TWO :)

Michelle- I think I can honestly say she is the nicest person I have ever met. She sees good in everyone and would never say anything bad about anyone. Sometimes I teased her about being too nice but it was something I really did admire. Being friends with Michelle was easy because I knew she would never judge me. If I was to be more like anyone I would want to be more like Michelle. I loved being able to act like a little kid with her and just enjoy life. We never cared what anyone thought and that made life so much happier!

Vanessa- She was with me all 4 years and I have NO clue what I would have done without her. She was what I needed in a best friend at college. It was pretty perfect: what we needed to be alike on we were alike. But then we were opposite on the things that we needed to differ on to help each other. It was great to have her around. She was my family away from home and I always knew she cared for me and would be there for me, even after she was married. She was an example to me in many ways. Some included: the ability she had to love people, her hard work ethic, her strong relationships with her family, and enjoying life's simple pleasures. Someday I wish to have as good of a relationship as her and her husband have. They are both great people and I am so happy to call them my friends. (Woah, this one was little sappy. But it's okay because it's how I feel and I really love Vanessa and TJ)

Sorry for the soapbox. If you read it all, I applaud you. If you didn't, I understand.

THE END. Finally.

Patience Is Calm Endurance

Lately I have been studying and thinking a lot about patience. I have never been the most patient person. Actually until recently I was probably one of the most impatient people ever. I am still not perfect but I am definitely much better than I was.

One thing that I really focused on was how patience and faith go hand in hand. Faith requires patience and patience requires faith. My favorite scripture about faith and patience is Alma 32:41-43. It shows how your faith grows through patience and how they work together. It's been a great testimony builder for me lately because I am really having to have patience. A lot of things in my life are requiring patience. And I know that without my faith I would be having a really hard time lately. But with my faith I know that things will work out.

A really good talk about patience is President Uchtdorf's talk in the last Priesthood session. One great quote is "Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith. It means being willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father. Ultimately, patience means being firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so."

Funny side note to end this post. Since I have become more patient I have become so I am not in a hurry ever. Seriously. I do everything slowly. Especially driving. It frustrates some people, but I don't see the rush. It's all about living in the moment. :)

If you are what you eat...

...then be on the look out for some strange animal behaviors from me.

Haha. Okay, JK. 88% But really, I like to try different foods, different animals to be exact. Lately, it has a bigger thing for me. I decided it is really fun though. Even though some are not so good, others are great. I want to keep adding to the list. But I have to wait for the opportunities. It's much better if it goes with the culture and there is a story behind it. And I don't just go out and buy something to say I ate it. Well, that's what I think.

My list:

Bison: Lots of people have had bison, so it isn't that different I guess. I have had it in burger and bratwurst form. It didn't taste all that different and was pretty good.

Crawdad: Ate this back home in good ole SW Missouri.

Yum. Actually, it didn't really taste like much. One 4th of July we caught some and decided to cook 'em up.

Octopus: This one I had in Spain. And I hated it. The texture is gross. That is pretty much all I have to say about it.

Alligator: On a family trip to Florida my dad decided we all needed to try gator. I didn't really care for it much, but it was better than octopus. :)

Chicken Heart: Anyone that has been to Tucanos has eaten one of these. Not bad actually.

Quail Egg: Another Tucaons thing, but seriously nasty.

Ostrich: I had an ostrich burger not that long ago. And actually it was really good. The meat is leaner so it is pretty chewy. I enjoyed the burger.

Frog Legs: This is my most recent addition to the list. I had one while in Kentucky. It was not good. It was stringy and tasted like what I pictured a frog to taste like. And just so you know that is not a good taste.

I need some new adventures so I can add to the list!!!! :)

Things That Make Me Tasha

I have been contemplating a lot of things lately. And for some reason random little things about me keep coming to my mind. All the things that make me, well ME. There are all the obvious things, but there are some not so obvious too.

*I love drinking water from the hose.

*The past summer I have fell in love with.... nightgowns. Truthfully. It all started with my MRSA infection. But since then I still love them and wear them all the time. I'm like an only lady. I actually had a lady tell me once that her 80 year old mom had the same nightgown as me. Yeah, that's how cool I am.

*I am a food separatist. Foods that shouldn't be together, should be just that, not together. (My friends here in St. Louis like to point this fact out all the time.)

*I have an order for the way I do everything. Really. And I get all flustered if I have to switch it up.

*I like to wear things that don't match on purpose.

*I like to talk about myself... hence the whole blog. But I don't open up to people unless I know them really well and feel like I can trust them. Yeah, I'm confusing that way.

*I love movies. I could watch movies all the time. And I like to watch the same movie over and over again.

*I don't know how to be short and to the point. I drag out every story and even voicemails..

*I leisurely drive and walk. I don't mean for fun. I mean I seriously drive and walk slowly. I am not in a hurry to get anywhere really.

*If I like something I obsess over it. And I am not exaggerating.

*I like to be barefoot.

*I'd rather be outdoors doing anything than inside. I feel trapped and bored indoors.

*I'm very competitive. Though, I think I have gotten better about this.

*Most of the time I am motivated by fun. I just like to live and love life. :)

There you have a post about me. A little self-absorbed, but oh well. :) Don't worry a post not so self-absorbed is coming soon. haha.

Frogger Lost

Missouri is overflowing with animals. This is what I have to keep telling myself... Why you may ask? Because I seem to be on an unconscious mission to make the number of animals in Missouri smaller. I spent 4 years of my driving life in Utah and never hit any animals. But here in Missouri, it's like they intently cross the street when I am driving.

Now, I am usually not upset about hitting the animals because eh its an animal. Most of the time it is a opossum and they aren't really good for anything. I hit one a couple weeks ago and while it was really gross I didn't mind it much. But last night I ran over a frog. And it really upset me. I had to turn around and make sure that I hit it. I was hoping so much that I was seeing things. Nope. Flat as a pancake. Seeing it clearly just upset me more. I don't know why I was so sad because really it was a frog. Poor frog. I'm very sorry.

Naturally, I had to tell someone about my frog killing. So, I sent out a text to a select few people. One friend responded with "Did you try kissing it to wake it up?" That made me laugh and I soon forgot about my sadness. Yay, for clever, funny friends. Though, apparently I am distracted easily.