10 MORE FACTOIDS ABOUT LITTLE OLE ME

A while back I started to post a 25 THINGS ABOUT ME YOU NEVER WANTED TO KNOW series...and then never finished it.

BOO ME!

I like those kinds of posts, so today I am going to add the next 10.  Just in case you forgot, or heaven forbid - did not read my first post, go back and check out the first 10 I posted.  Here are the next TEN THINGS YOU NEVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ME, AND MAY EVEN REGRET ONCE YOU DO!!!!

1. I have a completely irrational fear (I think I start a lot of these little nuggets of truth about me that way!!! I definitely need to get my butt into a therapist) of...wait for it...MANATEES!  I hate them.  Gentle cow of the sea MY A**!  The other day somebody on Facebook posted an aerial picture of a woman swimming among a herd of manatee - it was horrific.  I had to close it out because it was just too much to look at!
2. I am a Human Resources professional by trade.  BOY, the stories I could tell you.  Sometimes adults don't know how to be ADULT at all.  Although there are parts of being in HR I despise, there is a lot to love - and I remind myself of that every. single. day!
3. I met my husband while serving a Mormon mission in San Sebastian, Spain.  Yes, he too was a missionary.  I often tell my children that I met Daddy on a cold winter night in the North of Spain - I stepped off the train onto the platform and saw him emerge through the steam - tall, and handsome...and you know what, THAT IS TRUE!  I didn't know I would marry him immediately - in fact, at first I thought "boy, this guy is going to be a problem".  But 1 month later I JUST KNEW.  When my parents came to Spain to pick me up at the end of my time there, I told them "Hey, see that missionary - I am going to marry him".  And so I did - 3 years and 11 months later!  
4. I lived in Boston, MA for just about a year.  Why you ask?  Just because. I wanted to try something different and I had a GREAT friend who was living there and encouraged me to take the leap.  Salt Lake will always be my home -  and I was so happy to return, but I will always have a fondness in my heart for Bean Town!
5. My father died of pancreatic cancer on my 27th birthday - 4 months after I married my husband and when I was 9 weeks pregnant with my daughter.  It is the single most life changing thing I have been through. Not even becoming a wife or a mother has changed me as much as watching my father die, and dealing with the subsequent impact his death has had on my family.  I have missed my Dad every single day of my life since he passed away - and I am grateful for the knowledge that we will be reunited one day.
6. My favorite color is Black.  If you have to ask why - you need look no further than the title of this blog.  Black is the most forgiving color to a large and in charge lady like myself.  
7. I grew up on a farm and spent most of my summers working on it with my little sister and my Dad.  I moved irrigation pipe, helped shear sheep, rolled hay bales, and just about anything else my Dad needed help with.  At the time I hated every minute of it - now I am so grateful that I had that opportunity.  It taught me the value of hard work, and of course left me with many fond memories of my Dad.
8. While living in Spain I became very fluent in Castillian Spanish.  In fact, I had a roommate who spoke nothing but Spanish and after living with her for 2 months, I thought, dreamed and lived in Spanish.  In fact, at one point I tried to read a sign that was posted on a statue by my apartment.  For the life of me I could not figure out what it said - I felt very sheepish when I realized that the sign was in English.   I just didn't think in English any more!  Now a days I no longer consider myself fluent - but give me 2 weeks immersed in a Spanish speaking country and I will be back on my game!
9.  I hate to cook.  DESPISE IT.  My dream is to hire a personal chef so I never have to set foot in the kitchen again!  
10. I am proud to belong to the Mormon faith.  There are many, many reasons why - I could never list them all here...but I will shout out just a few: I love its focus on family as an eternal unit, and the supreme importance of family in this life, and the life to come. It provides me with the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father AND a loving Heavenly Mother who know me by name and who want me to have all that they do - just like ANY loving parents here would want for their children!  It has taught  me where we came from, why we are here, what our purpose is, and where we are going when we leave this life...and that knowledge has brought me more comfort than I can say during some of the most difficult times in my life. NO, I don't drink coffee or tea, don't drink alcohol and don't believe in pre-marital sex - and I'm dang proud of it.  And, yes, I wear garments and cannot for the life of me understand the fascination with them - MANY religions have sacred clothing they wear  - we are no different. There is a lot of misinformation and a lot of misconceptions out there about the LDS faith - and in some cases a whole lot of hostility towards the church - and that just makes me plain sad.  There are so many wonderful things about this church! Sure, there are some bad apples in the church - but there are bad apples in every organization under the sun!!! You don't throw the whole bushel out because of a few bad apples!!  One HUGE pet peeve of mine is when people want to learn about the Mormon church and  go to anti-Mormon sources or ex-mormons to get the "scoop". If you want to know the scoop, ask a practicing Mormon!  ANYWAY, I am a proud member of my church and just thought you should know!!!

So, there are 10 more things you never wanted to know about me!  5 more to go!

Weight loss journey update coming soon!