Open Book

Since my life seems like it's a bit of an open book I am not sure what I can say in one of these lists that most people don't already know:

1. I survived the Teton Dam Flood - I was 10 years old, it was the summer between 4 and 5th grade and instead of feeling like a tragedy, it felt like an adventure. Especially when all we had to drink for days was Strawberry Crush soda.

2. Sometimes I say say "soda" and sometimes I say "pop". I grew up saying "pop", I say "soda" more often now - this is mainly because when I worked for Ethan A. Miller, Esq. when we lived in Virginia, part of my job was to keep the fridge stocked. One day I asked "do you need me to go buy some pop?". He actually laughed at me and said "Pop! Do you mean Soda?" Sometimes I just compromise and say "soda pop".

3. I'm adopted. I found out who my biological mother was when I was in my 20s. A few weeks ago I found out who my biological father was. My biological mother died in a plane crash in the 80s. I have two half brothers who were her sons. One of them died in an avalanche while skiing in the 80s. For some odd reason this makes me feel strangely invincible.

4. When I got the geneological records for my biological mother I found out that I'm actually related to my Dad (the one who raised me). It's like 5 generations back or something, but it matters somehow. It has comforted me in weird ways sometimes.

5. I never liked being adopted, but I've come to accept it.

6. I am a democrat, both my parents are republican, they blame BYU on my liberal tendencies. This makes me laugh. But also, I think they are probably right about that.

7. Like Cindi Tanner, I too tend to ascribe animate feelings to inanimate objects. I remember canning peaches with my mom and worrying that I might be separating family members into different jars.

8. I love to laugh. More than anything else I can think of.

9. I was raised to be superstitious. I think I've mostly rejected most of those thoughts but still, I don't see the point in walking under a ladder just to temp fate.

10. My mom is very superstitious, and although an active member of the LDS church, believes some things which I do not think are quite in alignment with church teachings. Her ancestors were all from Switzerland - some of them considered themselves "witches". I grew up on stories of them predicting deaths and reading tea leaves and other weird things.

11. When I was in second grade I charged my fellow classmates to do palm readings. One of the old ladies in my moms family taught me. I got in trouble by my teacher and had to give the money back.

12. Sometimes even now I find myself sneaking a peak at a persons palm from time to time. I put no stock in it though.

13. My mother took us to a 'naturpath' doctor when we were young. I call him a witch doctor though. He had us doing all kind of questionable weirdness. Staring through a prism while walking around outside, putting our name written in pencil on a slip of paper on a white board and then swinging a pendulum over our name, mud baths. Bizzaro.

14. When I tease my mom about this now she tells me "well it worked though didn't it?!". I must say that I disagree, but she's convinced.

15. Both my parents were postal workers. I used to go with my mom and help her deliver the mail on her rural route. She let me drive the car while she delivered. I was about 12 years old at the time.

16. I'm from Idaho so we all get our drivers licenses by 14 anyway, so I guess 12 didn't seem that young.

17. I learned to drive a tractor when I was a teenager too.

18. When I was 16/17 I worked at a Sno Shack (shaved ice stand). My favorite flavor was Tiger's Blood.

19. When I was 18 I worked as a maid in West Yellowstone Montana. I met Kirk there. He was working as a cook in a local restaurant. So I worked at the "Dude" and he worked at the "Silver Spur".

20. I "waited" for Kirk while he was on his mission. He will tell you that I did not "wait" very well. I think he probably should not complain a whole lot since I am still with him, so whatever I did must have worked.

21. I'm scared of Rats and Birds. But I am less scared as I get older. I not scared of anything else that I can think of.

22. Except talking on the phone. I don't mind talking to a friend but I can barely stand to make a call to anyone else.

23. I hate asking for favors or for help. I hate to inconvenience anyone.

24. I love being alone sometimes.

25. I love independent movies. The weirder the better.

26. I love summer, I love the beach, I love swimming pools.

27. I had a best friend all through jr. high and high school and we still talk and catch up from time to time. She had a daughter born on my birthday. When I found out who my biological mother was, I also found out her birthday was the same as my friend.

28. My best friend since moving to Phoenix is Shannon - (also known as Shando) people seem to think were connected at the hip but really we are very different from one another. I think we just appreciate our differences.

29. My celebrity crushes are John Cusack and Johnny Depp and Hugh Grant. When I was young my celebrity crushes were Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe and John Cusack.

30. I always wanted to be a famous writer. That seems like the perfect kind of famous.

31. I do fake karate moves around the house and engage in general silliness to disarm my children. Kirk sometimes mentions that there was no full disclosure about my propensity to do this prior to our marriage.


32. I genuinely like all of my children and they seem to genuinely like me too. I consider this one of my greatest accomplishments.

33. I still mentally collect names I like, even though I know I will not be having any more children. The other day I heard the name "Wren" for a girl and made a mental note.

34. I do not think Oprah is the anti-christ. But I do think Ann Coulter might be a demon - she has the preturnatural possessed look.

35. I believe in psychotherapy, retail therapy, and pedicures as cures for what ails you.

36. I adore Ikea.

37. If I couldn't live in the United States I would move to the UK or to Iceland.

38. I love art, architecture, fashion and music.

39. I love the smell of freshly cut grass and orange blossoms.

40. I'm a night owl. I have to force myself to go the sleep by midnight. I get up most days at 5:30 am. I'm always tired. Even though I am always tired, I can't go to bed any earlier. I'm so used to be tired, I don't really mind any more, it feels kind of normal.

41. I love bubble baths. I fall asleep in the bathtub a lot. (see number 40 above).

42. I dance a lot when I'm home alone.

43. I love Las Vegas. Even though I know it's decadent and terrible in a kind of way.

44. I'm a city girl.

45. Sometimes I conduct my day as though I'm being observed on a monitor somewhere by a committee of nameless faceless strangers. I have no idea why I do this, but I've done it since I was a kid. I don't know if it's a weird kind of narcissism or what.

46. I always wanted to be Madonna. I got over it.

47. I think Sean Penn is the greatest actor of my generation.

48. I'm fascinated by serial killers.

49. I believe in the basic goodness of all mankind.

50. I'm sort of fearless about a lot things. I'm oddly calm in a crisis situation. I've always felt very protected in a sort of grand cosmic way.

51. I think in color - by that I mean that letters have colors and numbers have colors - I color code people's names. I'm also quite visual with time - month and weeks have a layout in my head which is also color coded and I'm always aware of where I am in relation to which month, day, year, week, and decade we are in. Historical events get remembered this way too - they have a spot on this grand color coded calendar in my head. Decades are color coded too - the 40s were pink, the 50s red, the 60s blue, the 70s yellow, the 80s green, the 90s orange and the 2000s are yellow again. I can't explain why - it just is.

52. I'm horrible at math and physics.

53. When I was little I wanted to be a doctor.

54. I've probably seen the movie "Pretty In Pink" around a hundred times. I'll still watch it again.

55. I also wanted to be Molly Ringwald. I got over that too, but not totally.