100 Things About Me (Round 4)

76. I want to ride on a train. The only trains I’ve ever been on are the Disneyland Park Tour and the bullet train I took from Tokyo to Yonezawa, Japan. Every summer I say I’m going to take the Amtrak from Washington to Glacier National Park, or from Seattle down to Northern California. Maybe next year.

77. I love to wear dresses or skirts. I secretly wish nurses still wore them

78. My favorite books in 5th grade were:

• My Side of the Mountain: I wanted to run away and have a pet falcon. I loved reading about how he survived in the wilderness. After I read this book, I daydreamed about running away and what supplies I would take. It’s not that I didn’t want to live at home… I just wanted to live by myself. I think I was sharing a room with Ande at the time. No connection, of course.
• Island of the Blue Dolphins: Again, I just wanted to live alone on an island with my wild dog named Rontu that had blue eyes. I just wanted to make spears and go fishing and… I guess be by myself. I do remember being disappointed when there weren’t any dolphins in the book. Who names a book about dolphins and then doesn’t even put a dolphin in it.
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: (Ha ha ha, I’m seeing a trend here) I think I loved this book because I liked the idea of running away to a museum and taking baths in the fountain. Ande, I think we needed our own rooms during my fifth-grade year. I was daydreaming about running away and reading fictional survival guides.

79. When I was 12 I got to go to two BYU Sport Camps. I chose diving and gymnastics. I liked them both the same, but I was actually really good at diving. I got one of the two awards they handed out at the end of the camp. I got the “Best Form / High Hurdle” award. My freshman year at BYU, I took the diving class (Exercise Science 121: Springboard diving). Only bad part about it was that I had wet hair for the rest of the day. Everyone in English 201, my class right after diving, thought I never did my hair.

80. I still remember my D.A.R.E officer’s name, Officer Tuttle. I still remember pledging to him with all my heart that I would never do drugs. I still remember when Josh Williamson, the class clown, put a question in the “Officer Tuttle Question Box” that said, “Did you know kids do drugs?” Officer Tuttle got mad at us because we all started laughing so hard. Lighten-up Officer Tuttle, we’re 5th graders. He gave us a lecture about taking D.A.R.E seriously. Don’t worry Officer Tuttle, I know I took D.A.R.E seriously because I still remember you and that fervent pledge to keep myself drug free. I KNOW to say NO. (Oh, I also remember Byron Walker’s mom washed his D.A.R.E shirt with bleach the day before D.A.R.E pictures. All of us had nice black shirts. Byron’s was chunky-corn-brown)

81. Every Spring, I still go around my parent’s yard and see how many bird’s nests I can find. I check on them regularly all Spring long until the birds fly away.

82. When I was somewhere between the age of 5-10, I told my mom I was kind of excited for her to die, BECAUSE I was excited for her to give me my inheritance. She got really mad at me for being rude and then started to cry. I still feel really bad about that. Mom, I’m sorry. I don’t want you to die and I don’t need an inheritance.

83. In high school and college when I started to study and read classic literature, I kept thinking, “Hey, there’s a cartoon about this.” Finally, I understood why Garfield was walking around carrying a skull and saying, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” I understood why those snake thingies in the ocean (Sirens) were singing “Pennies, Nickels, Quarters, Dimes. Come to us while there’s still time” to Uncle Scrooge on Duck Tales. I understood why Mickey Mouse was confusing windmills with giants. It’s kind of sad, cartoons didn’t start making sense until I was too old to watch them. On the other hand, it was like I’d already read the cliff notes.

84. I love making pottery. Someday Ande and I will have a pottery wheel and a kiln, and we will make lots of pottery, and wonder who we can give it to, and you will all get it every year for Christmas. And for your weddings, you're getting a giant serving platter. We’ve already planned it all out.

85. Growing up in rural Idaho, where you “go to town” only once every two weeks, gave me my best gift. We didn’t have many neighbors, so Abe, Ty, Ande and I always played with each other. We grew up as best friends.

86. I’m really tired of writing about myself.

87. I feel like I need to end all of these “things” with FYI. I guess as an excuse for why I’m telling you.

88. I love paisley. My sister Ande loved it so much, that it eventually rubbed off on me. Ande, you always were the trend-setter between the two of us.

89. I enjoy documentaries more than dramas. Documentaries ARE NOT reality TV.

90. I once tried to incubate a chicken egg in my ceiling light dish. My mom kiboshed that plan when she noticed me sleeping with my light on for three nights in a row.

91. I have a green thumb, unless I’m distracted. Lately I’ve been distracted and all my plants are dying.

92. I can touch my eyeball with my finger… and not blink. Amazing, I know… as you can see I’m struggling here.

93. I loved screened-in porches. The coolest ones I’ve ever seen are on base at West Point. Those old houses made out of the old granite and brick and then a screened-in porch in the back.

94. I tried Boiled Beef and Cabbage for the first time this past St. Patrick’s Day. I loved it and I’m a little bitter I was told before hand by EVERYONE, “Oh, you won’t like it. It’s gross.” Otherwise I might have tried it earlier.

95. Every day I make a list of the things I want to do. Then, I work really hard to get it all done. I don’t think I’ve EVER gotten to mark EVERYTHING off. I guess I’m not working hard enough.

96. I love shoes. This isn’t a cliché “I love chocolate” kind of love. You know, where you think, “yeah, yeah, who doesn’t like shoes and chocolate.” I mean I LOVE shoes. I mean if I had to chose between a day’s food and shoes, I’d fast with a purpose.

97. Someday when I start taking afore mentioned piano lessons, I’m going to learn how to play boogie-woogie style on the piano. If only to say I can play boogie-woogie.

98. I still like to climb trees.

99. Honey mustard is my favorite salad dressing. I’m stretching here. I mean really, what else can I think of to say.

This was out behind one of my parent's sheds near a wood pile. His web was huge and his neighbor is under one of those leaves eating a ladybug. They were both HUGE.

100. I saw these spiders the other day. I thought you guys might like to see them too.

Sigh. Done.