List of 10 Things

10 Things I Am Passionate About

1. My children
2. Photography
3. Music - all kinds. There is always music in our home.
4. Letting kids be kids. They are only little once. Why make them keep clean? Let them explore and get into things. Make a mess. They clean up pretty good. It also makes for some good pictures and memories.
5. Don't be judgemental. It is not up to us to judge each other. Love everyone. We are not perfect, and neither is anyone else. Relax!
6. Golden Rule - treat those how you want to be treated.
7. Religion
8. Disinfecting - especially the bathroom. Come over anytime and you are almost guaranteed an exceptionally germ-free bathroom experience.
9. Ironing. I iron everything. I cannot stand for clothes to have wrinkles. I know I have better ways to spend my time, but I iron Ben's t-shirts, shorts & pants, everything of Reese's - including onesies, and my shirts and levis. Usually, by that time, I am so spent that I don't quite make it to Greg's stuff. Sorry, babe.
10. TEETH! I cannot stand when people go days without brushing their teeth. That drives me insane ... because everyone who looks at you can tell and it is just gross in my book. I brush my teeth at least twice a day, and I make sure to scrub my kids' teeth as well.


10 Songs I Could Listen To Over And Over Again

1. Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
2. Keeper of the Stars - Tracy Byrd
3. Look at You Girl - Chris LeDoux
4. Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
5. Remember When - Alan Jackson
6. Home - Michael Buble
7. Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary
8. When I Close My Eyes - Kenny Chesney
9. Ave Maria
10. Les Miserables soundtrack (I saw it in London)

Past 10 Books I Have Read

1. I Am A Mother - Jane Clayson Johnson
2. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
3. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - Richard Carlson
4. The Sunflower - Richard Paul Evans
5. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
6. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks (never seen the movie)
7. Twilight Series
8. Zoo's Who? - children's book
9. Thomas the Train & the Big Bridge
10. Tigger's Breakfast


10 Things I Say Often

1. I love you so much!
2. You are such a good big brother, Ben!
3. Good eating, Reese! (trying for the positive reinforcement)
4. Ben, take a bite ... Ben ... take a bite of your food. Yo!
5. That's enough
6. I need you to be a good listener
7. I'm going to get you (and the chase begins)
8. You are my favorite
9. Reese, stay out of the bathroom
10. Turn around and sit down (to Reese going down the stairs)

10 Things That Attract Me To a Friend

1. Real people that are genuine & don't pretend to be perfect.
2. People who can carry on a conversation
3. Honesty. Tell me the truth, not just what you think I want to hear.
4. Loves me for who I am and is concerned about me as an individual
5. A good listener
6. Someone who will let me do something for them, like clean their house as a surprise, or take their kids just because. Won't talk me out of it, but doesn't expect it from me.
7. Respects me and doesn't think they are better than me and try to walk all over me.
8. Love for life and for their children and family.
9. Make an effort to keep in touch. Don't leave it all up to me - which is usually what does happen most of the time because life is crazy.
10. Will let me see them as they are & not try to hide what they don't like.

10 Random Things About Me

1. Everytime I see a baby born on tv, whether it is watching a video of my own children being born or just something on the discovery channel ... it brings me to tears every time. It is just so emotional for me. I treasure that I got to experience that, and when someone I know is going through that, I am envious of them and ready to have that experience again for myself. It is so spiritual, these new little beings coming straight from heaven. It is so touching and so moving.
2. Seeing soldiers coming home. Any footage I watch of soldiers getting off a plane and people clapping for them or shaking their hand just moves me. I am so grateful for them and what they do for us and our country.
3. I do not like to wear shoes. I only wear them when I absolutely have to, like driving or going to the store. They get kicked off everytime I go in someone's home, especially my own.
4. I love thunderstorms completely!
5. I am not a scrapbooker, and I don't think I ever will be. I decided this when I was pregnant with Ben. I knew that as a photographer, I would be taking thousands of pictures of him and future kids as well. I knew full well that with all those pictures, I could not scrapbook them all. I bought some albums and slid some pictures in. I did that until he was maybe 7 months old. Haven't done any since. I need to get on top of that.
6. I truly am not a judgemental person. It really bothers me to see others being so judgemental to everyone around them. I accept people as they are - quirks and everything - that's what makes us who we are.
7. I love, love the Bacon Western Burger from Carl's Jr - thanks to Leslie, Greg's sister. Sometimes (in the past, past) I could not get enough!
8. I LOVE my TempurPedic bed and can't understand how anyone can comfortably sleep on anything else!
9. Sunsets - they take my breath away.
10. I go out of my way to be sure to not step on potato bugs, and to make sure no one else steps on them either ... or runs them over with the car.

10 Things I Want To Do Before I Die

1. See my children as adults, married with kids & happy
2. Read the Book of Mormon cover to cover (ya ... )
3. Travel to Europe (again) & China (again)
4. Run a half marathon - hey, I'm shooting for realistic here
5. Take my kids - when they are kids - to the beach & Disneyland
6. Have a waiting list 6 weeks out for people who want me (& Laura) to photograph them, and have me charging $300-$500 to do so - it WILL happen!
7. Be debt free
8. Have a food storage how I am suppose to
9. Get my bathroom walls painted - yet it's not that simple. We need to put waterproof sheetrock in first, but before that we have to get a new tub or refinish the one we have ... one day, I hope.
10. Fit into a size 5 again ... sigh ... I'm almost there, if I'm thinking really positively.

10 Things I Have Learned This Past Year

1. It's okay if your house isn't spotless every minute of every day. It is more important to be a mom and sit on the floor and play with your kids.
2. Friends come and friends go ... and that is okay - everything has a season
3. My husband is my best friend. I am so blessed he is mine. He is my everything.
4. Forgiveness is a marvelous thing.
5. My parents are my rock. They are both such wonderful people and did such a wonderful job raising me and my brothers. I couldn't have asked for anyone better than them.
6. Learning to slow down and enjoy the moments, because you don't get them back.
7. Even if you think you're great at something, you can always improve and make yourself better at it. It may take letting down your pride a little bit, but once you do, you can really go much farther (further?)
8. Eating healthy really isn't so bad.
9. Hair grows back. If you want a change, don't be afraid to do it. The worst that could happen is you don't like it, but it will grow back.
10. I learned that if you cut the bottom branches (?) off of your tomato plants, they will grow several feet high.