'M' to the 'E'

I have so many ideas of things I want to write about.  I am an indecisive person.  It takes me a long time to settle on something, but once I do, I’m committed.  Soup or tacos for dinner?  Ummm… soup.  On it.  Divorce?  Finally decided… get it done.  Red or black shoes?  Both, thank you very much. 

So let’s start at the beginning.  Who am I?

It was a dark and stormy night…  Not really.  I have no idea what kind of night it was, or if it was even night when I was born.  I’m thinking I’ve heard it was somewhere around 8:00 p.m., so we’ll go with that.  Where was I?  Oh, yes.  While I was not born in California,  I have lived here since I was 1 ½, so I don’t remember anything else.  If I could live anywhere, I think I’d like Hawaii.  Not that I have traveled many places, but I have been there, and loved it.  My biggest consideration whenever I talk about settling on a place to put down roots is this: How close is it to a temple?  While I can currently attend the temple anytime I can arrange for the kids to be picked up from school, put to bed, or whatever the case may be, I would ideally like to be much closer to a temple. 

I am the youngest of four kids, but I’m not spoiled.  (Don’t ask anyone else, though.  They may say differently.)  While we may not see each other as often as we’d like, I love my siblings and am grateful to be part of this particular family. 

I grew up in the same house from the time I was 2 ½ years old until the time I got married.  From the 6^th grade on I was homeschooled.  My family had some issues with the local High School, so I was given the choice to stay in school while two of my older siblings started homeschooling.  As a twelve-year-old, the most rational of thinkers, I’m sure, I decided to start homeschooling because I didn’t want to miss out on all the free time.  But it paid off.  I started attending classes at the local community college at the age of 13.  That is where I found my love of art and painting.  Through that “free-time” I was able to graduate high school at 16. 

I was hired for my first job at 15, working in the computer graphics lab at the same college where I was taking various classes.  I then started working at In-N-Out Burger, which is something I did for the better part of 7 years, with a break in there to be a nanny to twins for a short time after I was married.

Speaking of marriage… At the ripe old age of 19 I married my now (or soon to be, as soon as it gets finalized in the court) ex-husband.  He was in the Marines, stationed at Camp Pendleton.  Being a military wife was hard in ways, but also a great experience.  The love of country on a military base is something I will never forget. 

After getting out of the military we moved back close to family, and after four years of marriage we welcomed our daughter.  Even after being a nanny for twins, I still hoped to have my own twins.  Then came Aubrey.  “One is enough.”  That was our mantra.  My goodness, she came with a learning curve!  But she was worth it.  Aubrey is now eight, and is smart, loving, kind, an amazing big sister, and quite the leader (sometimes we also call that bossy).  One day those leadership skills are going to pay off big for her. 

2 ½ years later Mason joined us.  Now 5, he is my little monkey.  Full of energy and spunk, Mason will try to charm you out of whatever he wants.  He is also hilarious, and will do anything to get a laugh.  I’m pretty sure he will grow up to be either a famous comedian, a negotiator of some sort, or a custodian.  Really, though, this kid has always loved cleaning tools.  Somehow the art of keeping a clean room is lost on this particular five-year-old, though.  Go figure.

So that’s my past in a nutshell.  Today I live with my parents… something I was kind of proud to say I had never needed to do as a grown child.  However, I actually love living with them, and so do my kids.  They have been an enormous support for us as we transition to our new normal.  I’m attending BYU-Idaho online, working toward my Bachelor’s in Web Design & Development.  While I had various career ideas when younger, including artist, coroner (yes, you read that right), and graphic designer, my goal was always to be a stay-at-home mom.  That plan has changed, just as life does, but my goal is to find some job that I can do mostly from home, so that I can still be around for my kids. 

There it is… me.  What else do you need to know?  My favorite color is red.  I love chocolate.  I am blessed to have amazing friends.  I am not too picky of an eater, but I’m definitely not adventurous either.  I’m an Apple girl… no other brand of computer/phone in my purse or on my desktop.  I’ve run 5 half-marathons, but am not a fast runner.  I love bargain shopping.  I’d rather read a book than watch TV.   I teach the 16-17 year-old Sunday School class, and I LOVE it.  I sometimes sleep sideways across my king-size bed.  I love shoes.   And a million other things!  There is too much information to fit into one post…  That’s the last thing… I have no shortage of words.  ;)