Tag! You're It!

I've been tagged!

Yep, kayc-face got me, so here we go...

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo.

3. Post 11 random things about yourself/answer the questions

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter/facebook and tell them you've tagged them.

(this is a picture of me the day before i got married. we were at kaycie's mermaid show)

Question time:

1. What is your favorite childhood memory?

hmm, let's see. i actually have the WORST memory of my sisters, so this is actually a really hard question for me. i am not sure if what i have are actually memories or rather reconstructions of things my family members have told me. i also had a really GREAT childhood, so it's going to be hard to choose one, but i will do my best. the one that i keep coming back to would be when i was about 5 or 6 years old. i wanted to play T-ball... on an all boys team. my parents signed me up and my mom was taking me to my first practice. she forced me to wear a white shirt with ruffles, pink shorts with flowers on them, and white tennis shoes with those white lacy socks... you know the ones that are like a dress sock material with ridges with a bow a lace around the top. if you know me at all, you would know that is NOT the type of thing that my tomboyish self would have put on if given a choice. but... i digress. anyways, we showed up to the first practice and i got out of the car (mortified of course) and all these little boys and the all male coaches were staring at me and laughing. i.wanted.to.die. well, that is until it was my turn to bat. I HIT A HOME RUN... and not just any home run. i hit the ball out of the field and it actually landed in a lagoon. i ran around the bases and it was funny to see all their faces. ah, sweet revenge. :)

2. If you could have a secret identity, what would it be?

i would moonlight as a hip hop dancer. i've always wanted to get in shape and take an adult hip hop class so i could be as cool as kaycie, but alas... i don't know if that will ever happen. haha

3. If you could go back to any time period, which one would it be and why?

hmm, i don't know. every era that has been awesome has also had some bad stuff to go along with it. for example, the 20s were awesome with the clothes and hairstyles, but socially there were a lot of things socially that were tough, and it was followed up by the great depression... so that's a downer. however, i have chosen the BEST time period ever. i would go back to the time of Emma. If you have ever seen the movie based on the novel by Jane Austen, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, you will know why. oh man.... the clothes, and the parties, and the hair, and the propriety... *sigh* i would love that.

4. What is your absolute favorite song of all time? Why?

"In your eyes" by Peter Gabriel. Um, have you heard it?!? nuff said.

5. If you knew you were going to die in one week, what would you do for the remainder of your life?

i would travel like crazy to see all my family and friends, and also and i would try to get a few things on my bucket list done. i would bring Laela and JJ with me of course and i would kiss them every hour. i would rock Laela to sleep for every nap and every night, and i would sleep with her. i would make lots of love, write a lot of letters, and take a ton of pictures for Laela to remember me. gosh, just thinking about leaving my husband and baby behind got me all teary eyed... thanks for that one kayc...

6. If you could relive one moment in your life thus far, what would it be and why?

Well, it's not really one moment, but one experience. I have been trying to get into grad school for a couple years now, however my GPA is holding me back. when i dropped out of BYU and went on my mission i had a 2.4... and my GPA for the last semester before i dropped out was a 0.86! not a great GPA for someone with a 4.0 coming out of high school and an academic scholarship (that was promptly lost). being on my own was tough and i partied a little too hard and didn't go to class. in my defense, that last semester before i dropped out was when i was formally diagnosed with depression and anxiety. my professors were not very forgiving and i received F's. when i came back from my mission i had to meet with an academic counselor and make certain goals for graduation. my goal was that i wanted to graduate with a 3.0 and get as many A's as possible. I succeeded! I graduated with a 3.01, my GPA never dipped below a 3.4 my last five semesters, and my major GPA was a 3.8. I did all of this while working full time as a manager at a restaurant. I worked my butt off. However, this has not been enough to get me into grad school. It's a little disappointing that they don't really look at the whole person to be quite honest. I don't have ANY extracurriculars because I was working full time to pay my bills. The GPA that the admissions council sees is a 2.9 because they have to factor that 0.86 in to get me a 6 semester average. While I would rather have them look at me as a person rather than a number, I understand why they have to look at that number. I also understand that it is my own irresponsibility and immaturity that it why I have to be associated with that number. That number doesn't show my potential at all. I am one smart cookie, so if i had a do-over I would go back and get good grades. my life may have turned out differently though, so that's the only thing i would change... just my effort in earning higher grades.

7. If you could meet anybody that has already passed on, who would it be?

I have a couple. I have always admired Abraham Lincoln. He is obviously my favorite president because we share the same birthday, but i also love that he was the president during the civil war and who wrote the emancipation proclamation. he is very inspiring to me. another would be Gandhi. he just blows me away with his conviction and selflessness. i wish i could be more like that.

8. What animal best describes you and why?

I was having a hard time with this one so I asked some friends. The consensus is that if I were an animal it would be a bear. I am sweet, cute, and cuddly until someone messes with someone I love, and then the fierceness comes out. I like that. :)

9. If a genie popped up and granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?

1.10 million dollars - i would pay my tithing of course, get completely out of debt, get the rest of my family out of debt, buy an awesome house, two new cars, a new motorcycle for JJ, go on an awesome vacation, and then invest the rest and live modestly so that we never had to work again except for fun.

2.a super fit and trim body. i've realized recently that i really need to get into shape. Laela is getting more active and wants to do more things. I am by no means obese or anything, but i definitely have some extra lbs that i need to get rid of. i know that i can do it, it's just going to take some hard work and dedication, but it definitely would be nice if someone could wave a magic wand and i could just get to the maintaining phase instead of having to work to get there too.

3.gas prices back down around $2 a gallon. it's killin me right now!

10. If you could have done one thing differently in your life so far, what would it be? Or do you not have any regrets and why is that?

well i already answered this question above with wanting to go back and get better grades in college. however, i do not have any regrets. President James E Faust of the First Presidency (LDS church) once said we should never have regrets, and i agree. while i wish i hadn't made some of the mistakes i did, and while i wish i didn't have this rebellious personality that always chooses the hard road to learn lessons, i am a better, stronger person because of those mistakes and lessons learned. my life is amazing and i wouldn't have it any other way.

11. If you could be the star in a movie that has already been made, which one would it be and why?

either Emma (staring Gwyneth Paltrow) or Pride and Prejudice (staring Kiera Knightly). I just love those books, and that time period, and the dresses... I just think it would be fun. :)

Here is who I tag:

Kendra Wright

Deveney Jensen

Desiree Syme

Kaela Wheeler

Maille Yarwood

Nicole Raber

Jenny Nelson

Julie Allen

Joshua Ross Blade

Here are your questions:

1) How has your life turned out differently than you imagined it when you were younger, and how do you feel about the differences? Are you happy with them?

2) What is your favorite sound and why?

3) If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be and why?

4) If you could witness any event: past, present, or future, what would it be and why?

5) If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

6) What would you name your autobiography? What's the story behind the title?

7) Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought was bad in the moment, but turned out to be for the best?

8) What do you miss most about being a kid?

9) What story does your family always tell about you?

10) How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

11) If you could offer a newborn child one piece of advice, what would it be and why?

can't wait to read your answers!!