50 Facts About Me (a.k.a. WAY too much information)

Ok, so for my "100th post" I've decided to list 100 facts about me (just in case you are a stranger, lurker, creeper, whatever you consider yourself, reading this blog and feel like you need MORE personal information about my life). I'm going to separate it into two sections because I don't have all the time in the world to type this.

Well I guess I'll start from the beginning....in no particular order...

1. My birthday is Dec 1st. (Wow, hmm...what a coincidence, what day is it today?) Which makes me exactly one day older then Britany Spears.

2. I was born in Marseille, France.

3. My mom is French and her family still lives there.

4. My mom's parents were both deaf.

5. I spent some summers in France (with the best cousins in the world, right Gaelle?) going to school and basking in the sun next to the Mediterranean sea.

6. I learned how to swim in the Mediterranean sea.

7. My mom used to make me swim in my underwear if we went to a beach and didn't have swimsuits with us (when I was LITTLE).

8. The boys in France would tease me and say "I wuv you" in their best English accents and I would get really embarrassed and run away.

9. I've worn glasses/contacts since 2nd grade.

10. My nickname in my early elementary days was "shrimp" - no explanation necessary. OK, for you blog lurkers, I'm short.

11. I skipped kindergarten because I could read, yes I'm bragging, and yes I taught myself how to read, and yes I also taught myself how to tie my own shoes.

12. In my pre-school days I'd watch Sesame Street but switch over to Soap Operas when my mom left the room. As The World Turns was my favorite.

13. I liked school. I was a teachers pet. I would give my teachers my school picture and ask for theirs....I still have them in my photo album. Rich will never let me live this down.

14. I shaved my legs for the first time in the back of the family astro van while driving to New York. And technially it wasn't me, it was my older sisters that did it.

15. I've driven across the U.S many, many, many times. It's an experience that every American should have to do.

16. I once picked up dog poo, to be part of my older sisters "Cool Cat Club". That was how I was initiated into the club. Thanks sisters.

17. In 7th grade I thought that I'd marry Brad Pitt and convert him to the Mormon church. I really believed this. I had a Brad Pitt Legends of the Fall picture in my bedroom. I REALLY believed I would meet him and, age aside, he would fall in love with me and we would live happily ever after.

18. I used to REALLY like boys with blond curly hair. I used to say that if I had a baby boy, if he didn't have blond curly hair I'd dye it and perm it.

19. Some girl (Rainy Kimber, are you out there?) started calling me Vern in 5th grade. I hated it. But, somehow it stuck. In fact, I think some people still don't know what my real name is. My friends would introduce me to people, "this is Vern." Me:" Ummm...my real name is Veronica". Vern is a boys name...and not cute. How about "Roni" like in the Archie comics....no Vern. Do you know what I mean Vern? Yikes, Rainy used to say that to me.

20. My families nick name for me was Qui Qui, yes weird too, some of my teachers at school even called me that. I've had a lot of weird nicknames.

21. I used to (when I was a bitty little girl) give my older sisters my favorite things so I could "babysit" their dolls.

22. In high school I wanted to be a surfer. I've never surfed. I live in Utah. Nonetheless, my favorite show was "Endless Summer II".

23. I met Rich at a friends BBQ.

24. I had a huge crush on him from the moment I saw him.

25. He didn't walk me to the door on our first date...or several dates after.

26. I thought I blew it on our first date and he'd never call me again because I was so shy.

27. I'm a shy person.

28. I have the best husband in the world and three children: Lili, Sophie, and Canon (my camera, whom I love dearly)

29. I LOVE Halloween, and Autumn in general.

30. I don't ski. I've been twice. Both as school outings-I would fall every time I got off the lift on the bunny hill. They would have to stop the lift until I was cleared out of the way. Needless to say, I skied half the day and sat in the Ski Lodge feeling sorry for myself the rest of the day.

31. STILL, I love to be in the mountains. Whether it be hiking, backpacking, picnicking, biking, snow-shoeing, or just driving.

32. I lived in Iowa while my husband went to law school for three years. Go hawks!

33. I worked at a state sponsored preschool (in the ghetto) in Iowa. On the last day of working there one of my student's parent stole my wallet and went on a shopping spree. Me: "Thank you so much for letting me teach your demon child the whole school year, gang member, why don't you just take my credit card and go have a good time?"

34. Yes, I have rolled a 30 foot trailer with all my worldly possessions in it (including my car) off the side of I-80, hasn't everybody?

35. I love to cook. I love new cookbooks, and I secretly set a goal for myself to cook every recipe when I get a new cookbook, which I never do, but I wish I would.

36. I don't read much. In fact, rarely.

37. I love music of all kinds. As the youngest, I grew up listening to the music of my older brother and sisters. As a result, I have a special place in my heart for such bands as Depeche Mode, Erasure, and The Cure.

38. I LOVE the sound of the bass in music. In fact, I once convinced myself that I was going to learn the bass and play in a band.

39. My cousin Ryan (Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband) is my one connection to fame. Doesn't everyone have at least one of those? Oh, and I do have a few friends that I'm sure will one day be famous.

40. I'm scared of heights. Extreme heights. Like Angel's Landing in Zion National Park. When I'm up there I just feel like an out-of-control bird is going to knock me over the edge, or a stronge gust of wind is going to blow me over, or a patch of snow or muddy spot will make me slip and lose my balance and fall.

41. I hate it when people don't like me. If really hurts my feelings.

42. I am the WORST decorator in the world. (I'm typing this as I look around my empty house, granted, I just moved in, however, still empty) I just don't have the "vision", the ability to "throw it all together". That is why I love catalogs. I can look at a catalog and say, "Ummm...I'll take that, thank you very much." Kudos to you people out there who are blessed with the "vision" and whose houses look like those of a catalog I thumb through to get ideas.

43. I love to eat at "The Cheesecake Factory" and I'm hoping that one day in the future, the new one in SLC won't have a 4 hour wait. :(

44. One of my favorite sounds in the world is of my two little girls laughing together.

45. I once stuck a necklace pendant up my nose while I was supposed to be sleeping. I remember distinctly wanting to know what would happen if I put it in my nose. I told my mom, as she rushed me to the hospital, that it had fallen in my tissue and I had sniffed it up into my nose accidentally. She believed me.

46. I once hyperventilated and had to go the hospital because my parents wouldn't let me go to Lake Powell with my friend. And no, they didn't let me go even after that.

47. I never lost attendance credit in school. Another thing that Rich won't ever let me live down. So I was a good girl, so what? I had my fair share of skipping class. I just knew how to work the system.

48. I went to Girl State when I was a junior in high school. Not because I was a debater, or because I was interested in politics, or had any idea what Girl State even was, but just because my friend was going. I was voted as "City Hair Stylist". I also got stuck being the roommate to "Buffy" who truly believed that she was a vampire, or witch, I can't remember now. Anyhoo, she was crazy. I slept in other girls rooms every night.

49. In high school me and a friend of mine would go to the homes of boys we had crushes on and jump out of the car and take a picture sitting on their front lawn. We thought we were so daring. But, really, if the cute senior boy who's house you are taking a picture in front of caught you, what could you say? It was our form of an adrenalin rush. Crazy, I know.

50. I was very convinced that I was going to pierce my tongue with two buddies in high school when my parents went out of town. Yikes, I'm SO glad I didn't do that one.

Wow that was long. Thank you to those of you who painfully endured this blog. Give yourselves a pat on the back.