The Big #30 for Becky!

Holy Cow, I'm 30 today. In celebration of turning 30, here are 30 random things about me:

1. I used to be so blonde that everyone called me Goldilocks as a child. My hair stayed blonde until I dyed it red in high school, and then it grew back in dirty blonde and has gotten progressively darker since. (boo hoo)

2. My favorite movies have always been "Anne of Green Gables" and "Anne of Avonlea", thus one of the reasons I always wanted red hair.

3. So I was so excited when I got a red-head for a daughter (and possibly two red-heads!)

4. I dabbled in just about every kind of sport or activity as a child and teenager. Some I stuck with for a while like tap dancing (and now clogging), diving, swimming, water skiing (though it's been a while), tennis, volleyball, and singing. Others didn't last so long such as soccer, track (I used to be a dang fast sprinter!), gymnastics (did it competitively until I was 12, then got too tall), playing the clarinet, basketball, even baton twirling! Call me the Jack (or Jill)-of-All-Trades-Master-of-None girl.

5. I have a birth mark on my tummy and Sophie seems to have one just about the same as mine!

6. I served a mission to Poland and didn't even really know where it was when I got my call. It was one of the best things I've ever done. I pretend like I can still speak Polish (I sadly don't get to use it a whole lot these days.)

7. I majored in Elementary Education (the true EE) at BYU and taught 5th grade for 4 years and loved (most of) it.

8. Though I am so glad I got to teach school for a few years, all I ever really wanted to be since I was a little girl was a mom. Call it cliche, but it's true! And now that I am one, I am so glad I get to be one because I LOVE it! It's truly the best job ever! (Helps having such cute, fun kids!)

9. I've always wanted to have 6 kids like was in my family. Who knows now how many we'll actually have, but we do want a big family. (Unless they're all girls, and then Joseph says we're stopping at 4.)

10. I always wanted to find my Gilbert (see #2 above) and finally did in Joseph. And he's so good to me!

11. I always had a hunch I'd marry someone younger than me, and I did (by 26 hours! hee hee!)

12. Joseph and I were born in the same city (Salt Lake) a day apart, graduated from high school the same year and both attended BYU right after in '97, but didn't meet until we were both back in Salt Lake again at the age of 26!

13. We're both night owls and therefore not morning people. Not so fun when you're parents! (But we're making ourselves follow the "early to bed, early to rise" rule these days, or at least "earlier".)

14. I have to fall asleep on my stomach, and I'm out once my head hits the mattress. But I eventually turn over to my back later.

15. This makes being pregnant really hard on my sleeping well at night.



16. I have easy pregnancies (other than being tired a lot) and easy labor and deliveries, but really stinky recoveries. I hope one of these times I can get the recovery right!

17. I love taking naps during the day when I get a chance. I can nap anytime, anyplace, and it doesn't affect being able to sleep at night!

18. I have very vivid dreams almost nightly that I can always remember in the morning and well into the day. I know I should really start a dream journal, but it's just too much work.

19. I learned how to cut Joseph's hair when we got married so that he wouldn't have to go get it done every few weeks. I've gotten pretty good at it but would be better if I could practice more than once a month. Just don't look too close at him after a haircut! I'm definitely no professional!



20. I am a true romantic. I'm a sucker for romantic movies, songs, stories, and gestures. If it's sappy, I'd probably like it (well, within reason).

21. I love to talk and my love language is words of affirmation (as well as quality time). So if I ever talk your ear off, it's just cuz I love ya! :) (I'm much better now than I used to be, though!)

22. I used to love talking on the phone, but it's definitely not my favorite anymore.

23. I feel like I can express myself better through writing than speaking (which is ironic considering #21 above). In a lot of ways I enjoy getting my thoughts out through my fingers more than through my mouth.

24. I love fruity candy (i.e. Skittles, Swedish Fish,...) more than chocolate, but I still really enjoy chocolate as well.

25. (I love using parenthesis.)

26. I love United States history and loved teaching it as part of the 5th grade curriculum. I can still say the Gettysburg Address and all the US Presidents from memory, only because I made my students memorize them, too.

27. My elbows bend in at a very awkward-looking angle if I simply straighten my arms, and it's rather scary looking.

28. I've been all over North America and Europe but never to Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, or Antarctica, and I'd really like to hit them each someday (well, except maybe for the last one).

29. I'm the 2nd child of 6 with 4 brothers and one sister (and so far one sister-in-law on that side). I love them all! I also married into a wonderful family and truly love being around all of them which I count as a huge blessing.

30. I am a very blessed girl.

We're off to spend our 30th birthdays pretending we're still 15 at Disneyland! Without kids! Yahoo!

Yes, I realize that Avery's hand is down my shirt in this picture. Not sure how we managed to do that, but this is what I'd call caught with your hand in the cookie jar! :)