I've been Tagged

I don't know if there is any tagging "ettiquet," so here goes. (Thanks Tisha!)

1. Best thing you cooked last week?

Broiled halibut with steamed broccoli and caulifower and mashed butternut squash. It does your heart good when your two-year-old asks for more fish, please.

2. If money, time and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?

I would take my sweet husband back to France to visit the southern coast, pick wild strawberries and eat pate and blue cheese with crusty baguettes in central France, spend a day in Normandy and Mont San Michele. Then we'd go to Belgum, Norway, back to Finland, down through Germany, Switzerland over to the Cezch Republic, visit Albania, specifically Transylvania (I'm sort of into vampires... go Stephenie Meyers) spend a few weeks in Italy, boat to the Island of Malta, sunbath in Greece for a few days, pop over to see the pyramids and the Nile, and finish out with a visit to Jordan and the Holy Land. I'd spend a day sitting on the shores of the Sea of Galilee reading the Sermon on the Mount. Of course we would try every local cuisine, stay at bed and breakfasts (maybe a castle in France), and enjoy the sights and sounds and smells of everything fun. And come to think of it, I might take my son, too. I wouldn't want to leave him out of such a fun trip--is that what a nanny is for?

3. When was the last time you cried?
Night before last. I was nearing the end of Sense and Sensibility and, unlike the movie, Willoby comes back when Mariann is so sick and tries to make aments with Elinor. He's still unceasing selfish, poor guy.

4. Five things you were doing 10 years ago:

1. Trying to choose a major at BYU. I remember sitting on the floor in my appartment crying on the phone with my dad, asking him what I should do with the rest of my life. I was finished with my GE's and had just almost failed statistics. My dad said, "Well, you wouldn't be the first one of my daughters to serve a mission because she wasn't sure what to do with the rest of her life." I know he was joking, but still...
2. I was involved in the Student Leadership Seminar at BYU where I learned a lot about mentoring, Christ-centered leadership, organizational behavior, and making sure my "ladder" was leaning against the "right" wall. (Goals and priorities)
3. I was living in Liberty Square Appartments. I made some life long friends, but resolved after a very short time living there that I would not renew my contract. After I signed my contract my brother told me it was known as the "Melrose Place" of Provo. Great... I did meet Dan Marriott of THE Marriott family. Nice guy. Look for him to aspire to political office someday.
4. I took my first public relations class. Who would have quessed it would lead me into a communications degree a few years later.
5. I had a major crush on a kid named Brant. He later married a friend of mine from high school (I was not, by the way, involved in them meeting. She was actually going to Utah State at the time. How random).

5. Five things you were doing 5 years ago:

1. I was about to celebrate my first wedding anniversary. Who ever said the first year is the hardest never made it past two years.
2. I was working at BYU Independent Study with a year's distance between me and my own college graduation (yes, I finally chose a major and a minor--Communication Studies and Humanities with an emphasis in culture studies/Latin American studies)
3. I was living in the smallest one bedroom appartment. It is amazing how quickly you grow into things. (I think that was the first time Tisha was my neighbor. That was the beginning of a beautiful, inspiring friendship, a true mentor who taught me to "trust my instincts")
4. I was serving as the Relief Society Pres. in our ward. The night before I was to meet with the bishop, I had a dream that I was called as the official ward cake decorator.
5. I was supporting my husband in his indecision about what he wanted to do with his major. He was studing chemical engineer, but had just decided that going to medical school was not what he wanted to do after all. Too many problems with malpractice. I secretly and then openly rejoiced when Jim made that decision. I wanted to support him in what ever he wanted to do, but I wasn't thrilled with the idea of being a doctor's wife.

6. Five things you were doing 1 year ago:

1. I was getting my feet wet as the brand new second counselor in the young women's presidency in our ward. I had about eight very busy beehives.
2. I was experiencing my first ice storm. I'd heard of them, but never seen one.
3. I was watching my son learn to run. He pretty much skipped walking.
4. I was settling in our our first home.
5. I was reveling in the fact that I had lost twenty pounds since that previous September and was anxiously trying to loose another 25 (which, by the way, I have!!)

7. Seven of your favorite hobbies:

1. Writing
2. Cooking
3. Reading
4. Playing the piano
5. Finding new and engaging ways to exercise (jump rope is a current favorite. I also like to play basketball at the church with my husband. Skipping.)
6. Personal Finance--I keep asking Jim when we are going to do our taxes. I am probably so weird, but I love to plan and save and figure out how to invest and prepare for the future. I even hatched an idea in my head the other day that by paying off a portion of our mortgage with a little chunk of money that I have from my days at BYU, we could get rid of our PMI and actually reduce the life of our home loan even more. So far in the year and a half we have lived in our house, we have reduced our 30-year mortgage to a 19 year mortgage. It is all about paying down the principle. Even just a little bit extra every month makes a huge difference. Check out the amoritization tools at providentliving.org or on your bank or mortgage company's website.
7. Blogging (this is way, way better than scrapbooking--sorry all my scrapbooking friends)

8. Five favorite foods:

1. Spinach
2. Fuji apples with blue cheese
3. Fresh pineapple
4. Peanut butter
5. Salmon

9. Five places you've been:
(I cheated. I did five outside of the US and five in the US)
Foreign
1. Buenos Aires, Argentina
2. Mexico City, Mexico
3. Santiago, Dominican Republic
4. Paris, France (though I enjoyed other cities and villages in France much more)
5. Montreal, Canada--yummiest French food outside of France. Who knew they really do speak French everywhere there.
Stateside (a few of my faves)
1. Boston, MA
2. Charleston, SC
3. Great Smoky Mountains, TN
4. New York City
5. Kirtland, OH (along with Nauvoo, Palmyra, and Salt Lake; I just love Church History)

10. Ten Favorite Memories:

1. Lip syc with my sister to "California Girls" by the Beach Boys when my dad brought home our first CD player and sampler CD.
2. White water rafting with my family on the Snake and Salmon Rivers
3. Thanksgiving every year at my Grandma Anderson's house
4. Cousins' dinner every month at my Grandma Carr's house
5. Hearning my parents tell us about what it was like as little children during WWII; what New Zealand was like when my dad was a missionary there; how my parent met; how they chose my name
6. Having my mom read to me from a children's book of Shakespear stories. We'd sit on the front porch after school in the warm fall or spring sun. I especially like the Tempest and the Taming of the Shrew.
7. Hearing my mother tell a story about when she was knee high in laundry and four or five little children all around, she wondered what the Savior would think if he came to visit the house that day. She had the distinct impression that he would just sit down and help her fold clothes. That has really stuck with me, especially as I have a little one and often feel somewhat overwhelmed.
8. Seeing my son for the first time. It had taken so long to get him.
9. Going to the Temple for the first time. It felt like...going home. I felt so loved as a daughter of God and so anxious to live up to the promised blessings, especially of the initiatory. Even now, if I need an extra special pick me up if I am feeling low of self worth, I try to get to the temple to do initiatory work.
10. Having my entire family at my wedding--nine kids plus spouses and children. They all made so many sacrifies to be there that day. It was wonderful and perfect and sweet and tender. Jim also wrote a song for me and sang it at our reception.

Now I tag a few people. Cimberly, Suzanne, Stella, Maren, and anyone else that would like a walk down memory lane. It's kind of fun!