Day 1

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

If you read this blog, you probably know me, so this may be redundant. 

So who am I?  Instead of a list of facts, how about a history.

I was born in a small town in Pennsylvania in 1975.  My earliest memories are from when I was three, in a house in Port Matilda, PA that had push button light switches and a little clothesline outside that was just my height.  We had several kittens that I loved.  One of my cats could stand on its hind legs and open the screen door with one paw.  My dad and I would mow the lawn together; he with a push mower and me with a toy version.   It was at this house that missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints found us and shared a message about the importance of families.  My parents knew it was true and were baptized in 1978.

We moved and more kids came along in time.  All together there would be six.  I lived in State College, PA for my school years (go Penn State!) and loved being the oldest; it made me feel special.  On my eighth birthday I left for school and my mom and her best friend tore my room apart and gave me a pink dream room .  I even had a white canopy over my bed.  When I was ten my mom helped me write a song about Penn State that I sang on the radio and I won a Joe Paterno autographed football.

When I learned at age 11 that my dad wanted to come to Utah to attend law school I was a bit worried. What would it be like?  We packed up the maroon Chevy Malibu and Dad drove me and my brother 2000 miles west while my mom prepared to fly out later with the girls.  My Pappy cried as we pulled away.

I attended grades 7-9 in Provo, Utah, a place very different from back east.  I don't know that I ever felt at home there. I made a few friends, but it was hard to relocate just before your 12th birthday.  I continued learning the clarinet that I began in third grade and was in the marching band at Provo High before moving to the Salt Lake Valley when dad was done with school.

By fall 1990 I was a sophomore at Cyprus High and still struggling to find out who I was.  I didn't dance like my sisters.  I preferred reading and music.  My testimony of the Church grew and I gained confidence.  By the end of my senior year I had many awards from Speech & Debate, and I spoke at our seminary graduation on Temple Square.
After high school, my boyfriend (AKA Strider) went on a two year mission while I tried BYU and failed to apply myself.  I worked in the medical field and trained as a CNA, and then as a Medical Assistant and did vital signs, immunizations and insurance coding at a doctor's office.  I loved it and worked there before I was married till when Potter was a baby.  Then I knew I needed to be home. 

Strider and I were married in 1996 and I consider myself the luckiest woman in the world.  I am so spoiled by how he treats me.  We have faced numerous trials and blessings in our years together and it has been a fantastic partnership.  I am proud to call Utah home and I now appreciate the mountains my husband has always loved.

I am home exclusively now with the five kids, and my developments of hobbies, talents and interests has to fit in around my children and their lives.  But I honestly love it.  I rarely feel deprived or smothered.  I try to put my energy into what matters to me.  I seek out happiness and I'm always able to find it.   I am comfortable with who I am today.