my 100th post...

Brooke gave the best Young Women’s lesson in the Beehive class today. She taught about the importance of keeping a journal, and we had a group discussion (more like Brooke and I had a discussion, because the girls were too shy to say anything!) about different ways to chronicle our thoughts, and our day to day dealings. I have always felt and known the importance of keeping records, but haven’t ever been very consistent. (I was really good during my mission though…didn’t skip a day. I think that was mainly because my schedule as a missionary was so structured, and I had a set time, right before going to bed, to record my thoughts and feelings of the day. Plus, missionaries in general, tend to keep every commandment. Big or small.)
After my mom passed away, I remember finding tons of random scraps of paper, or loose pages from a notebook, which contained her thoughts, her feelings. They were her journal entries (more or less). I remember just wishing and hoping more of them would turn up; because, as I read them, I discovered so many things about her that I had never known. Reading them helped me to feel closer to her. They helped me to understand her on a different level.
It’s for that reason (and really many others), that I love blogging so much. Not only has it been a fun, easy, (and very addicting) way to keep a commandment, but I feel it also provides us the opportunity of really knowing people on a way different level. Discovering things we never knew, gaining a better understanding for, and appreciation of that particular person. Well, enough rambling…in honor of my 100th post (this is huge…for me anyway), I thought I’d list 100 things that make me, well…me. Enjoy.

1. I was born on May 25, 1977 to Christine Ann Coombs and Brian Dean.
2. My middle name is Christine, after my mom.
3. I was sealed to my parents on June 17, 1977.
4. I am the oldest of seven children - two boys and five girls.
5. I married John Michael on May 4th, 2004.
6. My husband is my hero and my role model .
7. Together, we have two children - Isaac Joshua (still born June 29, 2005), and Ruby Christine (June 4, 2006).
8. I hated being pregnant, but I loved the actual labor and delivery part (4 hours, from start to finish, isn't too bad...especially with an epidural).
9. I am a very sentimental person. I have a really hard time getting rid of anything (even a little note) that someone else gave me.
10. I have no problem, however, getting rid of clothes and shoes. John and I have had some pretty successful yard sales from my clothes (sales) alone.
11. Sometimes I jump the gun by getting rid of things too soon, and then I end up kicking myself a month or so later.
12. I love to travel...been on four cruises.
13. I love doing laundry, and I put like six dryer sheets in every load to make everything smell yummy.
14. I can't stand ironing! Poor John, I have a laundry basket full of his wrinkled shirts.
15. I'm not a very good cook. It's so intimidating to me.
16. I love to eat out, and I always order a coke with my meal.
17. I can't share dairy products (milk, ice cream, etc.) with anyone...Okay, maybe with John.
18. It bugs me when people say "I could care less" rather than "I couldn't care less". (Doesn't I could care less imply that there is some degree of care?)
19. I have a birthmark (when I was little, mom and dad called it my beauty mark) on my right thigh, shaped like a crescent moon.
20. Growing up, my biggest fear was of somehow losing my mom or my dad.
21. I miss her every single day.
22. I hated 2nd grade. (A different class mate threw up, it seemed, on a weekly basis. I just couldn't handle it.)
23. I can't (and never have been able to) do a cartwheel.
24. I would like to be more eloquent in speaking. (I can't ever express, in words, how I feel, and I fumble over my words a lot.)
25. I am in charge of paying the bills at our house, and I actually love having that responsibility.
26. If it lived in the sea, I cannot eat it!
27. I served a mission in Argentina (Buenos Aires South). I've been home six years (this month).
28. I think I'm slightly OCD. (I count stairs, sidewalk squares, every time my right foot hits the tread mill when I run, etc.).
29. I worked for Nordstrom for 10 years before becoming a full-time mom.
30. I thought I might, but I don't miss it. (I do, however, miss all of my Nordstrom Friends...and our daily lunch breaks.)
31. If I borrow something, I will return it.
32. I am an honest person, I cannot tell a lie.
33. I need to lose 15 pounds of fat. I'm in the poor zone for percent body fat. Yikes!
34. I love going to the gym each day. It's my release.
35. I am trying to compliment more, and complain less.
36. I love Sunsets. I've never seen prettier ones than those in Buenos Aires...simply breathtaking. (The sunsets in Arizona aren't too shabby either.)
37. I love the soft serve vanilla cones from McDonald's...and their little cheeseburgers (with the tiny dehydrated onions).
38. I love to dance...Latin dancing, to me, is especially enjoyable.
39. I love to clean my house.
40. I do not enjoy grocery shopping, but love going (shopping) for pretty much anything else.
41. I love jewelry. (Just the inexpensive, fun to dress up any outfit kind.)
42. I'm afraid of heights.
43. I don't like taking risks.
44. I once went an entire year without shaving my legs. (It was when I lived in Argentina, and wore long skirts, and thick tights everyday.)
45. I inherited my dad's funny toes that curl under. Ruby inherited them from me. We call them her "macaroni toes".
46. I'm not a flexible person (my body is not flexible).
47. I am a flexible person (I go with the flow, and am pretty relaxed).
48. I enjoy a good cry. I especially love it when a movie or book can trigger that emotion in me.
49. I need to work on my posture.
50. I have a really deep belly button. In high school, my girl friends called it the "black hole".
51. I am, what some may consider, a home body. I lived at home pretty much until I was 26. And during my teenage years, my mom had to pretty much force me to go out with friends on the weekends.
52. I have super dry skin...except for my face. My face is really oily.
53. I think a lot of things are funny, but it's a rare moment when I actually laugh out loud.
54. I experience a lot of anxiety in hospitals. I think it's because I had to say goodbye to my mom, and to my son...in a hospital.
55. I have a really weak stomach.
56. I'm super ticklish behind my thighs.
57. I love watching the birthing shows on TLC (although, I have to admit, they pretty much freaked me out while I was pregnant with Ruby. But still, I couldn't stop).
58. I've seen Les Miserables six times, (and read the book, 1 1/2). It's the most touching story, and makes me think of my mom...such fond memories.
59. I have a tendency to feel sorry for people...even for dumb reasons.
60. I have a collection of over 200 movies (VHS), that I can't bring myself to get rid of (even though I haven't watched a single one in years), because my grandma and I started the collection together - it reminds me of her. (I told you, I'm really sentimental.)
61. John and I read together in the Book of Mormon every night. I know that's why we have such a close relationship, and a wonderful marriage.
62. I love a good book recommendation. (I haven't had the best of luck picking my own reads.)
63. I love steak! I like it cooked medium well.
64. I bite the inside of my cheek when I get nervous.
65. I really like to mow the lawn.
66. I don't like my outfits to be too matchy-matchy.
67. I love the Beach Boys. They were my first concert (My brother Matt slept though it...hahaha!)
68. Little children always put me at ease.
69. My hand-eye coordination is horrible...in other words, I am not an athlete.
70. I love sleeping with the ceiling fan on, even in the winter.
71. I get really nervous while instant messaging, I type slow.
72. I suck at video games.
73. I took an oil painting class when I was 8...I was actually pretty good. My mom had my paintings framed, and hung them in the house.
74. I hate blowing my hair dry.
75. I love music...all types. It brings out so many different emotions in me.
76. Special needs people used to scare me, now I have such a sweet and tender love for them.
77. Summer is my favorite season, then Spring, then Fall, then Winter.
78. I love for things to be neat, and clean, and organized.
79. I went to my 10 year high school reunion, and surprisingly, had a great time.
80. I always have this strange sensation that someone is watching me.
81. I am constantly doing math in my head. (Is that an OCD thing?)
82. One of the coolest things I've ever seen was the Bioluminescent Bay in Puerto Rico. If you've never seen it, it is a definite must!
83. I love a relaxing bath, but rarely make the time for one.
84. I love learning about the Second Coming of Christ.
85. I love the gospel, and hate to think of what I might be doing, where I could be, or what my life might be like without it.
86. I enjoy speaking in Church. Lessons scare me.
87. I can't fall asleep if it's too quiet. (That's one reason I like having the ceiling fan on.)
88. I gained 15 pounds my junior year of high school. (went from 95-115)
89. I don't drink enough water. Did I mention that I have an obsession with Coke?
90. I love getting pedicures. My own are always crap.
91. I love coffee table books.
92. I love learning something new.
93. I've never been to Boston. I need to get out to Boston.
94. I love picnics, and BBQ's, and the pool, and pretty much anything that represents summer time...and the outdoors (in the summer time).
95. I want to learn to sew, and crochet.
96. I love grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.
97. I would love to get a nice camera, and learn to take pictures like Brooke.
98. I want to be more Christ-like.
99. I am passionate about my family.
100. I love life.