Thursday, November 29, 2007

a while back...

I was tagged, and I'm finally getting around to posting 6 interesting things about myself...

1) I love kids. If it were physically possible to have a million of them, I would...and I would love them all. One of the very first things that attracted me to John was the fact that he loves children too. Before we even started dating, his entire family (in town for his brother's graduation) came into Nordstrom to visit him while he was working. I remember how cute he was with his nieces and nephews, and I remember thinking wow, what a catch...I think I'd like to date that boy! To this day, one of the things that brings me the most joy, is watching John interact with children; whether it be with Ruby, or our nieces and nephews, or the neighbor kids down the street. Sometimes he even acts like a kid, and I love that about him too.

I took the following pictures a couple weeks back while we were at the park for Bennett's birthday. While most of the adults were conversing at one of the tables under the covered pavilion, there was John, playing on the playground, and entertaining the children...









2) I can't ever leave my shopping cart just loose in the parking lot after loading my groceries in the car. I have to either return it to the inside of the store, or run it to the nearest shopping cart return station located in the parking lot. In the same vein, after trying on clothes, I always hang up all of my items and either leave them nicely in the fitting room, or return them to the salesperson. As a kid, we couldn't even leave a restaurant until I had stacked all the plates (one on top of the other, with all the leftover food scraps in a neat mound on the top plate), pushed all the cups together, forming a tight circle in one corner of the table, and used a napkin (dipped in water), to clean off the surface of the table. (I was a strange child.)
I guess I just hate to make other people clean up after me, or do something that I easily can, and most certainly should, take care of myself.

3) One can always tell, by the way the cord is wound up, who was last in our house to vacuum. John always takes the time to neatly wind it, while I always gather it together in a sloppy bundle and hang it on the hook. I have never seen the point in taking the time to wind and unwind the cord each time, when I'm vacuuming on a daily basis!


John's cord


My cord

4) I love to read, and I love to read aloud. I can always get more out of what I'm reading if I read it out loud. I also love to read to people. Whenever John and I travel to and from Utah, I always make sure to bring a book along. It makes the trip go by faster when we're both enthralled in a good story line. I also have a special love for kid's books; and take advantage of any opportunity to have an audience. I really get into it, and enjoy changing my intonation and accent while impersonating different characters in the story. I really think the kids love it too.

5) I hate to call myself a quitter, but there's really no other word for someone who easily gives up in the face of difficulty. I have always had great desires to try new and exciting things, but very rarely have I ever stuck with something once it became a true challenge. Growing up I took dance (tap, ballet, jazz), piano, gymnastics, art classes (oil painting, drawing), Karate lessons, voice lessons, tennis lessons, ice skating lessons, swimming lessons, softball, etc, etc, etc; and to this day, I can honestly say that I stink at every single one of those things. As soon as something became really difficult, I simply gave up. I didn't even finish college...actually, I didn't really even start (one measly quarter surely couldn't count for anything). After all of that, you can imagine my elation upon successfully finishing an honorable LDS mission. It was by far the most difficult, challenging, arduous, and demanding thing I had done up to that point in my life...and I did not quit (although at times I felt like it), I did not quit! And I wouldn't call living the gospel a cake walk, and I'm still here, doing that...so, well, I guess I'm not a complete failure.

6) I may have mentioned this already at some point, but I hate hospitals. My mom died in a hospital, and I gave birth to my stillborn son in a hospital. I know that hospitals are good, I guess I just hate that they elicit the return of the most painful moments in my life.

14 comments:

Laurel said...

I love that I can actually HEAR you saying each of these things while I am reading them! Thanks for your list. It was so fun to read!

Brooke said...

I knew all of those but the vaccum one.....that is so funny to me because Rob does the EXACT same thing as John and I do the EXACT same thing as you. Too funny!

Brooke said...

Well.....not all of them I guess just parts. :)

Jill Hunt said...

I love how much you guys love kids. I remember when you guys were primary teachers and I always thought you guys were the best teachers ever! I am glad Ethan got to be in your class!

Melanie said...

That's so funny about the shopping cart thing! I'm the same way and my husband always makes fun of me for it! I can't say I share the other things about cleaning up at a restaurant though! And I actually love that people come and put my clothes back for me in dressing rooms (yes, even after spending 2 years in clothing retail!), but I do leave my dressing rooms tidy and things hung up.

And the vacuum thing cracks me up! Except I'm the one who likes the cord tidy and used to even do it up into a weird criss-cross thing. Now our vacuum has an automatic recoil button which I love ... but my husband hardly ever uses!

diana said...

i was so surprised to hear of your vacuum cord technique. it seems so out of place for you, i totally thought you were going to say that you neatly wind it up while john just wraps it up quickly. so interesting!

diana said...

oh, and i'm so impressed with your shopping cart and cleaning the table at restaurant fetishes. you'd hate shopping and eating with me.

Blackner Family said...

I am with you on the vacuum cord. I see no point in doing it nicely. My husband Matt on the other hand does it just like John!

I also think being married to a guy who is great with kids is like hitting the jack pot! Matt is amazing with kids and I never tire of watching play with kids! (He even says his favorite calling would be nursery!!!)

nicole said...

Just to clarify, I do not still obsess over clearing and straightening the tables at restaurants...it was a silly display from my childhood. :) And I think the fitting room thing comes from my years at Nordstrom, and how annoying it would be to walk into a fitting room to find the floor, benches, etc. strewed with clothing. And most of it inside out. I totally felt like a mother cleaning up after a two year old that had just ransacked her dresser drawers...

Lacking Productivity said...

I love this post!

and I agree with you on the vacuum chord...it takes too long any other way.

Danielle said...

I SO enjoy learning more about you, Nicole!! How is it that you always say something I need to hear at that moment? :)

I, too, LOVE children's books. When I can afford it, I purchase one to add to my little collection.

I, too, fail to neatly gather and wrap up the vacuum cord.

I, too, love reading out loud (and to an audience).

I tend to get frustrated with difficult challenging things, too, but YOU - you are such a strong, valiant, faithful person who pushes through things triumphantly. I have been thinking - a lot lately - about how strong you are. You, too, lost your mother to breast cancer but you have handled it with exceeding grace and strength. I really should take lessons from you on so many different things. You are certainly not a quitter, by any means. I know that Heavenly Father is always well-pleased with your diligence and faith.

I, too, LOVE and ADORE children. On Thanksgiving Day, when I was at my friend Jenny's house visiting, all of the adults were downstairs chatting while I was up in the playroom horsing around with the nieces and nephews. Kids are the BEST, aren't they? And Ruby Roo is one of my FAVORITE kids! :)

I love those pictures of John - he really is a fun-loving guy! You both are so much fun, and so darn easy to befriend.

Danielle said...

PS: I also share your dislike for hospitals... painful memories.

Amy Eagleston said...

Don't say you are a quitter...you are a generalist as opposed to an expert...thanks for sharing

Sonja said...

Nicole, you are too wonderful. And modest. I love that you slump the cord on the vacuum. I do that too and it drives Jeremy crazy. But as far as being a quitter? No way, I've always thought of you as one of the most loyal, dedicated, and tenacious people I know. You have many "experiences" (art, karate, etc.) that have given you an appreciation for culture. I'm sure you've gleaned from those experience as you are a fabulous decorator, have excellent taste and style, and can be comfortable with people of varied backgrounds and circumstances. You are the very best at the things that mean the very most. And I'm going to say it again, Ruby is the luckiest girl. Come on, who else has a dad can ride a springy thing like that? :D