I'm it, I guess

Well, I've never been tagged before and I've been trying to ignore it. But since it was my old boss who tagged me, I've had a nagging feeling that I better do it soon or she'll fire me for handing in late reports. Hee hee. Love you Jan!

3 Joys:
1. Being with my family, whether it’s chatting with John while he builds a retaining wall, helping Garrett with homework, reading with Hannah, or playing cars with Kevin, I enjoy my family. This extends of course to my siblings and parents, I especially love playing games with my siblings or just sitting around talking because they are hilarious.
2. Good chocolate. Preferably with nuts and/or caramel. Most of you know I’m a chocolate snob. For Mother’s Day, the primary had each of their children give their mom a huge Hershey bar. So now I have two huge waxy “chocolate” bars that I plan on using for my cub scouts to make s’mores. THEY are NOT chocolate snobs.
3. Reading a good book straight through with minimal interruptions. When I had the flu, I read two books and barely saw my family while John took two days off work and took care of everyone and everything. It was kind of nice, even though I felt horrible. All I did was read and sleep--better than a vacation.

3 Fears:
1. Melanoma returning. It was pretty scary, though I tried to not think about how bad it could have been.
2. My kids getting seriously injured or seriously ill.
3. Being misunderstood. Things I say come out wrong all the time, and I’m sure I’ve offended a million people. I am also very oblivious to things around me and might do things to make people mad. A young female driver got right in front of me, slowed way down, and when I passed her, she gave me the finger! I have no idea why, but I must have done something to annoy her as I was driving, mentally making a grocery list, handing out snacks, and finding a toy that fell under the seat. She totally misunderstood my cluelessness as malice toward her. This was a simple example, but in general I hate that feeling of knowing I did/said something wrong, and may have hurt someone’s feelings (of course in this case she hurt MY feelings by giving me the finger!)

3 Goals:
1. Teach my kids a little Spanish this summer. I have been putting it off long enough, and John has been bugging me to do it since Garrett was an infant.
2. Lose some weight. Isn’t that always my goal? In conjunction with that, I would like to be able to ride my bike up around the “prairie preserve” and back without dying. I did it last summer, but am woefully out of shape again.
3. Keep sane during all our planned road trips this summer. Yes, even with gas at $4/gallon, John is insisting on fulfilling all our travel plans.

3 Current Obsessions:
1. Lost. I love it, but try not to get too crazy about it. It’s the only tv show I watch, so I feel I’m entitled to obsess a little.
2. Reading. I’ve been seeing what everyone else is reading on Goodreads, and go read it myself. I hardly ever post what I'm reading though.
3. Healthier (but tasty) cooking. Just to remind everyone, I have to cook several specialty meals for dinner because everyone’s dietary needs usually cannot coexist harmoniously: vegetarian (John), dairy-free (Kevin), diabetic (my sister), and that EVERYONE likes or at least tolerates. I know many of you are saying “I wouldn’t do that, I would make one thing and they would have to eat it.” So think of five staple meals in your home and try to tweak them to keep everyone in MY house healthy. Pasta? Has to be whole grain (for Denise) and that can’t be her main dish, so I have to also have a meat on the side. Pizza? No cheese for Kevin. Indian food? My kids and Denise don’t like it. Tacos? With beans and cheese for John, beans, meat and cheese for G&H, beans and meat for Kevin, and as a salad for me (I don’t really like tortillas) and Denise. Do you see what I’m getting at? I can rarely make one thing and put it on the table for everyone, and even if I do find something, someONE won’t like it very much (i.e. Stir fry with tofu--Denise and kids hate it and I don’t like it much either).

3 Random/Surprising Facts about Myself:
1. I am the ninth of ten children, and yes my mom is an angel. My sister that we live with is the second. We have very different personalities, but sound almost exactly alike on the phone.
2. I’m not a good housekeeper. I love cooking, baking, and of course eating what I make, but I absolutely hate every other household chore (except laundry, strangely enough). Dirty dishes are my arch-enemy. Bathroom cleaning is my nightmare.
3. I love to be alone. Maybe it’s from trying to escape my big family, maybe it’s just my inborn personality, but I love being on my own with only me to take care of. When I went to college, I chafed under the constant presence of my roommate. I loved it when she had to leave for class before me and I had the room to myself. When I was on my mission, having a constant companion was something I struggled with for the first few months (I did eventually come to terms with it and actually enjoyed my companions). I was excited and happy to be on my own when I started teaching, I had a little apartment that was mine, all mine and I loved it, even though I didn’t have any furniture or a tv. I was never too scared or nervous about being alone. Now, of course, I’m used to sharing a room, a bed, a house, and I miss John if he is gone. But I sure do love my alone time.

Well, there you have it. Does anything surprise anyone? I'm a pretty open book, so I think everyone knows all this about me. Let's hear the comments. . .anyone just like me or opposite from me? What do you think about all this John? Are you sad that I secretly like you to be gone? Just kidding, you know I love you near me.

I tag specifically: Ardis, Andrea, and those who have not answered Jan's tag yet. And generally, whoever wants to answer these questions. It was kind of fun.