Tagged

I was tagged quite a while ago, but just now discovered that I was. I am supposed to write 6 things that people may not know about me. Sometimes I think my life is pretty well known by most people. But when I stop to think about it, I realize that there are so many new people in my life that don't know things about me, and they are the ones who actually read my blog!

The first thing I am willing to disclose about myself is the fact that I have my associates degree in Theater. For those of you who know that about me, you probably don't know the story behind my choosing that for a major. I competed in Pantomime in High School. I was pretty good at it back then, making it to state every year (freshman through senior.) The best I did was place 3rd at state. I was slightly disappointed, even though 3rd is exemplary. The reason is because there was a girl who I competed against all year long from my district. She was horrible, and I felt so bad for her that I pulled her aside frequently to give her some pointers. Her coaches asked me to because they were more speech coaches and not drama. She ended up taking 2nd that year at state even though I beat her every other competition that we had. From Pantomiming, I developed a love for the stage. However, all my friends told me that I should be a math teacher. (I did quite a bit of tutoring in High School as well.) The reason why I didn't listen to them is because my older brother was better at math than I was. I didn't want to have anything to do with something he could be better at. Luckily, after 2 years at Ricks, I learned that I needed to get over stupid competitions, especially because someone from a tiny town in Montana really had no clue what theater was really all about. Thus, when I transfered to BYU, I changed my major from Theater to Math Ed.

The second thing I would like to disclose is how much I really do love math. I liked it in High School, but when I went to college and starting taking difficult math classes, I learned to love the subject. It was fascinating to me to see how all the math "rules" came together in one inexplicable "rule." (Which is why we need so many little rules.) I enjoyed teaching math for 7 years and LOVED my job. Switching majors was the best thing that I ever did. I still love teaching math. In fact, I tutor as many people as I can because I really do love doing problems. So if any of you need some extra math help......

The third thing I'm going to write about is the fact that I play the flute. I love doing it too. Hardly anyone knows that about me because I feel like I'm bragging somehow if I ask people to play for them. Boy is it true that if you hide your talents, they get taken away. I got my flute out over the Christmas break to play some Christmas music. The songs I used to be able to play with ease (like any from the hymn book), didn't come so naturally anymore. I try to motivate myself to practice more, but somehow I still don't practice like I should.

The fourth thing is that I was engaged to someone else long before I met Jeremy. I was heart broken and bitter, and it actually took me about 2 years to get over. However, now that I have Jeremy, I am so grateful it didn't work out. Jeremy treats me so much better, he has a better out look on life, and is much more funny! (He is better in a million different ways, but I figure you wouldn't want to read that many.) I also look at my in-laws and am grateful I got them as well. They were so much more accepting of me and who I am. I also got to learn so much more about myself and who I was since I got married 6 years later than I would have. I am so grateful for the challenges our Heavenly Father gives us so that we can be better people. I know I'm much better off now than I would have been....

The fifth thing is that I'm a horrible speller. I am so grateful for spell check now a days. I remember being in grade school and studying for hours with my mom. I still remember hoping I would get an A eventually. If I remember correctly, it took until I was in the 3rd grade. I remember my mom being in the hospital after having my littlest brother cesarean, so my dad had to help me study. I don't remember him helping me, but I do remember showing my mom the score while she was lying in the hospital bed. She said, "Good job, maybe dad should help you from now on." She was so proud of me. There are still quite the embarrassing moments I have because of my poor spelling, but I won't go into those. All I will say is that my math students told me several times that it was OK that I didn't know how to spell because I was a Math teacher. This would frustrate me because ALL people with an education should be good spellers regardless of their major. I still study my own spelling words sometimes.

The last thing I will disclose about myself is about my laugh. Most people who know me appreciate my laugh, and I even get compliments on it. I remember being a freshman in high school and wanting a laugh that would stand out to people, and have them like it. As a freshman, I would ride to seminary every morning with a "cool" senior who had a laugh like the one I wanted. So I tried to laugh like her, but no one complimented me. I tried several different laughs through out the next few years. It wasn't until I grew out of my "finding myself" phase, and I realized that just being who you are is good enough. So I stopped trying to "fake" laugh, and just laughed naturally. The first time I did that, someone finally complimented me on my laugh. It definitely was proof how important it is to just be yourself.