Wherein I'm a Little Too Enthusiastic About My Birthday

If I had a nickel for every time I've casually mentioned my birthday on my blog over the past month... I'd probably be able to buy a bouncy ball. But just in case it hasn't sunken in yet, let me tell you about my birthday one more time... It's tomorrow, and I'm turning 39, which means one more year 'til 40! I have big dreams for the final 365 days of my thirties. I'll talk about that more at a later time (so I can buy two bouncy balls), but in the meantime, welcome to my Blogger Birthday Party. Let's celebrate with a little game of True or False. Here are 39 statements - some are true, and some are false (genius, right?) Tomorrow, I will confess all! 

True or False?

1. I’m allergic to sesame seeds.

2. I never make my bed.

3. I can’t spell verbally.

4. I can quote most of all three Austin Powers movies.

5. I have taken belly dancing classes.

6. I love mythology.

7. I’ve been to six U2 concerts.

8. I hate baby/bridal shower games, but I always win them. 

9. I wear color contacts.

10. My favorite board game is Cranium.

11. I refuse to buy clocks with Roman numerals.

12. I love toast.

13. I throw with my left hand and do everything else with my right hand.

14. I like the smell of cigarettes.

15. I wear socks to bed every night.

16. I love beets.

17. I accidentally walked through a glass door once.

18. I own over 300 books.

19. I’ve been on flights with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Anne Hathaway.

20. I floss everyday.

21. My first crush was Marty McFly.

22. I like the sensation of stretching my nostrils.

23. As a child, I had recurring nightmares about King Kong.

24. I don’t like cookies.

25. I can’t swim.

26. I accidentally got my friend Wendy fired from her job at Quiznos when we were in high school.

27. I love Bill Murray.

28. I’m good with names.

29. I took ukelele lessons growing up.

30. I used to lie and tell people I was a barrel racer in the rodeo.

31. I’ve read the French translation of Pride and Prejudice.

32. I’ve never been skiing.

33. I love the smell of vintage Volkswagens.

34. I never learned how to type.

35. I hate quinoa.

36. I've never read nor watched any version of Little Women or Anne of Green Gables.

37. I have no desire to do artistic painting.

38. I can recite the preamble to the US Constitution.

39. I can do the splits. 

Let's Talk (More) About 2022

I already did a re-cap of 2022, but there's this old questionnaire that has floated around the internet for years and years (here's proof), and I'm on a seven-ish year rotation for filling it out here on the blog. Also, I'm waiting for my son to get home from his third social event of the day. The kid got asked on two dates today. TWO! And then he went to a church dance. We're not used to so much socializing! We rarely have to stay up past 9:00 to wait for Nicky because he never goes anywhere. Now here we are at 9:47, staying awake like a bunch of crazy people!

Let's talk about 2022... but first, can I just say that I never got used to it being 2022? In fact, I've had to comb back through this post and fix several places where I accidentally typed 2021. How am I going to cope with 2023? 

Anyway, here we go...

What did you do in 2022 that you'd never done before?

Rode a sled down the Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Not pictured: Me

(You're just going to have to believe I did it!)

Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for the coming year?

I didn’t really make any resolutions for this year. Instead, I set two goals in each area of the Children and Youth program for my church  (spiritual, social, intellectual, and physical) (some people use SIPS to remember them, but I use PISS. I’m sorry, that’s just how my mind works) and the fact that I can’t even remember what my goals were should tell you how well that went.

For the coming year, since it’s my last year in my thirties, I am attempting a project I have deemed “40x40” wherein I have chosen 40 goals to accomplish by 40. So in a way, yes, I am making some resolutions for the new year.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

My brother and his girlfriend had their second son right before Thanksgiving. 

Daisy holding the bebe

Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. Scotty’s grandma passed away this morning. His step-brother also passed away earlier this year. 

The kids with great-grandma

Aaron's graveside

What countries did you visit?

I stayed put, but Scotty went to Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. My international travel happens vicariously, and I’m fine with that. 

What would you like to have in 2023 that you didn't have in 2022?

Steak knives. 

What dates from 2022 will be etched in your mind?

June 8th

What did you get really excited about?

Going to Disneyworld. We had a blast planning and carrying out that trip.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Ugh. The herpes. 

What was the best thing you bought?

A new couch for the living room.

Where did most of your money go?

Food and gas. 

Compared to this time last year, are you A) happier or sadder, B) thinner or fatter, C) richer or poorer?

I think I'm the same on all three counts. 

What was your favorite TV show?

Offspring (which I would not let my grandma watch, for the record). I watched it a few years ago and rewatched it this year except Hulu doesn't have the last two seasons, so I didn't technically watch the entire thing (and the way season 5 ended, it could have been the series finale, and I worry that people just end at season 5 and don't even know that there are two more seasons, and Hulu is ruining lives!)

(Wait! Was I supposed to answer with a TV show that is current this year? What would you say if you knew I watched Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey twice?)

What was the best book you read?

Oh my gosh. How do I choose?

My favorite book this year was probably Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard, but I don't think it's a book most people would like as much as I did. You might read it and be like, "Why this book?" It's because the book feeds my interest in family systems and has imperfect characters that grow and change over time. 

There’s also some cool symbolism with the tree in the book that I really liked.

Who was the best person you met?

I made a few new mom friends at my kids' schools, but we don't hang out. We just wave when we see each other at Walmart.

What was your favorite film of 2022?

Top Gun: Maverick, of course!

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 38, and we were in Phoenix with some of my in-laws. We watched the Rose Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.

(Wait, did I spend my birthday watching football?)

Me with my birthday co-stars, Tim and Craig

(Me: January 1, Tim: January 3, Craig: January 4)

What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?

I have a health problem I don't blog about, and if it were to be resolved, that would be life-changing for sure. 

(It's nothing super bad. It's just embarrassing). 

(Now I feel like I need to say it's not poop-related. This vagueness is making it sound like a poop thing).

How would you describe your fashion concept of 2022?

Frumpy.

What kept you sane?

Antidepressants. 

I proved it by going off them for eight weeks. Yowza.

What valuable life lesson did you learn in 2022?

Ugh. I learned some hard stuff this year, and my education is not yet complete. I can't even summarize my learning here because it's so complex, and I'm still processing it all. I've had to learn some hard lessons about loving other people unconditionally. 

I need to take everything from Steve Young's book The Law of Love and internalize it.

What was your biggest achievement this year?

This year I crossed the threshold of being Brittany (Married Name) longer than I was Brittany (Maiden Name).

It Happened in 2022

It's the end of the year, and I'm really excited because I love the New Year! It's so appropriate that I'm a New Year's baby - not because of parties or presents or anything like that, it's simply because I love the freshness and motivation that comes with the changing of a year. There are only two times a year I have an energy burst: when my kids go back to school and when a new year starts. I eventually hit a wall just like anyone else, but I'm gonna ride the new year wave as long as I can! Bring it on! 

New Year, New Me! Just don't blink, or you'll miss it!

My gift will be short-lived

Here's a summary of some of the things that happened in 2022:

January

• We spent New Year's in Phoenix
• I turned 38
• Eva crashed her bike and had to go to the ER
• Scotty went on his first post-COVID brocation to Disneyland

February

• We took Nicky and Daisy to see Hamilton
• Scotty's step-brother passed away in a car accident

March

• Nicky had COVID
• I had herpes
• Daisy competed in Lego League

April

• The kids and I spent spring break in Logan with my friend Lynsie and her kids
• Eva turned 7
• Eva's earrings got stuck in her ears, and she had to have them removed in the ER

May

• Scotty went to Mexico for work
• We got three baby chicks
• Top Gun: Maverick rocked our world!
• Nicky finished a cornhole set as his final project in his woods class
• The girls had their end of year dance concert
• Zoe did a 5k with her school's running club
• Daisy made dance company for the junior high

June

• Daisy "graduated" from elementary school
• My friends and I found a suicide victim in the park
• We went to Saint George with extended family
• Nicky went to Youth Conference at Reid Ranch

July

• We went to see In the Heights for Scotty's birthday
• Scotty turned 41
• Scotty, Daisy, and I went to girls camp

August

• Scotty went to South America for work
• Nicky was on the high school's golf team
• Nicky and Scotty went backpacking in the Uintas with the priests' quorum
• Nicky started 10th grade
• Daisy started 7th grade and went to junior high
• Zoe started 4th grade
• Eva started 2nd grade

September

• Nicky participated in "male cheer" for Homecoming
• Scotty had COVID
• We went to Disney World!
• Nicky got a ping pong table
• Daisy turned 13

October

• I made and sold pumpkin rolls for Halloween and Thanksgiving

November

• Zoe turned 10
• I swapped church callings from YW 1st counselor to YW secretary
• Nicky went on his first date (to Sadie's)
• Nicky was in the high school's production of Cinderella
• We spent Thanksgiving in California

December

• Nicky got his braces off
• Daisy got a part in the jr high’s musical 
• Zoe went on the 4th grade skiing field trip
• Nicky turned 16

December Reads

At the beginning of this year I decided to do a re-cap of the books I read each month in 2022. This has been fun to do but also challenging because I loathe writing book summaries. That's what book jackets are for! It's also hard for me to explain why I like or don't like a book without giving spoilers. I want to tell you reasons, but I am a firm believer in not giving spoilers (save for cases like Romeo and Juliet where I feel like the plot should just be common knowledge - even though it wasn't for me). 

December was probably my slowest reading month this year. Normally, even if I'm really busy, I can still get a lot of "reading" in due to audiobooks (sometimes the busier I am, the more books I finish!), but this month I had serious brain fog and couldn't listen very well. Something unbloggable happened this month that has taken up all my mind space and depleted my attention span.

Here is what I read (or listened to) this month:

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

Source: e-book

Summary: Ellie and her sister Julia assume responsibility for a young girl who comes from the woods and has seemingly been raised in the wild without identity.

Content: A few swears and one sex scene, abuse and abduction

Review: ****

Final statement: I enjoyed this book from a child development and psychological perspective. 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Source: Kindle e-book (I think it was a free download a few years ago)

Summary: The annual community Christmas pageant is disrupted when the Herdman family wants to join in. 

Content: A few mild swears, one use of "sex," and some outdated mentalities, but mostly clean and family-friendly

Review: ****

Final statement: I enjoy reading this book to my kids every few years. 

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Source: audiobook

Summary: Mallory, a reforming drug addict, takes a job as a nanny for a five-year-old boy named Teddy who creates disturbing artwork that alludes to a disturbing history. 

Content: I can't remember the specifics, but it's in the PG-13 range.

Review: ****

Final statement: This was a pretty quick book, making it a nice laundry companion. It became a little unbelievable in the end, but I really liked Mallory. She was different from a lot of the usual characters in books, and I found her refreshing. 

------------------------------------

Here are the books I read but didn't like enough to review:

-----------------------------------------

And here are the books I'm still working on that I may or may not finish by the end of December:

If you don't know, The Book Thief is one of my favorite books of all time. This is approximately my 7th time reading it. 

Sixteen

Today is a day we've been anticipating for a while here in the Brittish household: Nicky's Sixteenth Birthday! We've been so excited for this milestone. I am the mother of a sixteen-year-old boy! 

Wow!

I knew it would happen, but I never really knew it would happen... if you know what I mean. It always felt so far away until suddenly it wasn't. I don't know how I got here with these big kids, these eye wrinkles, and this deteriorating adult body. Seriously, where has the time gone? I just birthed the kid, and now he's as tall as his dad (a daily debate in our house... who is taller? I think they're pretty even right now, but I might need to do their weekly back-to-back, shoes-off measuring session to confirm). 

To celebrate Nicky's Sixteenth, here are sixteen facts about him:

Fact #1: Nicky didn't want to be born

Evidence:

• It took me two years to get pregnant with him. Scotty got tested. I got tested. I did four months of fertility treatments. What finally may have helped was that I had an HSG which increases chances of getting pregnant by about 27% during the three months following the procedure. I got pregnant during that window, so it's possible that the HSG flushed out a blockage in my fallopian tubes. 
• When I was finally pregnant, the test I took was defective, so I thought it was negative (I looked at it later and realized the line was going the opposite way of the picture on the box).
• I went to the doctor for a pregnancy test, and they told me it was positive, but they circled negative on my paperwork, so I still wasn't sure if I was pregnant until I had an ultrasound a few weeks later and saw an actual fetus.
• He was due on December 20. On December 27, I was induced while having ZERO signs of ever going into labor. 
• I could not push him out! It came to the point where I needed to choose between a c-section, a vacuum extraction, or forceps. After counseling with my doctor, I chose vacuum extraction, and we forced him out by his head! (He ended up with a birth injury, and I regretted that choice, but it's done and over with now, and he's fine). 
• After he was born, he cried for hours and hours. 

I always say he did not want to come to earth! (And I kind of don't blame him!) 

Nicky on earth against his will

Fact #2: Nicky was a naughty toddler

When I watch old home videos of Nicky, I don't miss those days. I am grateful they're over. He was adorable, yes, but so hard! I remember being pregnant with Daisy and laying on the couch while Nicky stood next to me hitting me with a bat, and I just let him because I was so sick and fatigued I couldn't do anything to stop him. He also peed on everything. He would pee in his toys, on the couch, in the garbage can, and even in my muffin tin. 

Don't let that sweet face fool you!

Fact #3: Something changed when he turned four

I don't know what happened, but when Nicky turned four, he suddenly gained logic. I could simply explain to him the reasons he should or shouldn't do something, and he would get it. Not with perfection, of course, but with so much improvement from just weeks prior.

(I hoped this would happen to my girls, too. It didn't).

Fact #4: He's not into sports

Nicky likes to play sports for fun, but he's never been interested in competing. It's just not in his nature. We put him in soccer, tee-ball, and basketball as a young child, and he really wasn't interested in any of it. One of my favorite stories to tell about Nicky is when he was twelve, he played church basketball, and he stole the ball from the other team, then apologized and gave it back. 

I love this about him! 

Fact #5: He has a big scar on his face

People often wonder about the scar on Nicky's face, but they aren't sure if it's okay to ask. The scar is from a slap bracelet. He and Daisy were fighting over it, and some of the fabric came loose, and it sliced through his cheek like butter! It was such a freak accident!

A few years later, Zoe's toe got sliced open by a slap bracelet. So beware of slap bracelets!

Sorry for the graphic image, but I need you to see this!

The weapon (from the treasure box at the dentist)

Fact #6: He cries at the end of vacations

Nicky has really loved all of our family vacations, and he is always devastated when they come to an end. 

Outside our hotel in Anaheim

Doesn't that just break your heart?

Fact #7: He used to be scared to death to talk to people

Nicky was incredibly shy and had pretty bad anxiety as a child. When he was nine years old, it was so bad, I didn't know what to do anymore. He wouldn't talk to people. He didn't really have any friends. He was often overlooked (he was always the kid that got missed when someone passed out birthday treats and stuff like that). He wouldn't sleep in his room alone (we had to move Daisy into his room).  

It makes me so emotional to even think about it. I'm not sure what helped him through, but I put him in Tae Kwon Do for a year, and I prayed my guts out for him to have a teacher who could "see" him (and we were blessed with a few teachers who provided that). Maybe he just grew out of it, who knows! But the defining moment, when I saw him come out of his shell, was when we were eating ice cream at a fast food restaurant one night, and he broke his spoon and said, "I'll go ask for a new one!" I almost bawled my eyes out when my son went to the counter by himself and asked for a spoon.

Fact #8: He is named after my brother and Scotty's grandpa

Nicky's middle name is Brock which is my brother's first name and Scotty's grandpa's last name. I've always liked that we could name him after both sides of the family. It also works well because when I was young, my little brother went everywhere with me (it made dating complicated), so I often accidentally call Nicky "Brock." 

Fact #9: He has never cared about fashion or trends

I've never had to deal with any fads with Nicky, and I'm quite grateful for that. He and I laugh because, for this school year, he told me he wanted to try and dress better, and when I asked, "Like how?" he said, "I have no idea!" and we went around shopping for school clothes having no idea what's in style right now. 

He wore Hawaiian shirts and gym shorts for about three years straight. He ditched the gym shorts a couple of years ago (he still wears Hawaiian shirts but not exclusively). Then last year, for the first time since first grade (other than for church on Sundays) he wore pants. Now he says, "I kind of like pants. I'm not sure why I went so long without them!"

Lately he's become somewhat interested in funky shoes, but not to excess. It started with a pair of vintage Adidas that used to be his great-grandpa's. He's starting to become known for his shoes.

Great-Grandpa's Adidas

Fact #10: He hates reading

I've never been able to get him to read anything other than Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Fact #11: He is surprisingly self-disciplined

When Nicky was six, he played a lot of Mario on the Wii, and he started noticing that video games made him angry. It was fascinating to witness such a young child make this connection. He came up to me one day and said, "Nintendo makes me feel angry, so I'm not going to play it as much." And because of that, I've never had to regulate video games for him (my girls are another story...)

There are a lot of other examples of Nicky doing similar things. For example, once he decided he wasn't going to drink soda for a year, so he didn't. Last year, he decided he wanted to do push-ups everyday, so he did. He's quite inspiring (and he doesn't get this trait from Scotty and me).

Fact #12: He's also frugal

Nicky is very good with saving his money. Sometimes annoyingly so. I used to have to get after him for chastising his grandparents about spending money. 

Fact #13: He's very clever

Nicky has always been very inventive. He has made some pretty creative contraptions, like a hockey game controlled by magnets, a pinball machine, and a drinking hat. 

He's also really funny.

Fact #14: He is an Eagle Scout

I just throw this fact out there because not very many young men earn their Eagle anymore. I didn't care whether he did it or not. I was willing to support him, but I wasn't going to make him do it. He finished his Eagle during COVID and after the Church discontinued the scouting program, so that just shows the extra diligence it took to attain this milestone.

Eagle Scout

Fact #15: He still has an essence of childhood

One thing I really love about Nicky is that he hasn't completely abandoned the joy of childhood yet, but he also isn't immature. He still enjoys "playing," but he's also responsible. 

Nicky having fun for "meme day" at school

(He would want you to notice his Hoka shoes that he bought on clearance from Scheel’s with gift cards he earned from applying for scholarships (See? Frugal!))

Fact #16: Ladies, he's single!

But for now he just wants to be friends. 

I tried to convince him to kiss some girls since he has his braces off, but for now, he's just kissing fish. 

Smoochin'

I haven't told him yet, but I already have his wife picked out (the less I say to him about it, the better the odds it will work out). 

This Week in Christmasing

It’s Christmas Eve. 

9:32 p.m.

I’m exhausted. But I don’t get to go to bed yet. 

Fortunately, our kids are also pretty tuckered out and usually end up going to bed early the night before Christmas. It helps that they’ve been up since 5:40 this morning. Now I just need to give them some time to fall deep asleep so I can do Christmas things. 

Rumor has it that Santa has put together a scavenger hunt that they will have to complete to find their gift tomorrow. 

While I’m waiting, here are some of the exciting happenings from the last few days (with low-quality photographic support and weird formatting due to phone blogging):

We had an “appetizer night,” which might have to become an annual tradition. I was planning dinner one night, and I decided to just do all appetizers. We had little smokies, popcorn shrimp, a regular cheeseball, a chocolate chip cheeseball, a veggie tray, Chex mix, and muddy buddies.

Everyone was a fan except for Eva who never eats anything and then begs for food all night.

Cheeseball

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

We had an FNO (family night out) and went downtown. We went to Temple Square to see the animated nativity at the Tabernacle.

We walked through the very small amount of lights (Temple Square normally has tons of lights at Christmas, but it’s under construction currently, so there are just a few lights).

Then we walked over to City Creek to make a donation at the Giving Machines (the kids chose to buy three ducks). 

We went to the food court and ate some French fries before heading to Eccles Theatre to see Mat and Savanna Shaw’s Christmas concert. I convinced Zoe and Eva to go by telling them we were taking them to see YouTubers. This was their first time at a concert or theatre. When Zoe saw the inside of the theatre, she said, “I didn’t know you were taking us to a fancy opera!”

The next day we went and visited my dad. He recently moved two hours away, and we hadn’t been to his new house yet. He now lives in a small town in the mountains, so it was only appropriate for us to do some sledding while we were there.

The kids had a blast! And so did Scotty…

Then suddenly it was Christmas Eve (today) and somehow it’s still Christmas Eve.

I spent all morning making foods. Pretzel Jello, Jello jigglers (I’m on Jello duty), and seafood dip. 

At noon we went to lunch at Scotty’s mom’s house. 

Cousins

Then at 4:00 we went to Scotty’s dad’s Christmas Eve party.

I think this was the first time Eva willingly talked to Santa 

When we got home, we tortured the children by making them clean up the house. We delivered a few gifts. I put together a breakfast casserole for the morning, we watched a video Amber made from our Florida vacation, and then I changed into my stretchy pants and beat Scotty at Wingspan. 

Now we’re watching the Belsnickel episode of The Office (s 9 ep 9) and waiting for Santa to arrive!