100 Things

Welcome to my blog, Fluent Brittish. I started blogging in 2006, and at the time, most bloggers had a “100 Things About Me” page. In June 2021 I decided to do a throwback to 100 Things. It’s a quick way to get to know my weirdest traits, and it’s always fun for me, as the writer, to go back and read my 100 Things to see how I’ve changed over time. 

Here are 100 things about me:

1. I'm a very unorganized organized person.

2. I like to yell "Eagle!" when I go down the hills on Splash Mountain. 

3. I hate the ride Autopia and would be happy to sign a petition to have it removed from Disneyland. 

4. I prefer to handle stress by emotional eating, overspending, and sleeping too much.

5. I don't like quinoa. 

6. I'm not a germaphobe.

7. I hate changing lightbulbs. 

8. I'm a New Year's Baby. 

9. My cousin and I were born on the same day at the same hospital via the same doctor. I was late and he was early. Our moms both went into labor.

10. I don't like electric can openers, but I reserve the right to change my mind someday when I have arthritis. 

11. I used to think rice cookers were stupid, but then I blogged about it, and I lost my ability to cook rice and had to buy a rice cooker. 

12. I like to stretch my nostrils. I know it sounds weird, but there are people out there who know what I'm talking about, so I know I'm not alone in the universe. 

13. My nose is very pliable - it can be smooshed and wiggled around with ease. My husband’s, however, is very bony and can’t be wiggled or squished. We both think the other’s nose is the “weird” one.

14. I enjoy playing strategy board games.

15. I think orange juice is one of the most delightful things on this earth.

16. I believe in and promote the use of the Oxford comma.

17. I usually read about 2-3 books a week.

18. I have high blood pressure. 

19. Holidays stress me out.

20. I like toast. A lot. 

21. Strangely, I’m not much of a cookie fan. I think it’s weird. I seem like a person who would love cookies. I mean, who doesn’t love cookies? Clearly there’s something wrong with me.

22. I’m not very adventurous.

23. I'm actually quite lazy. 

24. If I could choose any career, I would be a dance choreographer, author, professional mascot, and marriage and family therapist. Quadruple threat.

25. Though my sister-in-law, who works for the police department, says I would make a good intel analyst. Whatever that means. 

26. I usually win baby/bridal shower games.

27. Unless it's BINGO. I can't win BINGO. 

28. I'm also not great with those games where you have to guess how many objects are in a jar even though I swear I use a very sophisticated guessing method. 

29. I'm a soda junkie.

30. I think the Pepsi/Coke rivalry is stupid because they're both great! 

31. By the way, I'm going to quit soda tomorrow...

32. I harbor a lot of animosity toward IKEA, but I still shop there once every two years because there are five products there that I like. 

33. I’m good with names and remembering people. I feel like this is a useful trait, but sometimes it’s frustrating because I always know who people are and they don’t always know me. Sometimes I downplay this skill as to not creep people out. Like one time when I got a massage and to my dismay, the massage therapist was someone I went to high school with (she was a year older than me) and I knew her name, what sports she played, and even who her mom was (I served with her mom in a stake relief society calling), but she had no clue who I was, and yet, I had to get naked for her and let her rub my butt. 

34. My first crush was Marty McFly.

35. I really don't like the game Clue. I used to play it once a year for Scotty's birthday. Now my kids want to play it all the time, and I feel like I'm constantly in a moral predicament. 

36. I don’t like swimming. I don’t understand what people are supposed to do in pools. So you get in... you’re wet... now what?

37. I snore.

38. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a bus driver or a taxi driver when I grew up.

39. I also wanted to marry my cousin, so ya know... big dreams. I remember throwing myself on the bed in an emotional fit when my parents told me I couldn’t marry my cousin.

40. I constantly have fluid in my ears. The only time it wasn’t there was when I went to see an ENT. Then, of course, my ears were fine, and I looked like a fool. Fortunately, I’ve only had one infection from it, so I just go around with the annoying sensation of excess liquid in my head and live my best life. 

41. I use Flonase everyday for my ears. 

42. That makes it sound like I put Flonase in my ears. No, no. I put it in my nose like a normal person. It's supposed to help dry out my ears, as per my ENT.

43. I can't hear very well. Everyone sounds like they are mumbling. I had a hearing test, and my hearing is fine, so apparently EVERYONE ELSE is the problem.

44. I watch all TV and movies with closed captioning. I can't understand what anyone is saying otherwise. 

45. One of my favorite scents is honeysuckle. I also love the smell of Cabbage Patch dolls and vintage Volkswagens. They have a certain scent. If you know, you know.

46. My first job was at a Snowie shack. One of my favorite flavor combos is watermelon and coconut. 

47. I regret not learning to play the piano (or any instrument). 

48. I also regret that I never participated in a choir in high school.

49. Before I had kids, I worked in Special Ed.

50. I’ve been a stay at home mom since 2007 - other than a couple of odd jobs. 

51. My degree is in marriage and family relations. Sometimes people ask me if my degree has made me a better wife and mom. No. But it’s given me the ability to tell you all the research-based ways I’m doing everything wrong. 

52. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or a “Mormon” as we’ve been known historically. 

53. I’m not a polygamist. I don’t have horns. I don’t hate LGBTQIA+ individuals. I don’t worship Joseph Smith. 

54. I do wear temple garments. I refrain from drinking alcohol. I worship God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ.  I believe they are two separate individuals. I have lots of questions about God, Christ, and mortality that I don’t think will be answered in this lifetime, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen.”

55. I prefer TV shows over movies. 

56. I would love to play Tracy Turnblad in a production of Hairspray. 

57. I kind of regret never being in a play... save for that time I played Mama Bear in preschool.

58. I’m a very punctual person.

59. I'm pretty decent at Wheel of Fortune... in the way of shouting the answer at the TV from home. I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of actually playing Wheel of Fortune.

60. One time on a cruise ship I guessed the answer to Wheel of Fortune before the game even started. It was "Pirates of the Caribbean." The first clue was the -- --- ("of the"), we were in the Caribbean, and the first Pirates of the Caribbean had just been released. So... 

61. When I was a kid/teenager, I was a liar, liar, pants on fire. I lied about everything. All the time. I had to learn honesty as an adult. 

62. I have no desire to learn how to paint on canvas. Oils, water colors, whatever it be... the Bob Ross life is not for me.

63. I believe books should show signs of having been read. Therefore, I dog-ear book pages.

64. I cough a lot. 

65. I can do a Donald Duck voice, but I don’t like to. My kids ask me all the time to do it.

66. I can also talk like a chipmunk. Can everyone do this, or just some people? I’ve always wondered if I’m gifted or if talking in a helium voice is something we are all capable of.

67. People often tell me that they’re scared of me. 

68. I’ve gotten called out multiple times for my resting b*tch face. Y’all need to see some photos of my grandparents. It came from both sides of the family. I was genetically doomed to have a permanent frown. I can’t help it! Is there a cosmetic procedure I can undergo to fix it?

69. I lean toward introversion.

70. I can’t spell words aloud. I hate when people ask me how to spell something. I have to write it.

71. I used to be a big M*A*S*H fan. I named my cat Colonel Sherman T. Potter (though I always preferred Colonel Blake). My favorite episode is Five O’Clock Charlie. The series finale scarred me for life. I watched it while I was going through some post-partum depression after my first baby.

72. Oh yeah, I have depression and anxiety. A lot of the time, it’s well-managed, but I have moments. 

73. I like to play Dr. Mario, Tetris, and Wingspan on the Nintendo.

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

75. I have the most energy in the morning. 

76. I'm completely useless after 1:00 p.m.

77. I'm happiest when the temperature is between 45° and 65° Fahrenheit.

78. I know about ten of my friends' license plate numbers (usually just three characters so I can identify them for a wave on the road), but I don't know my own. 

79. My parents didn't love me enough to give me a middle name. If I could choose my middle name, it would be Lillian after my great-grandma. I gave one of my daughters the middle name Lillian to make up for it. 

80. I frequently have dreams about my teeth falling out.

81. I took five years of French and have nothing to show for it.

82. I enjoy "memory keeping" through writing (either in journals or on this blog) and Chatbooks.

83. I don't like to keep a lot of "stuff" for sentimental purposes. A few objects are okay, but I keep it minimal. 

84. I struggle with patience. 

85. I enjoy fresh cherries, but I don't like cherry flavored things or cherry pie filling. 

86. I don't mind loading the dishwasher, but I hate unloading it, so I will often hand wash dishes just to avoid having to unload the dishwasher. 

87. I'm suspicious of people who wear hoodies in hot weather. 

88. I have a hard time returning library books on time. 

89. I love hot food. As in the temperature. I appreciate a meal that nearly burns my mouth.

90. Words I can't pronounce well: niche, algorithm, croissant, turmeric, macabre.

91. Words I can't remember how to spell: exercise, rhythm, San Francisco. 

92. After a lot of practice, I have mastered the spelling of: necessary, tomorrow, and calendar. Those were hard for me for many years. 

93. I really enjoy cooking. That's not to say that I'm good at it, but I like doing it. 

94. I also enjoy creating a meal plan and budget. In fact, that's one of my first go-to's during my free time. I'm a great planner! I'm a horrible follow-through-er. 

95. I have a recliner in my garage, and I spend a lot of time sitting in it.

96. I appreciate a good thrift store find. 

97. I re-decorate a lot. I'm constantly changing up my wall decor and accessories. That's what I like to do instead of cleaning.

98. I have wide feet and high arches, and it's really hard for me to find shoes that fit. 

99. I enjoy vacations and traveling, but I don't have any big traveling aspirations like Hawaii or Europe. I'm perfectly happy with two-hour flights and interstates. 

100. I make a clicking sound in the back of my throat when I’m tired.