25 things about me...+ 1

I won't explain the rules, as I'm sure EVERYONE has seen this tag a million times on facebook.

25 Things about ME... + 1

1. I'm the youngest of 5 children. I was born EXACTLY 5 years after my brother Jeff- yup that's right, I was born on his 5Th birthday- greatest birthday present he could have ever wished for! I like to consider myself the easiest of all my parents children- I NEVER got in any trouble as a child or teenager.

2. I remember in the 2ND grade my teacher told my class that if we were to read all the encyclopedias we'd be really, REALLY smart... I believed her and that afternoon went home and started to read the "A" encyclopedia. I read it all, and then started on the "B" encyclopedia but soon thereafter gave up.

3. I was quite an "activist" when I was little (I'm talking 7, 8, 9 yrs old). I used to spend my free time writing letters proposing my ideas to organizations, such as "Save the Rain forest Foundation" or "Friends of the Sea Otter". In return I'd receive letters from Presidents or CEO's of these organizations expressing their appreciation for the suggestions I made. I saved most of their letters in a 6 inch binder I keep boxed up in my garage. I think my parents were slightly afraid I'd become a PETA activist once I grew older- to their relief I haven't- I enjoy eating meat too much.

4. In the 5Th grade I submitted an essay I wrote to a competition for 6Th graders competing to become mayor of San Diego for one day (it was a county wide competition for 6Th graders). Even though I wasn't a 6 grader, I was still chosen as on of the top 10 ten semi-finalists!

5. I used to sing A LOT and I actually had a good voice. In the 5Th grade the San Diego Opera came to our school and helped some of us students produce the opera "Hansel and Gretel". I had too much stage fright to try out for the part as Gretel- besides a girl in the upper grade named Mariah was given the part immediately- she shared the same name as Mariah Carey and she thought she was the real deal too- anyhow, I sang in the Gingerbread chorus. The next year my 6Th grade class produced the musical "Pirates of Pensance" and I was given the lead role as Mabel- obviously I'd gotten over my stage fright before then. Anyhow, I used to LOVE singing, but then I entered junior high and then high school followed and well, drama and chorus just weren't for the "cool kids" so I elected to play sports instead. I don't regret my decision to play sports or take a language but I do regret that I quit singing. I haven't sung in YEARS so now I sound TERRIBLE!

6. I used to also play the piano. My parents had all of my sisters and my brother take piano lessons and theory. There were some times I had piano lessons at 6:30 in the morning just before school started- can you imagine?! Our piano teachers name was Mr. Trousdale, but he pronounced it just like my own last name "Truesdell". I started lessons when I was 6 years old and played until I was 16. I was actually a really good piano player and played in lots of recitals and competitions. I HATED practicing though- and I HATED it even more so when my teacher could tell I hadn't practiced for the week. At 16, just as I was preparing to play in the San Diego Bach Art Festival I decided to QUIT piano lessons- I didn't want to play any longer and cared only about my sports and hanging out with friends. I regret having made that decision for two reasons, one because Mr. Trousdale no longer visited our home every week as he had done for the past 20 years, and two, because I can't play the piano anymore. I've completely lost that talent.

7. I LOVE my family!!! If I had a choice between hanging out with my family or my friends, more often than not, I'd choose to be with my family (sorry friends).

8. I LOVED Friday night when I was little because 20/20 was on! I used to be such a BIG fan of Barbara Walters (used to until she started "The View", now I don't want to hear her view or any of the other ladies views, they're so annoying)! While most of my friends in junior high or high school were attending football games, or busy partying at someones house, I almost ALWAYS chose to skip out so I wouldn't miss my 20/20.

9. Some people who don't really know me confuse me as being a SHY person- truth is, I've NEVER been shy- I adapt easily to social situations and sometimes I can be TOO outspoken. I've take the color test a MILLION times and EVERY time, I'm a RED- yellow is my second strongest color, and I always have very little white or blue traits. Believe it or not though, when I'm quite in a social gathering, it's usually just because either I'm busy listening, or I just might not be in the mood to talk. I actually consider myself to be a pretty good conversationalists.

10. DETAIL is extremely important to me (not sure if you've ever noticed ;) )

11. I had an AMAZING childhood (I'm not trying to brag but only trying to convey the truth). Some of the fondest memories I have as a child are of going to the Jack Murphy stadium at least once every week with my family during baseball season to watch Padre games (thus explaining why I LOVE frequenting b-ball games). My parents had a huge pool in our backyard and every Spring I remember watching them fill it with fresh new water- it would take all day to fill, but my brother and I would jump right into the pool the second the hose hit the cement. I remember sleeping, eating, and even going to the store or to the ballpark to watch my sisters or my brother's ball game in just my swim suit- I ALWAYS had a bathing suit wedgie. I used to swim all day in our pool, from the minute the sun rose in the morning, till it was time for bed- I LOVED swimming in our pool at night, when the pool lights were on and my dad would be home from work and join us for a swim in the pool. We were never allowed to swim on Sundays because it was the Sabbath, but I remember my dad used to vacuum our pool every Sunday evening after dinner and I would always go out there EVERY Sunday evening to bother or tease him and it always resulted in me getting tossed into the pool in my Sunday dress! I'd scream and pout, but I know my dad knew me best and knew I wanted to go for a swim when i wasn't supposed to- I spent nearly every Sunday night of my childhood standing outside the back door to our house in a towel and a wet dress trying to dry off. I LOVED it when my parents would take us to the beach because as soon as we'd get back from the beach we'd all run to the back yard and do "cannon balls" into our pool and swim another 5 or 6 hours! I had a pretty good little tan when I was younger, lots of freckles, and I spent every Saturday evening in the bathtub with lemon juice all over my hair- my moms attempt to get the green from the chlorine out of mine and my sisters blond hair before church the next day. I actually learned how to swim before I could walk. I remember on a few occasions people told me I should join a swim team when I was younger but I thought they were crazy cuz I ALREADY knew how to swim.... I wish I had been on swim team. My parents tore out and filled in the backyard pool when I was in highschool- I still wish to this day they hadn't.

12. My freshman year in college I failed my Swimming Class. I signed up to take the class on Wednesday evenings, each week during winter semester (this was in Rexburg, Idaho where it's normal to have to walk to class in a blizzard during the winter) for an hour, between 7 and 8. It only took me one day to decide I'd drop the class, and so as most students there do, if you're planning on dropping the class you just don't show up and after the first two weeks of not showing up the teacher automatically drops the student. I had absolutely NO idea my teacher never dropped me and found out I was still in the class and failing it during FINALS week. Funny thing is, my boyfriend I dated that ENTIRE semester was in the same class and he NEVER told me I was still on the roll. IDIOT!

13. I think I mentioned once before that I LOVE my family and I especially love our differences. I am LDS (for those unfamiliar with the term, this means that I am a Mormon). My mother, sisters, brother and I were all raised and baptized in the church. My dad IS NOT LDS, though he supports us in our beliefs. He was raised in the east as a Baptist. My grandparents are Baptist. My 2ND to eldest sister, Janna, is married to David who is from Afghanistan and his family is Muslim. My 3rd sister, Trish, married Victor and he is actually Jewish- but when he was younger his parents converted and joined the LDS Church. My brother's wife is from Mexico and she was raised Catholic but she is now Jehovah's Witness. My husband Spencer technically isn't Samoan or Tongan by descent, but he was conceived in Tonga and and born in Samoa so I like to think he completes my multi cultural family. While people of all faiths are fighting one another all across the world because they have differences, my family is proof that everyone, despite where we come from or what we believe in, can LOVE and get along.

14. I've NEVER EVER drank alcohol, nor do I ever want to, I've never experimented with drugs, or smoked.

15. I LOVE the beach and miss it dearly. I LOVE sand stuck to my feet, I miss laying out on the beach, I LOVE the taste of salt from the ocean drying on my lips. I would MOVE back home to San Diego in a HEARTBEAT if it weren't so dang expensive to live there!

16. I used to play a lot of sports when I was younger and thru out high school. Sadly I haven't played much of any sport since then. I played soccer for 7 years (3 years on my high schools varsity team and 1 year on the JV team because I was a transfer student and since I played varsity the year before at my old high school the county wouldn't let me play on varsity for at least one season), softball for 6 years (I played only one year of softball in high school my sophomore year- 1/2 the season was on JV and the 2ND half of the season was on the Varsity team- I proved valuable running and stealing bases for all the fatter, slower girls on the team- I was REALLY sly and speedy- I was set to play Varsity the next year during my Junior year in school but the weekend before the season began, I broke my arm snowboarding and was out the whole season); I played 2 years on my high schools field hockey team (I LOVE this sport) and I ran Varsity Cross Country my freshman year in high school. I always WISH I had played Lacrosse or had been on a Crew team (rowing). I also wish I had found the time to take ice skating lessons- I bought my own pair of ice skates but NEVER found the time to take lessons. I love MOST sports, minus volleyball and basketball... yup I hate basketball with a passion!

17. I am DEATHLY allergic to wheat, flour, Gluten. No I don't have Celiacs, my doctors don't know exactly what my condition is called because I can suffer from anaphalexis even if I eat even a morsel of food made from flour. My allergy is hereditary, my grandpa is allergic to wheat/flour on a much milder scale, my dad is severely allergic to gluten, my 8 year old niece is severely allergic to gluten and my sister Janna and my dad's sister also are mildly allergic to gluten. My children have a good chance of developing the allergy- I hope they never do though. I didn't become allergic to gluten until I was 21- before then I could eat cupcakes and pasta without any problem. I HATE gluten free food and WISH someone would find a cure for my allergy. I still remember what a doughnut tastes like and even though it's been 7 years since the last time I ate anything with wheat in it, occasionally I'll dream about a Cinnabon or a Taco Bell Bean Burrito (my two favorite foods prior to the onset of my deadly allergy).

18. I'm fluent in a few languages. I studied french for 4 years during junior high and high school, I also studied Latin. I learned to speak, read, and understand Portuguese fluently over the duration of my mission I served in Portugal (I can write in Portuguese too, but I'm embarrassed to write Portuguese NOW since it's been 5 years since I used it more frequently). Thanks to my Portuguese, I understand probably 90%, maybe 95% of Spanish (unless it's border Spanish) and I even understand a bit of Italian- though I haven't tried to learn much of it.

19. As was mentioned before, I served a mission for my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in the Porto, Portugal Mission when I was 21- so from May 2002- September 2003. As a Sister Missionary, I lived with one other, sometimes two Sister missionary companions, every 12 or 18 weeks, traveled from one city in Portugal to another and befriended, taught and baptized amazing people from not just Portugal, but also from Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Brazil, and Columbia. I NEVER imagined myself as a sister missionary but my Heavenly Father knew it was something I needed to do during my lifetime so he sent me the call. I LOVED my time spent in Portugal and the dear people I met there... if you want to know more about my mission or see pictures, you can read what I posted about it here on my blog http://stepharoo1981.blogspot.com/2008/10/5-years.html

20. When I was younger, my parents sent me to ZOO SUMMER SCHOOL one summer at The San Diego Zoo. I LOVED my experience there and I learned SO many crazy animal facts. For instance, did you know that a giraffe can kick the head off of a lion in self defense??? Yeah, ask me for more- I know A LOT.

21. When I was in high school I took a career aptitude test and the results said I should have become a POLITICIAN, a LAWYER, a FIREFIGHTER, or an INDIAN CHIEF (NO JOKE). So... I decided to go to college in Rexburg, Idaho and study in Communications as a Broadcasting Major- with an emphasis in Political Science. (I think I may have concentrated more though on studying boys and partying while I was there though). I was a DJ for the student radio station, and I managed the daily Newscast read over the radio for the regions blind and elderly folk. My sophomore year in college I had the opportunity to interview our school's President,(now apostle for the church) President Bednar... it was a live hour long interview broadcasted over the student radio station- I tried to dig deep and corner him with questions regarding the schools lame curfew or dress code, but Bednar plead the 5Th and wanted only to discuss marriage and relationships- BLAH- the conversation bored me just about as much as his hair did, but still I'm quite pleased till this day to boast and say, I personally interviewed an apostle of the church. I NEVER did finish school with my degree in broadcasting, instead I quit with just 2 semesters left. I'm a FULL TIME MOM NOW- or in other words a PROFESSIONAL HOMEMAKER. I NEVER imagined this career but it's PERFECT for me and I LOVE EVERY MINUTE of work I do as a wife and a mother. ONE DAY I"LL HEAD BACK TO COLLEGE TO FINISH MY DEGREE after my boys are grown and then I think I"d like to study either nursing OR become a LAWYER- yup, I took some intro to law classes before and I LOVED THEM and while I might be old and grey when I finally graduate, I think a degree in Law just might suit me.

22. I used to surf a lot in high school and during my summers home from college; I also used to skateboard some- mostly downhill on a long board; I started snowboarding in college and I got pretty good, but it's been years since I've really done any of things and now to be honest I'm a bit afraid to participate in any of these activities- A. because I'm out of shape B. because I'm out of practice, and C. because I realize I was just crazier prior to being a mom and being responsible for someone other than myself- I worry about the dangers too much now.

23. It's so COMPLETELY out of character for either myself or my husband, but truth be told, we met through the Internet on a website called LDSMINGLES. I used to TOTALLY make fun of roommates I had who met guys on dating websites, and who would have thunk- I meet Spencer on one. I definitely wasn't looking for love, but love found me! if you want to read the story of how we met, you can read it here... http://www.sdgattinhaandctrpunk.blogspot.com

24. I am not, I repeat, especially for those people in my family, I AM NOT O.C.D., I AM IN FACT JUST A PERFECTIONIST. Seriously, I won't do a project if I know I can't do it perfectly. I like everything neat, organized and looking perfect. I LOVE TO ENTERTAIN, but I'm the Martha Stewart kinda entertainer who likes everything to be perfect. I CAN NOT function when things are a mess or in disarray. I HATE dirty anything- especially dirty carpets. I used to vacuum once a day, sometimes twice a day- now with 3 little boys, I'm lucky if I find the time to vacuum 3 times a weeks. Did you know my sister in law, I won't mention who by name, once got in an argument with me because she was upset that I vacuumed too much?! I'm aware that not everything I do is perfect and I'm my biggest critic.

25. I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to one day own a toy store for children, one that sold classic children's toys, not cheesy cheep crap; I'd also LOVE to own a CANDY STORE- totally decked out like Dillions Candy Bar; I HOPE to write and publish a book during my lifetime- probably a children's book- did I MENTION how much I LOVE DR SEUSS- not just his books, but his artwork and illustrations- I LOVE IT- he and WALT DISNEY were god sent for little children and adults like myself who are still like little kids.

+ 1 extra additional comment
I know it's only 25 things about me, but I couldn't help but add I LOVE MY BOYS, SPENCER, NOAH, IAN & COHEN!