Day 12 of 30 things

Day 12 of 30 Things: Describe a typical day.

My days are really not that interesting, so this post will probably be the same. I guess I'll just do a quick run-down.

8:00am: Bryant comes and gives me a kiss goodbye as he leaves for work. Then after he shuts the front door, I usually hear "Mommy! Mommy!" or "It's a clue! It's a clue!" from Savannah's room. She used to sleep until 10, but ever since daylight savings time, she jumped TWO hours back! Then it's out of the crib, diaper change, and Breakfast for the 2 of us. Usually fruit and milk for her, and cereal or cream of wheat with toast for me.

8:30am: Watch our morning cartoons. This usually consists of Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse club, and Blues clues.

9:30am: If I'm feeling well, then It's shower time. I stick Savannah in her crib with another cartoon while I jump in the shower, then when I get out, I stick her in the bathtub while I do my hair and makeup. If I'm not feeling well, then It's another hour of laying pathetically on the couch.

10:30am. Snack time. 

11:00- 1:00ish: Play time. We usually like to color, use the chalkboard, play with magnets, get chased around, snuggle our stuffed animals, hide behind corners and scare each other, read, sing songs, play on the iPad etc. Some days, I take Savannah to the movie theater.

1:15: Lunch

1:30 or 2:30-ish: Nap time. This means a bottle, a stuffed animal, a blanket and a cuddle. On a good day, she sleeps 2 hours. On a bad day, she sleeps 20 minutes. While Savannah takes a nap, I usually either take one as well, eat lunch, catch up on homework, read, or watch a TV show that isn't a cartoon.

(If It's Tuesday or Thursday, I leave for school at 12:20 and come home about 3:30 while my dad comes over to babysit.)

4:00: Wake up from nap and it's time to eat again. Then we sometimes run errands. Even if we don't need too. Being stuck inside all day sucks so we sometimes go to the grocery store, or maybe just the 2 of us go out to eat, or go window shopping. Bryant usually texts me around 4:30 to tell me he's getting off work and will be home by 5.

5:00: Bryant texts us again, saying that he's now on his way home from work. We try to clean up the house a bit. Key word being "Try". Savannah likes to help with laundry and dusting the most.

6:00: Bryant calls again to tell me he was supposed to leave at 5, but is just getting around to leaving. (Happens every. single. day.) We usually ask him to either pick something up for dinner, or we start cooking dinner.

7:00: Bryant finally comes home.

7:30: Dinner

8:00: Bryant and Savannah play, play, play. That little girl sure loves her daddy!

8:30-9:30 ish: Savannah gets tired, we put her down for bed and Bryant and I watch Sports Center together (even though I HATE sports center, I watch it because I love him ;-)

10:00: After dozing off on the couch, and Bryant laughing at me every time I snore, I decide I've had enough of college basketball and I head to bed.

11:00: Bryant comes to bed and I snuggle up to keep warm. And because I think he's pretty handsome.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

(This is just a typical day. I wish this schedule was more concrete, but nap times and stuff varies day to day. Most of the time, I just feel lazy. There isn't really that much going on to keep me productive. Also, my dad comes over to work everyday, so we spend a lot of time throughout the day hanging out with him. And sometimes, on the rare occasion, Bryant, Savannah and I will all go out to lunch or dinner.)

Day 10 of 30 Things

Day 10: Describe your most embarrassing moment.

Ok, I've got 2 for you today.

So, once upon a time, there was this boy who lived in my building, who I kind of really super liked. Let's call him Bryant...

Well, one day, he asked if I wanted to come play kick-ball with our ward. I knew he was super athletic and loved any type of sport or competition. I, trying to impress him, told him that I was really good a sports too, and that I played pretty much everything (which, is false...) So off we went to the field.

I was feeling pretty confident, and kind of talked myself up, saying that I was a kickball pro (because really, no one needs to know that you were always last to be picked at this game in grade school...). So here I was, up to kick! I actually kicked a pretty good hit that went past the 2nd baseman. I ran hard, and as fast as I could, to show off my amazingly fast running skills when, halfway to first, I got ahead of myself. 

You know when you are running, and you don't trip over anything, but you are going too fast and your legs kind of drag behind your head and shoulders? Then WHAM! The next thing you know, you're literally eating dust...

Well, that's what happened to me.

I just kind of laid there, face down in red clay dust and shame. I could hear everyone laughing. It was humiliating. Especially when that's all Bryant could talk about for the next week! Needless to say, I left the game and walked home after my pathetic display of athleticism.

That boy ended up marrying me, so I guess I looked pretty cute at least.

Story #2

This summer, I participated in a neighborhood "biggest loser" weight loss challenge. One day, after coming home from a work out, I decided that I was going to take a picture of myself for a "before" photo... In just my skivvies...

This photo was meant for personal use only. Just so I could see how I looked without baggy clothes covering up my curves. So, in my sports bra and panties, I stood in my hallway and took a profile photo from my thighs up. Mind you, not only was I half naked, but I had just come back from a workout, so I was looking pretty ragged. 

I had used Bryant's phone, because It was sitting on the table and mine was charging in my room. I then decided that I would text myself the photo to my phone. Bryant had put me in his phone contacts under a nickname and I couldn't remember what it was, so I decided to just punch in my number. But just as I hit the "send" button, I realized that I had typed in the last number in wrong!!!

So yup, someone out there has a photo of me, in all my chubby, skivvy glory. I'm still mortified about it.

Day 6 of 30 Things

Day 6: What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

It's interesting that this question came up today, because I've done a lot of reflecting this past week on the hardest thing I have ever had to experience.

This coming Thursday marks the 10 year anniversary of my Dad's stroke. I've written a few times on this blog about that experience, so I won't go through much detail now. But It was the scariest, hardest, faith-shaking moment of my life. It's so hard to see someone you love so much suffer so badly. It affected how my entire life afterwords played out. 

But 10 years later and my family is stronger than ever. 

It was the hardest thing I ever experienced, but it was also one of the biggest blessings. How can you not love and appreciate your parents more after you almost lose one of them? I witnessed the power of prayer as my dad got stronger and healed. I watched him accomplish things that we never thought he would be able to do again. I watched my Mother as she stood by his side, taking him to numerous doctors appointments, specialists, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers, all while taking care of 4 kids and staying so strong.

What an inspiration. 

I love you both Mom and Dad.

(I wrote a detailed post about the day my dad had his stroke 2 years ago, if you want to read it, click HERE. For warning signs of a stroke, please click HERE. Knowledge is power and time is key. The sooner they can get a diagnosis, the less damage will be done. And remember, it can happen to anyone, anytime. My dad was only 39 with no previous health problems. It took them 8 hours to diagnose because they just couldn't believe that someone like him could have a stroke. Please pass this information on to loved ones!)

Day 4 of 30 Things

List 10 things you would tell your 16 year old-self if you could.

1. Pay better attention in Seminary. You're really going to regret that you don't know that much when you meet your future husband someday, because you will want to be on his scriptural knowledge level, and wont be.

 2. You've done well at avoiding unneccessary drama in your life, keep it up!

 3. Write down everything you learn in your art classes. You may not feel like you're very good 

      right now, but someday you will want to pick-up art again in your 20's and not remember any of   the tecniques.

4. Have more school spirit. You may think High School is lame and just want to graduate and move on to college, but trust me, you will be missing out on some great memories.

5. Eat healthier! You may be a stick now, but you're going to get hips and some chub from having at baby when you are 23, and and you won't be in the habit of making good food choices.

6. Friends and boys will come and go. And even though you won't get too broken up about breaking up with them (or visa versa) give yourself some credit. You don't need to let them, or your "friends" make fun of you or make you feel bad about living up to your standards. You should feel proud! I'm cheering for you! And believe me when I say, someday your prince will come, and he will love you and respect you and take care of you. Not like these silly 16 year old boys now.

7. Don't be so hard on your parents. Especially when they need your help. The trials and hardships your family has gone through in the past 2 years are unique and you have to be there for each other. Things will never be entirely back to normal. But I promise, everything turns out O.K.

8. Be a little more adventurous, don't be such a scaredy-cat.

9. Have a better attitude about the hard things. In a few years, you will realize that they were little, easy things and you will laugh at yourself for ever having been worried about them.

10. Speak up a little more. You have a lot of ideas and opinions and you don't need to be afraid of people making fun of them. You will get feisty in college when someone makes fun or questions your opinions. If you had this attitude about standing up for them during high school, classes would have been a lot more fun and interesting.

Sorry this one is kind of dumb. I really didn't have that much I would say to my 16 year old self, because I believe that everything I've ever done, has made me who I am today. I guess If I could talk to my teenage self, I would just give her words of encouragement, because that's all I really needed back then.

Day 3 of 30 Things

Day 3: Describe your relationship with your parents.

I think I have a really amazing relationship with my parents. It's by no means perfect, but I like it for that reason. I think our relationship has changed a lot over the years too. It's developed from just a "parent-child" relationship, to more of a "parent-young adult-friendship" relationship.

I'm the oldest child, so I think my relationship with my parents is very different than that of my siblings and my parents. I didn't have an older sibling to look up to or copy-cat growing up, so I did that with my parents. While other kids were listening to N'sync and Backstreet boys as kids because their big brothers and sisters were, I was listening to Jimmy Buffet, James Taylor and Bob Marley because my parents did. I became interested in what they were interested in. Books, radio programs, movies, etc.

I also like that I was always learning from them. When other kids would run home and show their parents their art project from school, which would go up on the fridge for a few weeks and then mysteriously end up in the trash, my dad would show me how I could improve on it, and let me continue working on it. 

Both my parents always encouraged me to do what I want with my life. I was free to make mistakes, as long as I understood the consequences of them, good or bad. 

Both of my parents worked while I was growing up, but they always made time for us when they could, whether it was weekend drives up to the cabin, or fun vacations and camping trips. My parents owning their own business allowed for them to attend all of my sporting/dance events, which was always important to me. 

My relationship with my parents has been wonderful. I really appreciate everything they do for me, and I hope to have as good as a relationship with my children.

The List: Fears

Day 2 of the "30 Things" List

Describe 3 Legitimate fears you have and explain how they became your fears.

1: Car Accidents. 

    I am terribly afraid of car accidents. I didn't used to be. It wasn't until a couple of years ago. Specifically, when I became pregnant. I suddenly worried every time I got in the car about what would happen to me. To the baby. To Bryant. What would I do without either of them? It scared me to death. I think part of it was anxiety caused by changing pregnancy hormones, but I was to the point of obsessing about car accidents. I remember on Christmas that year, we were driving from Salt Lake to Payson and we hit a pretty heavy fog. I had a panic attack. I made Bryant turn off the radio, slow down to practically crawling speed, and I clutched onto the door and my seat with my eyes closed the entire way. I was holding back tears. 

     Now, it's not nearly as bad, but I still worry. I'm the safest driver you will ever, ever meet. I still don't like when Bryant rides his motorcycle. Which is weird because I feel better about him driving it with me than him driving alone. 

 (My car after a guy tried to pull a u-turn into me)

2: Earthquakes

    My 5th grade teacher hated children, and she did her very best to scar us for life. She repeatedly showed movies on natural disasters, mostly earthquakes. I'd be in tears during her class (she made me cry my first day of school by telling me my math skills were lacking and that I was probably too stupid to be in the 5th grade.)

3: Something bad happening to Savannah.

     You can't even begin to imagine my anxiety when we first brought her home. The first night, I was paranoid about leaving her in her bassinet. I woke up repeatedly panicking that she wasn't breathing. I finally laid her in bed with me and placed my hand on her chest to feel her breathing the whole night. She ended up co-sleeping with us for 6 months.

*Some other, minor fears of mine*

-Spiders and earwhigs

-Roller coasters

-Getting my ears pierced

-Getting my blood drawn

-Answering questions in class

-Germs

The List

Ok, so I found a link to this blog earlier today on Pinterest. It had the caption "30 Questions to Ask Your Spouse." I love stuff like this because when Bryant and I go out, we usually have Savy and we spend most of our time out chasing her/stopping her from begging strangers for food/sticking straws up her nose etc... And when we don't have Savy with us, all we seem to talk about it Savy. 

I like learning new things about Bryant. For instance, I didn't know he was a closet Star Wars nerd until almost a year after our marriage. (I knew we were soul mates!)

But the blogger this pin was linked to actually used the list as topic starters on her blog. Answer one question a day. I like that idea too! So I'll be doing it here as well!

So let's dive in, shall we?

Question 1: List 20 Random Facts About Yourself (Ok, it's not a question, but whatever...)

1) I played the steel drums in Jr. High briefly. To audition, you had to play a piece on the piano to prove you could read music. I played Peter Piper... (You know, that song that you only need to play with one finger? And you learn it when you're 4?)

2) I went white water rafting when I was pregnant with Savannah. I don't recommend this...

3) My favorite food is "Mormon" enchiladas. They are stacked like pancakes.

4) I secretly really, really like Star Trek (Don't judge...)

5) Red grapes make my throat burn, which is really super weird considering that green grapes don't do anything to me. And I hate raisins.

6) At preschool graduation, we drew pictures of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew a police officer because that's what my grandpa was.

7) My least favorite chore around the house is folding clothes. I am just fine washing them, but most of the time, they end up in a pile next to the bed. I'd rather scrub the toilet than fold a shirt.

8) Most of the music I listen to, my parents introduced to me.

9) In the same day, I saw an 80 year old woman wearing the same glasses that I have, and another 80  year old woman wearing the same shirt that I was wearing. This gives you a good idea of my fashion sense. 

10) The class I failed my freshman year of college was also my favorite class. Biology. I hated the professor, loved the information. I failed because I was hospitalized with pneumonia during finals week.

11) The summer I was 12, I volunteered at the local library because I needed something to do and because I liked books. I also liked telling people I had a job, even though I didn't get paid for it.

12) I went through a weird phase in gradeschool where I would get hooked on a subject, learn everything I could about it, then write a "report" for my teacher. Which was not necessary, required, nor part of the curriculum. Some topics included were: Beethoven, Astronomy, Greek and Roman Myths, and the Titanic.

13) I've been to 3 Jimmy Buffett concerts in Las Vegas. I'm usually one of the youngest people there... by 20 years. 

14) My mood is greatly influenced by my surroundings. If I start to feel down and depressed, one need only take me out into the sunshine. Being outside, even if it's just sitting on the porch, really does wonders for me. I'm like a house plant I guess...

15) I was a dancer most of my life. I quit after I had pneumonia. Quitting is one of my biggest regrets in life.

16) I can't stand the feel of smooth concrete on my bare feet. Outside on the sidewalk= just fine. Inside on an unfinished basement=heebee jeebees.

17) I never got bad motion sickness/car sickness until I got pregnant. 18 months later and I still can't be in the car more than an hour before I'm ridiculously sick. Any car trip longer than 4 hours, I'm sick for the next 2 days...

18) I dream almost every single night. And I usually remember my dreams in great detail.

19) I used to be incredibly self conscious of my big feet and long toes. I was made fun of to no end growing up and was constantly trying to hide them. Now? I have absolutely no issue with them. I wear flip-flops with pride! What? You can't pick things up with your feet like a monkey? Well I can!

20) I don't have tonsils. Well, I probably do, but doctors can never see them. Every time I go in for a check-up they ask "So when did you have your tonsils taken out? It's not in your medical history." They always look confused and shocked when I tell them I never had them taken out! You never know, I didn't have wisdom teeth either until about a year and a half ago, and I had to get those taken out last December...

Wow, that was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be! Well, anyways, that's all for tonight!

P.S. You can now follow me on Twitter! @_BrookeTrout_