25 Random Things About Me

I'm pretty much not all that interesting but what the heck!

1. I put off writing this (I'm no band wagon jumper and I will always loathe Harry Potter) but I have learned tons of crazy fun stuff about my friends so here it is.
2. I love organization but am mostly disorganized...I just keep trying!
3. I grew up in PA and I miss it like crazy.4. I am and always have been a nail biter. So nasty. I know.
5. My Grandmother was an alcoholic and my best friend.
6. My most painful and precious moments were with her at the hospital when she passed away.
7. I cried a lot my senior year because I hated it so much. I worked 2 jobs to pass the time.
8. I love people! Watching them, listening to them, getting to know them, understanding them, believing in them, even rolling my eyes at them!
9. I joined the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1995 and it changed my life forever.
10. I love to giggle...especially with my family!
11. I trained to play the piano at a Catholic Conservatory for 11 years.
12. I served as a full time missionary for my church for 18 months in Belgium and France and loved the opportunity to serve others.
13. I have a brain tumor that just won't quit. I have had 2 surgeries to remove the sucka' but no dice.
14. I love, love, LOVE my children and had no idea how much I was going to love being a Mom!15. I enjoy my job but derivie my satisfaction/joy from home and would stay home in a heartbeat with my 4 moonbeams if it was possible!
16. I am divorced. My marriage lasted 5 years and it left me feeling pretty broken.
17. News Flash: There is life after divorce! I am remarried, still can't believe Marky Mark puts up with me and I'm sure he had no idea what he was getting into! I sure do love and adore his tender heart.
18. Learning is my passion! I'm currently learning how to knit and I pretty much suck but I will prevail. Afterall, knitting is so sexy!
19. I use to hate French in HS, learned it on my mish, absolutely loved it but suck hard core at speaking it now. Oui, c'est vrai.
20. I do not think in absolutes. My thoughts are beautiful shades of gray. Translated: I am painfully indecisive but believe anything is possible!
21. My little brother is my hero (no really) and his wife is perfect for him and loved by all.
22. My Dad is my mentor. It's like having a life coach that you pay in full with love. He's amazing. 23. My Mom is my confidante. We are great friends and I see her everyday. <3
24. I cherish my friends, the real ones. You know who you are!
25. I was diagnosed with lupus after the birth of my 2nd child and was told that it was like winning the lottery...twice (please see #13) but I refuse to be defined by my illness.
26. My biggest fear is losing my memories (not my mind, just my memories!).
27. I'm way quirky! ;)

On the B Side: The take aways here are that I talk waaay to much and I'm a bit of an overacheiver :)

The Koug Strikes (raWrrrrrrr!)

Koug has tagged me and instructed me to go onto Google Images and find an image suitable for my response to each question. Take notes and enjoy the ride!

Past Loves: Belge Chocolate! My time in Belgium served me well! I grew up not far from Hershey PA, which seemed fabulous and yes, I swear the whole town smells like flipping chocolatey goodness! However Hershey can hardly hold a candle to the yummy chocolatey goodness that is of the diamond capital of the world! Um hello? Diamonds, chocolate and Mannequin Pis! Does it really get any better than this? Alas I did have to leave Belge chocolate behind to return home but it remains forever etched upon my hips!

My first name: Britta. It's pronounced Brit-ta. Not Breeta. Not Beretta. No Brittany's here. Ain't crazy about being called Bridget (but I'm sure I've been called way worse!) and my name ain't Brenda. It's Britta. Britta and Brit if I like you. Now most unfortunate is the fact that the only association that is made to my name is the Brita Water filter but thank goodness it wasn't like a sewage treatment system or something. Even more unfortunate is the fact that they spelled it wrong. or the love of all that is holy give me two T's please. At any rate, I use to hate it. I'm over it but I forever remain the girl without her name on anything like cute barrettes, or a personalized toothbrush or even a pimpin' key chain!

My Middle Name: Awesomeness you ask? Nope. It's Vaughan. Britta Vaughan. bv. It is the last name of my maternal Grandparents. Unfortunately they have both passed from this life and I do miss them like crazy. I grew up next to them in little ol' Riverside Pennsylvania. My Mommom was my best friend for forever and a day and my Poppop was larger than life. I am beyond honored to carry their name. I posted hydrangeas because they had blue ones that were beautiful outside of their home (and they came up in the search). Mommom loved flowers and Poppop did a great job caring for them. {sigh}

Last Name: Now I know my Dad would tell you "Sweetness" (right, Popsicle?!) but legally it's Stott. Not Stout. Stott. I never wanted to be BS. Previously I was a BS and by 5th grade other kids caught on, brought it to my attention and it pretty much sucked. Now I am a Stott. It rhymes with Dot. I found this image that was something about Andy Stott and his ceramics. While I have no idea who he is the image struck me because I do so love our little blended life that Mark and I have created (despite the stolen cars, stolen checks, car accidents, mortgage fraud, staph infections, pox, the list goes on). Most of all I do LOVE my quirky little Marky Mark! Nothing but good vibrations, can you feel it feel it, baby?

What are you doing now? So I'm pretty much vying to be the hottest Mom ever! Okay, okay. I've got some work to do and I'm sure you're thinking, how on earth is she going to pull this off? Right here, folks! For me it pretty much has nothing to do with being jaded by romance as I'm way over all that jazz (not this Jazz). For me it's going to be an a-Mayes-zing way to burn my negative energy right out of my system, spend some quality time with my girlies AND get hot! Yes, if you haven't checked it out, please do so as all are welcome! The motto: Don't Get Mad, Get Hot! Yes, JAYDUD. Just About You Don't
Underestimate Determination. In reality today I am just spending time with Adi and Ellie and wishing I didn't feel like a dog turd!

My age: I am 18 forever, baby. Yes, forrrrrrr-evvvvvv-errrrrr! I had way too much fun spending way too much time with the biggest dork of a guy from the branch that lusted after my roommate while I was in college (the first time at PSU but please don't ask me about Joe Pa) who swore that my 2 roommates and myself were 18 forever (and we really were 18 at the time so whatev!) The passage of time may age me physically but in my heart I will always be 18 and will emphatically deny otherwise!

My Favorite Treat: Cheese fondue, hands down! This is yet another love I developed in Europe but I never had to leave this one behind! Special thanks to the Melting Pot for making all of my dreams come true! While traveling after my mish Bad Dad and I developed quite a love for a fine cheese fondue! While he refused to follow local custom and dance upon the table after losing his bread in the pot it still remains a delightful memory and a delicious treat (except for that last batch you made, Popsicle!!!)

Place I would like to Travel: Ohhhh, someday I want to go on a Mediterranean cruise! Just say the word Mediterranean outloud (you know you want to!). Doesn't it just roll off of your tongue? Doesn't it just seem all romantic/dreamy/wonderful? Someday I would love to sail the ocean blue, visit multiple European countries all from the comfort of a big, fat cruise liner! That way I would stil have all the comforts of home (and then some!) but still be able to travel, see the world and enjoy! Mmm Mmm good!

My favorite color: White. White is my favorite color, ladies and gentlemen! White is pure, clean and refreshing. It is symbolic of goodness and peace. It's associated with innocence and cleanliness. It is truly is a color of perfection and has a positive connotation. It looks good, it feels good and it just is good. White light is also made up of all different colors. So when it's bent it actually produces all of the other colors. So next time you see a rainbow remember that it's all because of the wonderful color white! It's a tad technical and too much for my non-scientific/simpleton/impatient mind to type but you can see the light, right?! BWAHAHAAHAAA!

My Hometown: Danville, although I really grew up in Riverside *which is across the river*. Riverside is just a small 'borough' though and not considered a real town. So each day of my life I would travel to Danville to do basically whatever simply because Riverside only had a set of railroad tracks, a post office and a convenience store. Danville is a small town situated along the Susquehanna river, which was really cool to learn based on church history. It's also exit 33 off of route 80. This means I could hop on route 80 East here in SLC and shoot straight home (after a mere 36 hours!). At any rate, I love my little small town (and my borough!) and the life I had there!

My favorite Vacation Spot: Um I'm going to have to go with Munic. For us "Munchen" wasn't necessarily this place of rich history or culture. It stands for the fun memories we made there. The rude natives trying to get in my Dad's pants (I kid not!), the rain, cheating at Uno, knee knocking (this is where it all began), the sardine pizza, the live beer cultures!

My Favorite Food: So pretty much anything made with Bisquick fits the bill! For years my Dad has made killer pancakes and Chicken and Dumplings to die for with Bisquick! From the wee age that I was in 3rd grade Wendy 'Blackday' (275-4541), Jen Wertz (275-0917)and myself would mix Bisquick with water and a dash of sugar and cinnamon in a cup, nuke it in the mikey for 29 seconds and eat the delicousness that was created! I will admit that I still do this from time to time. When I was on my mish my Dad would send me boxes of Bisquick so I could get my fix, no joke! I always keep a box in our pantry and we go through it rather quickly (and not because I cook!) I have no idea what it is comprised of but dang is it good!

My favorite Animal: Cats. Not just any lame ol' cats but Rubin and the Grateful Ed! Nope, I don't have any pics of them on hand and quite frankly they have been in foster care since the beginning of the year (and no I do not dance with them as said gentleman to the right!). They became part of my life at age 3 in 2000 from a broken family. They are absolutely beautiful! Ed likes to lick people's heads. Don't ask why because I don't know. He actually prefers short hair with gel but he isn't super finicky in his old age. He's a quiet little love bug. Now Rubin is the socialite. He'd sell his soul to sit on your lap for a little lovin'. He likes to sleep on your chest under the covers! One time Mark took them to the shelter and I drove all over the valley until I found them and rescued them once more! They're mine, you hear me!!!

On the B Side: This was a painfully long post! I enjoyed thinking about things and putting it all together. Now I am passing this little baby along and tagging some of the world's coolest bloggers (don't let me down, folks!).
Clancy (because she amazing & a super creative writer)
Kaci (because she is the coolest grown up cheer leader I know)
Micci (because she is the best SIL in the history of the world)
Kristin (because she has the cutest blog ever)
Leah (because her blog is always way entertaining)
Amanda (because she saved my butt many times & she still likes me!)

Serve it up warm, girls!!!!!

Tag, I'm it per Clancy Pants!

Okay, 10 random and little known things about me...

1. I am painfully clumsy and always have been. Yesterday Ellie tripped over some shoes, bounced off of the dining table, kind of landed on her bum and hopped up again. Mark commented out loud that she is already too much like me. I broke my finger in HS playing field hockey not because I had some crazy hot moves that day but it happened randomly during warm up. One time a few years ago I fell walking (not running, not jumping not doing ANYTHING cool) and completely broke a bone off in my foot. Um, tard girl, right here.

2. I am a terrible driver. I fully recognize this and really do my best but I get flipped off more often than not but I promise that I never *try* to be a crappy driver. My Dad use to tease that I had 'rounded' off all four corners of my Accord (and he was right) and now I've got three rounded corners on my Denali. Actually I hit a car in a parking lot yesterday and didn't even know it...whoops. Luckily it's never anything serious!

3. I am as forgetful as all get out! I always have been and I think it may have gotten worse as I have gotten older. My Grandmother use to tell me that if my head wasn't screwed on tight I would forget it too! I wish I could blame it on my brain tumor but I really don't even think that is it. Do you have any idea how often I lose my keys???

4. I have crazy crappy luck (yes I just said that out loud and I'm sure the universe heard me and I so do not care!). In High School I had a close friend who called me 'Lucky Charms' for this very reason and even now my Dad tells me that if I didn't have bad luck I would not have any luck at all.

5. I can't cook to save my life. I'm not good at it, I don't enjoy it and I fail miserably more often than I would like to admit. Two days ago I cooked a huge package of hand trimmed skinless boneless chicken and ended up throwing the who thing out after I royally botched it all up. Again, my Father always told me that I should have paid more attention growing up (he did all of the cooking) and PERHAPS just PERHAPS he was right!

6. I am a chronic nail biter. It's a terrible habit and periodically I have been able to quit this nasty action but for the most part I have done it all of my life. As a small child my Father (yes, him AGAIN!) tried putting that yucky yellow stuff on my nails to keep me from biting them but despite the fowl taste I kept on keeping on! It use to bug me when people associated it to me being nervous but now that I'm older I think they've probably been right all along! Can we say N-E-U-R-O-T-I-C to the bone?

7. I am painfully indecisive. Yes, I am an official and eternal fence sitter. There are some things that I feel very strongly about. I remain immovable in those certain areas (almost to a fault...just ask my husband!) however, if it isn't something that I KNOW then I generally waffle around and get caught up in emotions and consider way too many variables trying to do the 'right' thing and determine what is best.

8. I have always been a phone addict. I love to talk on the phone. Tonight Mark told me that it secretly drives him nuts. In 3rd grade my Dad got a 2nd phone line at the house and has always teased that the phone is growing out of my ear. My first phone was a hot pink Conair and my favorite phone was a black Swatch phone. Back in the day my pals and I use to place a call out, quickly press hold, dial another call on the other line and then conference the two. Do you get it? It was like each party on each line thought that someone was calling them. Really they were calling each other and some of the results were beyond hilarious! Of course this was waaaaaay before callerID!

9. I snore. Yes, yet another glorious thing about me! I can remember being anxious about sleeping at friends house for this reason. In 2nd grade Laurie Roma's Mom commented about how awful it was all night and I felt terrible. I was so embarrassed. Then on my mission I had a companion that went crazy because of this and again I felt terrible. Some times it bothers Mark but most of the time he is so busy snoring that it doesn't affect him. I can't help and frankly I've never heard it myself ;)

10. I am the world's biggest sleepy head! I was always the first to fall asleep at slumber parties as a child. Our family Dentist told me that the only other person that they have had fall asleep in the chair is my Dad! In college my roommates called me 'bed bunny' because I was always in my bed. I still feel strongly that naps are a wonderful thing! On my mission I would fall asleep in appointments and such...it was awful. Obviously I have found out that my health has something to do with this so yes, I am going to have to pull the brain tumor card here folks!

As for this post, I would love to tag my blog buddies Sarah and Kristin to learn more about them! I also want to tag Angela as she was so diligent in posting about her children so now it's her turn!

On the B Side: While these things may all seem negative I don't feel that way about them at all! I've given up trying to live up to some ideal that I hold in my head. Theses are the things that make up who I am (not comprehensively!) and those who know me love me anyway! Writing this also reminded me all over again how incredibly blessed I am to have an advocate such as my Father in my life! He's been one of my best friend for years and years and has ALWAYS patiently put up with all of my crazy antics/quirks. Thank you Mr. Wonderful!!!!!