100

Here it is - my 100th post!!  To celebrate, I've written a list of 100 things about me.  Enjoy!

1. I was a terrible baby - very colicky (or whatever you want to call it).  My brother wanted to send me back.
2. Growing up I had trouble saying the word "specifically."  I still tend to avoid saying it.
3. I hated swimming lessons when I was little because I couldn't do the front crawl (I kept breathing in while my face was still in the water).
4. I got my learner's permit the winter before I turned 16, but didn't get my license until I was 17 and a half. I passed my test on the first try, though - I was just scared to drive for a while. 
5. I wouldn't say that I was popular in high school, but I did have a group of friends. I haven't kept in touch with anyone from high school, though, aside from Facebook.
6. I once had short, spiky hair which earned me the nickname "Rooster". I've also had my hair long and then chopped off 10-11 inches and donated it to Locks of Love.
7. As a kid I was afraid of the drive-thru car wash (and I still am a little bit). I haven't been in one for years - I take my car to the Chamois.
8. I was in grade 2 or 3 when I had my first crush.  
9. I went to see "Toy Story" on my first real date - I was in grade 8. 
10. I was also in grade 8 when I had my first kiss.
11. I kissed a few frogs before I found my prince, but I'm not going to say how many!
12. Carey and I have attended the same church for all our lives (well, I think I was 2 when my parents started going there).  We got to know each other better when he was my youth leader in grades 11 and 12, but didn't start dating until the year after I graduated.
13. Carey is 4 and a half years older than me.
14. I'm not sure if this was our "official first date" or not, but it's one of the first, memorable dates that I had with Carey - we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory at the Forks and walked around afterwards.  This was right before I left for Trinity Western University, so it was also a bit of a good-bye date.
15. Our first kiss was the following summer, in his truck, at the lake.  We didn't do the long-distance thing while I was away at school, but got back together a little while after I moved back home. 
16. Carey proposed to me on the way home from my parents' cabin in July 2003.  My dog had just died that weekend, and I was pretty bummed up until that point.
17. I was 21 when we got married, just like my mother.
18. The one thing I wish I could change about our wedding is the pictures.  I wasn't very specific with our photographer about what shots I wanted, and we have a lot of kissing pictures (which is fine, but they're not exactly the ones you want to send out to all the relatives!).  Also, there was a problem with the roll of film that had my family pictures on it, so we only have 1 photo of my family, and we're all laughing and not looking at the camera.  I also wish we could've had a dance at the reception (there was no room for a dance floor with all the people we invited).  We had Ron Paley and his jazz trio playing live dinner music instead, which was a pretty good compromise.
19. I didn't know where we were going for our honeymoon until after we were married (we went to the Dominican Republic).
20. After doing a lot of renovations to our aging house, with the plan of selling it and buying a new house, we decided to tear down the old one and build a new one on the same lot because we liked our location so much. I've never regretted that decision. I love where we live.
21. My favorite vacation with Carey is the road trip we took to Chicago when I was pregnant with Annika. I hope one day we'll be able to go back there with our kids (since Annika didn't get to see any scenery the first time!).
22. I always wanted to have 2 children, a boy and a girl.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have gotten my wish.
23. I was 25 when Annika was born. I turned 26 the next day. 
24. I was 28 when Emmett was born.
25. Neither of my babies made it to their due dates.  I was induced with Annika a few days before her due date, because of high blood pressure.  Emmett was just eager to arrive.  We thought he was born about 2 weeks before his due date, but after he was born they told us our due date was wrong, and he was about 4 weeks premature.
26. I made it through both pregnancies without throwing up once. I did have a lot of nausea though. To this day, I can't eat saltine crackers because they remind me of feeling sick.
27. I had horrible heartburn/acid reflux with both pregnancies. 
28. I was only able to breastfeed Annika until she was 3 months old and Emmett until he was 2.5 months.  I don't regret switching to formula in either case.
29. I got pregnant with Annika the first month of trying.  Emmett took 4 months of trying.
30. When I was pregnant with Annika, I craved French bread.  With Emmett, it was fresh-baked white buns.  I also ate a lot of M&Ms while I was pregnant with Emmett.  Maybe that's why I sometimes call him M&Mmett.
31. The last time I remember crying is in the hospital after Emmett was born.  He was having trouble breastfeeding (he wouldn't latch), and the nurse wanted me to pump (which I hate) after each time I gave him a bottle.  I didn't want to do it during the night, since I was soooo tired, and I broke down and cried.  That night he actually started latching on, so I didn't have to do it.  I'm sure I've cried since then, but that's the time that sticks out in my mind.
32. My kids make me smile every day, although they also try my patience almost every day as well. Something to work on, I guess.
33. I have something called "Gilbert's Syndrome".  It has something to do with my bilirubin count.  It has never affected me in any way, except for the fact that it was constantly brought up in the hospital after Annika and Emmett were born (they both had a little bit of jaundice).
34. When I was 23 I started having a very fast heart rate (tachycardia).  Sometimes I would get short spurts of my heart racing really fast, and just over all it was faster than normal.  I had a few scary trips to the ER that summer.  I was on medication for it until I was 25 (went off it before getting pregnant with Annika), but they never found an official cause for it.
35. I also suffered from anxiety and depression during that time.
36. My tachycardia went away after I started seeing a therapist, which makes me think it was psychosomatic.  I saw a therapist every week for about 4 months.  I now have a completely normal heart rate.
37. I have struggled with bouts of insomnia since I was in grade 5.
38. I had braces for almost 2 years, when I was 13. I wore a retainer at night for many years after that.
39. I just recently got a night-guard, because sometimes I clench my teeth in my sleep and wake up with a really bad headache.
40. I had 4 permanent teeth pulled when I was a kid, because there wasn't enough room in my mouth.
41. I got my wisdom teeth removed when I was 21. I was completely put under for the procedure, and when I came to, the first thing I said was "where are my shoes?" (it was summertime, and my sandals had fallen off).
42. I got glasses in grade 5. I switched to contacts in grade 9 and rarely ever wear glasses anymore.
43. I would love to get laser eye surgery, but the thought of it terrifies me.
44. I have pale skin and I have come to accept it the way it is (after countless painful sunburns, stinky self-tans and tanning beds that made me feel claustrophobic). I am a big proponent of shade, covering up and sunblock (I use SPF 60, like the kids). At least I won't get skin cancer and wrinkles.
45. My right foot is slightly larger than my left foot. As a result, I have trouble finding shoes that I find comfortable for both feet, and I don't enjoy shoe shopping.
46. I've never broken a bone, but I have sprained/twisted my ankle quite a few times.
47. I'm allergic to Clearasil - something I discovered as a teenager. I'd take a pimple any day over the scaly, red rash that I'd get on my face from using Clearasil.
48. Scented things (lotions, candles, perfumes, hair products, etc) give me a headache. I usually try to buy unscented or fragrance-free whenever possible.
49. I bruise like a peach.
50. I lost 26.5 lbs in 2009 (totally unrelated to pregnancy weight). I then gained it all back (and a bit more) in 2010 when I got pregnant with Emmett. I've got about 4 lbs of "baby weight" still hanging on.
51. My favorite current TV shows are The Office, The Big Bang Theory, and Chuck. In the past I've also been a huge fan of Beverly Hills 90210 Dawson's Creek, Friends and 24.
52. I'm a huge fan of The Office.  I own the first 5 seasons on DVD (season 2 is my favorite), as well as a Dwight Shrute bobblehead.  I once hosted an "Office" viewing party and I served jell-o with a stapler in it.
53. I don't remember the last time I saw a movie and thought that it was really good. However, I do enjoy some oldies, like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman.
54. I had a huge crush on Leonardo DiCaprio when I was young.  It all started when he was on Growing Pains.  I used to have 2 huge posters of him in my room - one from "Romeo and Juliet", and one from "Titanic".
55. My favorite book is Little Women.  I've probably read it at least 15 times.
56. For several years I had a subscription to Glamour magazine, but I discontinued it because a lot of it didn't seem relevant to me anymore.  I now subscribe to Today's Parent.  sigh.
57. I buy double rolls of toilet paper so I don't have to change the rolls as often (as this task often gets left to me).
58. I absolutely love Starbucks.  My favorite hot drink is caramel macchiato and my favorite cold drink is caramel frappuccino.  My love affair with Starbucks started when I had tachycardia and couldn't have caffeine - Starbucks will make any version of their drink decaf (although I don't think they make the frappuccinos decaf any more).
59. I don't listen to music a lot (apart from the radio while driving or Annika's kiddie CDs), but I like U2 and Skillet.
60. My favorite song to listen to when I'm working out is "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera.
61. My favorite color is green.  It's also my favorite color to wear.
62. I used to love to shop at Ricki's, but that was before kids, when I had more opportunities to wear nicer clothes.  Now I like to shop at Reitman's and Old Navy, when I actually take the time to shop for myself (which is rare).
63. I currently own 3 diaper bags and 6 purses (not counting my grad/wedding purse which is too small to be of any use and is put away with my wedding dress). I received 3 of my purses for free.
64. I don't like the way nail polish feels on my fingernails.
65. I prefer flats to heels. I have terrible feet (I wear orthotic sandals at home) and high heels do not agree with them. It's a bit of a shame though, because Carey is almost 8 inches taller than me, so I could easily get away with heels without towering over him!
66. When I was little I hated wearing fancy dresses, but I actually quite enjoy getting dressed up now. I also love to wear a casual dress or skirt on a hot day.
67. I first got my ears pierced when I was in grade 5 or 6 (can't remember exactly now, but I know it was around Christmas time). I now have 3 holes in each ear, and I used to have my left cartilage pierced but I took that out a few years ago. I wear small hoops in all my holes and rarely change them because it's such a pain to get the hoops back in. Also, I don't like wearing heavy earrings.
68. In addition to the holes in my ears, I've also had my eyebrow pierced (only for a few months), my belly button (had to take that one out because it was getting infected and the doctor told me my body was pushing it out. I have a sneaking suspicion that my mother paid him to say that), and my nose. I got my nose pierced in a dorm room at Trinity Western University almost 10 years ago.
69. I attended 3 different post-secondary schools - I did the "School of Discipleship" (now known as "Outtatown") one-year program through Canadian Mennonite University, then I went to Trinity Western University in Langely, BC for a year, and then I went to University of Manitoba for 2 years.
70. I have a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and I've worked several different jobs (none that had anything to do with psychology), but I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
71. I am happy that I have the opportunity to be at home raising our children right now, although sometimes it is very hard.
72. I waitressed at Smitty's while I was in university.  I always worked the supper shift, which consisted of a lot of "senior specials".  I dropped 2 full plates once, right in front of the table they were supposed to go to.
73. I used to be co-owner of the online store Tiny TreeHugger, however, I sold my share to my partner a few months after Emmett was born, as I was having a hard time balancing work and family.  I don't think I'll pursue another "work at home" venture, or if I do, it won't be until the kids are a bit older.
74. Are you content?  This was a question someone asked me, and it was very difficult to answer, probably because I don't like to admit the answer.  The truth is, I have not learned to be fully content yet.  I'm very grateful for all the blessings in my life, and most of the time I'm happy with the person I am today, but there is still that longing at times for something more, something different. 
75. I dream of the day when I'll have a list of activities that I like to do in my "spare time". Right now, when I have "spare time", I usually crash in front of the TV or the computer.
76. I'd like to be able to sew (I've started working on this one!).
77. I know how to play piano, flute and guitar, but I haven't played piano or flute for a long time. 
78. I've always dreamed of learning to play the violin.
79. I taught myself to play guitar when I was 18, with the help of a few friends along the way.  I've played guitar in the worship team at our church since I was 20 (with the exception of 2 "maternity" breaks). 
80. I don't have any tattoos and don't have any desire to ever get one.
81. I have never smoked a cigarette, but I have taken a few puffs of a cigar.
82. I've never done drugs.
83. I've never had a speeding ticket or a car accident (other than the time I swerved and hit the snow bank - actually did more damage to my car than what I would've expected).
84. I'm afraid of heights, but I'm okay with flying (just don't like turbulence).
85. I don't like rollercoasters.  It all started with the one at Tinkertown.
86. Once I was at Rainbow Stage with a friend, and the line-up for the bathrooms was so long that we went and peed in the bushes in the park instead of waiting in line.
87. I became a Christian when I was little, and rededicated my life to Christ when I was 12, at Red Rock Bible Camp.
88. I was baptised when I was 19.
89. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 - I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
90. I don't like raw onions, however, I don't mind them cooked (and I love french onion soup, onion dip, and onion rings). My reason for avoiding them is that they leave a bad taste in my mouth for about 2-3 days afterwards, that no amount of brushing or mouthwash or gum can get rid of.
91. I like having breakfast for supper (pancakes, eggs, bacon, waffles, crepes, french toast, omelettes, mmmm I'm getting hungry!).
92. I would rather cook than clean up, but honestly, I don't really like doing either. I also don't like going grocery shopping.
93. I have an incredible sweet tooth. If I'm in a snacking mood, I almost always go for sweet over salty. If I do have a salty snack, I'll often have a little something sweet afterwards (like a few chocolate chips), to restore the balance.
94. I'm bothered by spelling/grammatical mistakes.
95. My biggest pet peeve is my cordless phone. The base rings even if the phone is not on the base, so it always throws me off because I think the phone is on the base but it isn't (which leads to me running around frantically saying "where's the phone, where's the phone".)
96. My 3 greatest physical accomplishments are climbing a live volcano in Guatemala (climbing up volcanic rock is very tricky - you slide backwards every time you take a step), running 5K (I've hated running most of my life and never thought I'd be able to run that distance, and actually enjoy it too!), and giving birth to Emmett without any pain medication (I never planned to go through childbirth without drugs, and I'm pretty proud of myself for doing it - not like I had much of a choice though!).
97. Outside of Canada and the States, I've also been to Mexico, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
98. I'd like to go to India one day.
99. I believe that sometimes a baby (or a child) needs to just cry it out.
100. It often feels weird to me to hold other people's babies.

So there you have it!  That's me!  Hope you had fun reading it - I enjoyed writing it. :)