Liebster

 I was nominated by Megan  for a Liebster blogging award. So here I go:

 11 Random Facts About Myself:

1. I'm taking sewing classes. Just started last week, but I'm excited to learn. I discovered my sewing teacher is LDS, and my "classmate" is also LDS!
2. I could see myself becoming a bird-watcher. Really! Some people would find it boring, but if you're a fan of the outdoors like myself, you may understand. I can sit in the early morning sun and watch nature for hours.
3. I've never had my wisdom teeth pulled- that's what I get for having a big mouth.  
4. I can't stand snot or anything related. Blood, sure. Watching people perform open surgeries, no problem. Mucus? I'm out. 
5. Speaking of...the first bone I broke (out of...6? 5?) was my big toe. I can't remember if it was my left or right, but I was in elementary school showing off on a swing, doing flips. I landed on my stomach and hit my toe real hard. Did I cry? Nope, I stood right up and kept playing. My mom noticed it swelling later and me slightly limping, so she took me for an x-ray. Yup, it was broken. Pain is nothing as a kid.
6. I don't drink anything but water. Sometimes I may have some lemonade or flavored water, but I prefer water. And it's not about health reasons. I just simply don't like anything else.
7. This one is about Gary: He just joined a nice gym that's walking distance from his job in LA. He works out after work to avoid traffic, then comes home. The best part? He has a personal trainer who has been kicking his butt. It's fantastic.
8. My parents had a terrifying experience when I was 3 months old. I was having serious seizures during the middle of the night that would not stop. They rushed me to the hospital- again, they would not stop and the doctor said it was bad news. The missionaries showed up and gave me a blessing. They stopped.
9. I'm the one who catches the bugs and spiders and puts them back outside, not Gary. Even larger critters like giant moths, praying mantis, bees that may fly in, and even grasshoppers (though the giant ones creep me out a bit).
10. I love science and I'm a total science geek. I'm subscribed to and regularly read National Geographic, Smithsonian, Astronomy Magazine, Popular Science, and Discover. 
11. Gary and I are considering taking Blacksmithing classes and getting certifications. There's a blacksmith in the Pasadena area and the classes are pretty popular. So why would we take classes? Because why the heck not?

And for the questions Megan has picked out:

1. What is the best thing you've ever eaten? This one is hard because as you know, I love food. Cheesecake is a favorite, but I'll picks something. One thing I used to really really love but won't eat anymore (there isn't one here anyway, so thank goodness) is John's Burgers Chicken Salad. It was huge! I think it was the ranch, which made it horrible for me, but it was amazing! Anything John's Burgers, really. But I'll go with the chicken salad. 

     2. What is one thing you want to do before you die? There are a lot of things I want to do before I die, so I'll just pick one random: Finish my story. I know, I know. But I love writing and I have a big imagination. I just haven't had the time to gather up my current story and write it out.  I've been thinking about this one since I was a teenager. I've written bits and pieces, pages and pages of it, but I haven't bundled it together and drawn bridges. I just need that patience. 

     3. If you had $1 million to give to a charity, which charity would you give to? Geez, this one is tough. There are so many charities out there, so I'll just pick one: Medical Teams International: 97% of money donated goes to programs. You can read more about it on the link, and also here: Wikipedia description. I've come across it a few times and have always felt a need to donate toward them, so I chose it.

     4. What is your all time favorite movie and why? Well, this one is easy: Beauty and the Beast. I watched it so many times as a kid. I don't know why I chose it as my favorite, but maybe it had to do with the fact I felt like I related to Belle and her love of books. While I was a girl, a lot of the kids would be in the living room watching TV or a movie, and I'd be in my room wrapped up in books. Besides, who doesn't love Beauty and the Beast?

     5. Where in the world would you most likely travel to? Okavango Delta, Botswana. It may not be a paradise island, but I would LOVE to visit and see all the many different wildlife. There are many different tours and safaris and the adventure would be amazing.

 6. If you could magically develop any talent over night, what would it be? Sword fighting. Oh, come on- that would be awesome. Can you imagine me chasing after an attacker or burglar with a sword? That would change his/her mind quickly. Nobody wants to approach a crazy lady with a sword.

7. What was your favorite toy when you were a child? That would be my ducky. Couldn't do anything or go anywhere without it. I left it at my parents' cabin once and would not sleep. My uncle drove the one hour drive there to retrieve it for me.

Other brother and me with our stuffed animals

When I got a bit older, it was this Simba (oh, the stories of the looooong car rides while Quinn and I spoke in baby voices playing with Simba and Nala, driving the others to insanity):

8. If you could see any band or musician in concert (whether they're still together/alive or not), who would it be? This guy:

9. If you were to be cast in any reality TV show, which show would you want to be on? Hmm. Probably The Amazing Race. Don't hate- I've never seen the show. I've seen parts and I understand enough these people get to travel the world and have adventures for competition. That just sounds awesome. 

10.  You stumble upon a magic lamp and *poof*, out comes a genie. What are your three wishes? Well, there's the obvious stopping world hunger, getting rid of corrupt leaders and reorganizing specific societies, but I'll take a different approach.

• 1- To make everybody's pets spayed and neutered 
• 2- To pay off all of my parents' debts
• 3- To gain the knowledge of a physicist. You mean I have to work hard for that ability? Nah...

11. What is a picture that literally makes you laugh out loud when you see it?

The Rules of the Liebster Award

1.Share 11 random facts about yourself

2. Answer the questions from the person who nominated you

3. Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers and ask them 11 questions

(I don't have 11, so I'll do what I can and pick regular bloggers)

Devonn and Carla

Tiffany

Mum and Pops

The Heywoods

The Jones Family

The Albee Family

Questions:
1. If you could teleport 3 times today, which 3 places would you visit?

2. Where is your favorite place to go with no technology?

3. If you could bring a video game or movie to life, which would you choose?

4. If you had the ability to gain all knowledge from one book just by touching it, which would it be?

5. If you could eat one food or dessert all you what when you want without the negative consequences, what would it be?

6. If you could be a master at any athletic sport, which would you choose?

7. Vacation home on the beach or in the mountains and why?

8. If you had the ability to solve one world problem, which would you choose?

9. What is your favorite childhood memory?

10. If you could go into the past and remake one choice, what would it be?

11. What is your favorite thing about yourself and why?

Have fun! This thing took me forever ;)

Spring is Here!

      I'm so happy spring is here. The warmer weather is amazing and I'm finally able to open the doors and windows.
 
      Spring also means cleaning. Yes, lots of cleaning. This woman has been busy.

      Remember how I mentioned Gary and I were taking Saturdays to tackle specific rooms and areas? Well, we managed to clean out the walk-in closet in the bedroom, the deck, and the storage closet on the deck. After that, we stopped doing the deep Saturday cleanings- just kind of forgot, really. Well, I've had some spare time on my hands since I've reduced my work hours, so I've been getting busy myself!

     Friday, I decided to start in the bedroom itself. I really should have taken before pictures, but whatever. The biggest project was the bookshelf- which was cluttered. It's become a habit to toss other things on there. But I cleared it out, alphabetized the books by author and also separated them by subject. I cleaned out all the junk in the bedroom and made it look fresh and brand new. This included a lot of garbage bags- it's amazing how much junk can pile up. 

Now you can see my books- some are really old! And some I plan to get rid of and add to the Goodwill bag soon.

     From there, I moved my way down the hall and stopped at the bathroom. I deep cleaned the floor, walls, shower, medicine cabinet, toilet (though I clean that almost daily) and cleared out and organized any storage areas. Spotless! My next big task was the hallway closet. Oh, boy. That's where we really put junk. This task took the longest of all, filling up 4-5 garbage bags and 2 piles of boxes. It was crazy. But, in the end, it was done and organized. Phew! I moved on to the living room and clean/organized it as well. I decided to stop from there since the entire cleaning process took 5 hours. 

Cleaner living area

Cleaned up the video game area- though he keeps his games really organized and clean, so there wasn't much to be done here- just cleaning up some cords and such.

     Saturday, I discovered a family I work for needed me to help them out for several hours- starting pretty darn early in the day. So, I went. I came home around 2, and Gary was waiting at home with a bunch of purple tulips for me as a thank you for all my cleaning. I freshened up, and he took me to The Cheesecake Factory in Woodland Hills. Oh, so nice of him!! I needed that. And yes, I enjoyed a slice of cheesecake.

Love!! My orchids are next to them. I love the tulips, though! They were doing their "leaning" thing (when they drink too much), but they've been going back up today since I fixed it last night (cold water).

     Yesterday, it was the kitchen's turn. We had so many old appliances, cookware, etc- it needed serious cleaning. I first went to Target where I bought organizers for the junk drawer, new cookware, and a few other things (including new bathroom decorations). The kitchen cleaning? 3 hours and 6 garbage bags. This is because I tossed out so many pots, pans, bake-ware, etc. Oh, but it looks marvelous. We made a goal to make sure nothing sits on the kitchen island or the fridge (or on top of the cabinets).  The cabinets were wiped down, the fridge was wiped down and cleaned- you've cleaned a kitchen before, you know what I mean. But- it's done.

That looks a little better!

       The apartment is done! Woo hoo! This will make moving much easier now. I can't believe there was so much stuff just for one apartment! Geesh. Because yes, this is our last year here. Then we'll be moving out of Santa Clarita to be closer to Gary's job. Where? Not sure yet. Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley is one huge consideration though. Gary also likes Studio City, and a few friends have recommended Burbank and some of the areas around there. But I'm really liking Pasadena (so is Gary). So, we'll see. More research is to be done. But it may be our permanent residence and where we raise kids, so we want to be picky- we're looking forward to buying! We're also ready to leave this place and move up! It hasn't been bad though. We do love it in this quiet neighborhood. Rent is insanely high, but we've been staying here because there's been no reason to move- plus, we've been able to save money, which is nice. And now with the new job, we can really start saving!

     Gary starts his new job on Monday! This is his final week at his current job. Is he sad? Yes. But he's excited to be moving forward. His company was really sad to hear he's leaving- but he's gotta do what he's gotta do- and this new job will be great for him! This is definitely a big step in a new direction.

     Anyway, time to do things for the day before work. To end, I want to say how much I LOVED conference and all the many talks! It definitely brought the spirit into our home and Gary and I really bonded during the talk on marriage. Super love!! It was just fantastic. I love my family!! And my husband!! And I really enjoyed spending time with all of them during Easter, which we spent in Bakersfield. So, here are photos from Easter.

Me and Sammy (I really tried to put Gary's picture first, but Blogger decided mine should come first). 

My awesome hot husband with that beard! I can't believe it's so big! FYI- his shirt was too big and it was quite funny. Luckily he was able to downsize after.