An Announcement and Christina 102

Before I begin my plethora of answers (which may have to get split into a Christina 103 post as well), let me start by sharing some good news. Pat is starting his new job on MONDAY! We are so excited. Thank you so much for your support. The offer is not as drastic of a cut as we thought it would be, and it's just perfect. I honestly almost can't wrap my head around it, although I'm sure I will shortly. We're hoping we can get out this weekend to go celebrate. Hooray! And now, on to the not so exciting stuff...

Hannah said...

-How many kids do you plan (if we could plan such a thing) to have? I have a thing against odd numbers, I think because I really didn't like growing up with 3 kids because I felt like somebody was always left out. On really ambitious days, I say 6. On more realistic days I say 4. On days that kick my butt, I think I'm really happy with the 2 I have! I am really hesitant to tip this balance, I'm loving 2 kids, but both Pat and I know that our family isn't complete yet.
-In what ways is your life different than you imagined it as a child? Wow, great question. I never thought I'd be married with 2 kids at this age- I really thought I'd barely be getting married after having spent years in grad school and traveling the world. Although, maybe that was more what I imagined as a teen, and less as a child. I didn't imagine the way my childhood perceptions of myself and my family would unravel. I didn't imagine how disorganized I'd become after motherhood. And I don't think I could ever imagine the amount of happiness that I feel with my husband and kids!
-How many pairs of shoes do you own? I'm not heading back to my closet to count right now, but I'm guesstimating around 30. Although I probably wear 5 or so regularly. I need to clean out my closet.
-What is your favorite calling you have ever held and why? I have always loved every calling I've ever had in a presidency, especially in the Relief Society presidency. There is a special experience about loving those you serve in a way that comes through those callings. And I love the opportunity to get to know sisters so much better- both those in the presidency, but also everyone else through doing visits and attending every activity. I have to say, there are few callings I haven't loved. Usually my favorite calling is whatever I'm doing at the moment, and I do love being the visiting teaching coordinator because of my testimony of the program, as well as teaching Relief Society because of how much I learn in doing so!
-What hidden talents do you have? Oooh, hidden? I can put my whole fist in my mouth. Not sure if that's really a talent, but I guess it helps since I'm always putting my foot in my mouth (haha). I play the piano, maybe something my blogging friends don't know as well, but I'm probably only an intermediate pianist- nothing spectacular, but I can play in Primary or Relief Society just fine.
-Where have you lived? I was born in Pennsylvania and lived there until I was 13, then my family moved to Meridian, Idaho where I lived until I went to BYU, then I lived in Provo, and then moved to Lehi. Not too exciting!
-What is your favorite clothing store? I love Ann Taylor Loft, Anthropologie, and Nordstrom. However, those stores are for when I'm feeling a little more extravagant ;)Where do you buy most of your clothing? I think the Gap, Old Navy, and Target have all gotten a fair share of business from me. I used to be a huge Eddie Bauer lover, but I've decided their clothing doesn't fit me that well anymore.
-What are common menus you serve your family? Mmm, food, one of my favorite topics! I usually kind of trade out menus depending on the season. Currently, we do a lot more "hearty" things, a lot of soups- tortilla soup, potato soup, chicken noodle, beef stew- other classic winter meals- chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, spaghetti and meatballs, roast beef- and of course, there are always pork taco nights, panini sandwiches, and breakfast for dinner nights thrown in the mix. Maybe I'll do a more in depth post on this soon- I love talking about and thinking about food- probably too much.
-If you were going to have a brunch with a couple lovely friends and could have anything for the main dish...what would it be? I think crepes sound lovely! I did a maple-vanilla french toast for Christmas that was totally divine, though :)

100 Percent Cottam said...

how old are you? 25 1/2 (I'll be 26 June 14)
how old were when you got married?20 (but only for 6 weeks or so!)
how many brothers & sisters to you have? I have 2 younger brothers.

tara said...

Worst physical feature? ooh, how many do you want? my hips/thighs/bottom are a definite problem area. I've also never been happy with my nose. Fix those, and I think I'd be pretty ok.
guilty pleasures? I love some reality tv, although I've tapered off a lot of tv in general, but shows like The Bachelor, The Biggest Loser, and The Amazing Race easily suck me in. I also am an ice cream lover, and have had too many guilt-filled nights of ice cream eating. And, my other guilty pleasure is probably regularly staying in my jammies until noon!
Biggest pet peaves? Definitely bad spelling, Tara! Just kidding...kind of. I think people who are inconsiderate, attitudes of entitlement, and people who don't apply themselves are all things that completely irk me!
If you could have dinner with any famous person, who would it be? Gordon B. Hinckley

Ok, I'll be back for more later!