In honor of my 51 trips around the sun today, here are 51 things you may or may not know about me...
1. I like grocery shopping better than clothes shopping
2. When I put my mind to things, I tend to give things my 150%
3. My efforts often overwhelm people
4.Going on walks is my main source of sanity and I often walk 4-6 miles a day
5. Planning and going on trips is a hobby of mine
6. I have been to all 50 states--Alaska was my final frontier
7. One of my favorite movies is the "Secret Life of Walter Mitty", partially because I love how he discovers the joy of travel in it
8. I've been to 37 countries and hope to increase the count more quickly now that we are empty nesters
9. I homeschooled my kids for about 11 years
10. All of my kids homeschooled for at least one year
11. Homeschool is not for everyone, but I am a HUGE advocate of it, if you have the desire
12. 3 of my 5 kids graduated from homeschool. All are thriving and have transitioned to college well.
13. I have zero regrets about homeschooling and think my kids got a superior education than they would have if they had stayed in the public schools
14. After all those years of homeschooling, I am struggling mightily to figure out what to do with myself now that empty nesting is upon us
15. I think I might need a job (for my own sanity), but want to be available to my kids and grandkids and hesitate to tie myself down. For now, I'm still at home and feeling pretty stretched with the ups and downs of figuring out what we are doing with our lives, so no job for now.
16. I am obsessed with berries and eat them almost every day, all year long. I consider it a guilty pleasure.
17. Raspberries and blackberries are my favorites.
18. I have a pretty sensitive digestive system and have to be careful with what I eat
19. Gluten and dairy are not my friends.
20. Food is a charged topic with some people in my family and I am learning to censure myself, for the sake of relationships.
21. I am addicted to sugar and have a very hard time with moderation, which means I have an all or nothing mentality about it. But I can't talk about it. (see #20)
22. I rarely eat candy or drink soda, but Nerds Clusters are a weakness of mine on roadtrips
23. Baked goods are my nemesis and all the bakers in my family have become quite good at gluten free baking.
24. Of any dessert, a good homemade cookie is my favorite. My birthday treat this year (when Cami offered to make me anything) was a homemade Oreo. I ate my last one today and it made me very happy!
25. I always have candy in my church bag, so I can give candy to anyone who brings me a picture of Jesus after sacrament meeting.
26. I use the pictures of Jesus to put on the cover of our sacrament program. I love having unique artwork on the cover and I love even more how excited the kids get to see their art featured in that way!
27. My church programs are informative and unique (one of my very few
talents) and something I requested to make in my current ward, because I enjoy
making them weirdly much.
28.I had never had broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, or peppers until I was an adult. They're now among my favorite veggies. And on an interesting note, I go through a pound of spinach every 2-1/2 days now.
29. I've always wanted to be able to sing well, but my brain does not know how to make my vocal cords produce the correct notes. I do try to sing enthusiastically and as in-tune as I can muster, but I am sure many a musician sitting near me has inwardly smirked at my lack of musical ability.
30. I love to read
31. I mostly read nonfiction and historical fiction books
32. I just finished reading, "Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed by Men," by Caroline Criado-Perez
33. I am currently working on a book called, "Totality: The Great North American Eclipse of 2024," by Mark Littman and Fred Espenak
34. I may be a little obsessed with eclipses currently and we are thinking we might travel somewhere cool to see one next time. (see #2 above)
35. I formed a monthly book club when I moved to Utah
36. I host it, plan it, and make the refreshments every month, because I'm just so happy that people will come and discuss books with me.
37. Anything I am semi-good at (which isn't much), is something I've had to try super super hard to get there. The only thing I would consider myself better-than-average at is creating church programs.
38. My body thermostat runs cold (except when I am sleeping) and you can often find me curled up in my robe in the middle of the day...even in the summer!
39. I am obsessed with postcards. (see #2)
40. I have quite an extensive collection of them
41. I participate in a postcard exchange group called Postcrossing
42. Everyone in my family knows that we will make postcard finding a part of every trip.
43. I don't collect stamps, but I have a lot of them and like choosing just the right one for the occasion.
44. The worst part about going through menopause is the sleeping difficulties
45. I desperately need to get more sleep than I am currently getting, but am fearful of sleeping pills. Hit me up with your tried and true natural remedies...
46. I once knocked my date out cold, when he took me golfing for the first time ever. It was my first swing and he was standing too close.
47. I keep my walls up pretty high and not very many people can get into my inner circle
48. I have a strong desire to have a beautifully put-together home
49. I get super paralyzed by house projects and am not naturally organized, so things tend to stay less than ideal for a long time before I finally get motivated enough to do something
50. I am the oldest of 8 kids and all of my siblings took a turn calling me "Wawa", because they couldn't pronounce Lara correctly. It's where the name of this blog came from.
51. I still like this blog--as an outlet for me and as a way to capture the stories of our lives!
