HS count down--- #9 DATING

Believe me, my dating experiences in HS were not very exciting or entertaining, but I wanted to save the good stuff for later.. and I don't believe I have this stuff written down anywhere. It's for my posterity, okay?

First Date: Robert Judd-- a week after I turned 16 (my sophomore year.) We doubled with Brooke Carr and Brad Bailey and it was a good time. We went to the Planetarium for the U2 laser show.

First Kiss: Julian Jesse (aka JJ) I was 17, he was 22. He was black and supposedly a return missionary. When we kissed he practically suffocated me with his big lips.. seriously I couldn't breathe. I have a longer story for this later.. he turned into a crazy stalker and told people he drew me naked (titanic had just come out.. ha!) it makes for a good story, though.. when I have time to elaborate.

Favorite Date: Mike Cox. We doubled with my brother Scott and Monique Montano. The majority of my dates were with my older brother's friends.. and we always had a great time. We started off the date with having to choose our outfit with a bunch of costumes from an old dress up chest. We had a list of about 20 crazy things to do.. like order a single chocolate shake and drink it with 4 straws.. or go to grocery store and gather a list of crazy items in your cart (without purchasing them, of course) I wish I could remember everything on that list.. but what I do remember coming home and thinking it was the most fun night ever. Everyone should have the opportunity to have fun on dates without any pressure of feeling like that have to be somebody they aren't. And even though I didn't date a lot, I am grateful for the dating experiences I did have during high school.

First boyfriend: Scott Wood. I started dating him at the end of my senior year and we got along great. I don't remember ever "breaking up" but I was going off to college and he was about to put in his mission papers.. He ended up leaving the church and it was heartbreaking for me. But I respect him and his decision to live life the way he chooses. He came to my wedding reception (with a cute girl) and was so kind. I still hold Scott in the highest regard and consider him a good friend. He and Aaron would actually get along great.. both philosophers.. both smart.. both good looking. In fact, if Aaron can't make it to the reunion, put my seat next to Scott's. jk.

High School count down #10-- My best FRIENDS

I have the best group of girlfriends anyone could ask for. We have been BFF's for a long time and we have been through the good-- the bad-- and the ugly together... jr. high, boyfriends, dance concerts, student government, putting a baby up for adoption, vacations, getting engaged and married, getting divorced, death of parents, being pregnant, miscarriages, having children, a step daughter, bad health situations, marriage issues, getting through college, owning businesses, buying homes, .... it's been quite a journey, and we are going to be taking cruises together when we're wrinkly old widows!

I am SO grateful for these girls and what we have been through together. I believe we knew we were going to stay close throughout our lives but I wonder if we knew we would still be this close after ten years. After our graduation from high school, we sat around and made an audio tape of where we will be in 5-10 years. We laughed and talked about who would get married first, what our husbands would be like, what our goals were. We listen to that tape every time one of us gets married and it's hilarious.. but we can't tell who is saying what-- if only we could have had it on video! These girls have always been there for me and I would give anything for them in a time of need. How grateful I am for their friendship-- high school was so much better with them around!

Calling all Jaguars...

That's right.. my 10 year High School reunion is just around the corner. If you haven't heard about it yet, you must be living under a rock. Today is the last day to buy tickets before they raise the price... so you better get 'em while they cheap. Check out the reunion website HERE

I am SO excited about the reunion that I've decided to dedicate the next TEN blog entries to my high school memories. My own top ten count down, if you will. I am sure you just can't wait... stay tuned..

Happy 400th post!

To celebrate 400 posts... I am going to:

• Wipe Zack's bum 400 times and make him wash his hands AGAIN. (He is seriously going to the bathroom EVERY 10 seconds.. But we're still accident free-- even out running errands! Wahoo!)

• Call my friend Karlin and wish her a happy birthday.. If it takes 400 calls to get her to answer the phone, so be it. It's also Jaderbugs birthday.. but I won't call her-- cause I just saw her and she's had enough of me.
  

• Eat 400 skittles because that is all we have to eat in this house.. the fridge is empty and the food is in boxes.

• Pack 400 boxes into our temporary storage unit. Well, I am not actually going to pack them, the Elder's Quorum will... yeah for men who willingly use their muscle power to serve others!
  

• Pay 400 dollars for our temporary storage unit. Expensive for one month, but they pick it up at your place and drop it off at your new home.. that beats moving it twice.

• Be 400 times grateful for my boys and sweet husband. They keep me laughing and somehow make all of this craziness worth it.

for those who think I'm photogenic...

.........Here are a few UGLY shots.

The boys and I have fun doing our hair crazy ways in the pool. The favorite hairstyle is my George Washington wig-do... a little trick I used to do with my sisters in the bathtub. Ben and Luke think it's funny, but Zack hates it. He tries to mess it up as soon as he can. But the last few times, he's been begging me to do my "grandbutter hair" I didn't know what he was saying.. but it finally clicked. He thinks when I flip my hair like this, I look like Aaron's mom. Sorry for the insult, Brandy... but it was Zack who said it.