That something is 3 today!

You know in my blog headline I say I'm a 30 SOMETHING Mommy and Wife.  Today is my birthday, well in theory this posts today, Oct. 8, as I am relying on the scheduled date and time feature since I will be sitting on the beach in San Diego soaking in the sun (hopefully, please cross your fingers the weather is good!) and off the computer internet grid for the weekend.  Warning: this is going to be a long post, but it's my birthday, so grab a piece of cake and enjoy!

In honor of my special day I thought I would share 33 fun and random things about me in no particular order:

• I went to the same school system from preschool through high school graduation.
• I am fairly musical (but I can't really sing).  I learned piano at an early age and took lessons from three different teachers.  I played clarinet in concert band starting in sixth grade and switched to percussion for marching band in high school.  I don't really do anything with my musical abilities at the moment other than I play a mean guitar and drums in Rock Band and Guitar Hero!  I would love to learn to play the violin/fiddle.
• I was the first person to graduate in my college graduation ceremony.  They broke the order down by major, and mine was Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering which as you know alphabetically comes before Civil, Mechanical, Environmental, Chemical and Electrical Engineering.  There were four of us in that class and my last name happened to come first alphabetically as well.  

I'm in the lower right corner

•  My favorite color is blue.
• My favorite TV show is Survivor.  I missed Season 1, but loved Season 2.  Then I lost interest in it until the Amazon Season, the 6th Season I think.  Since then I have followed every season.  Who do I think will win the current season you ask?  I'm kind of liking Jim, but maybe that because he's from the greatest city in the greatest state ever!
• I'm really good at math.  (It really makes me sad when girls think that girls cannot be good at math.)
• My favorite school teacher was Mr. Trujillo who taught high school Chemistry and Physics and was our River Watch Mentor.  He is a short, small-stature guy who wore a shirt and tie with pocket protector to school everyday, nice guy, but strict disciplinarian.  But on the weekends he was a leather wearing, bandanna around the forehead Harley-Davidson guy!  He also played trumpet in church sometimes which was pretty cool!
• I am pretty creative and have artistic abilities.  I never took art class in high school because all of my electives were used up with band until I quit band my senior year and took intro to art.  My teacher said it was really disappointing that I never took a class before then because he thought I had a lot of potential and recommended that I take classes in college.  I of course never had time amongst my engineering curriculum to see out that recommendation.  I don't sit around an draw now, but I express my artistic creativity through my quilting, cake decorating, scrap booking and other crafting.
• I have been to 35 states, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
• Speaking of the Caribbean, I won that vacation by getting an instant win piece in the McDonald's Monopoly game in 1998.  They paid for our flight and accommodations at the Westin Resort in St. John.  I went with my brother since I was still technically a minor at the time and he paid for all the food and activities.
• I am President of my sorority alumni chapter and served as President, Vice-President, Rush Coordinator and several Committee Chair positions when I was a collegiate member.  I am a member of a Sigma Alpha a Professional Agricultural Sorority, so not a stereotypical social sorority.

• My favorite movie is Steel Magnolias, I cry every time I watch it!
• I am not much of a reader anymore, but my favorite book is "A Prayer for Owen Meany."
• I am very extremely competitive.  I love to play games and strategize.
• I have three brothers, a sister, and a half sister.  I have 4 nieces and 6 nephews on my side and 2 nephews and a niece by marriage.
• Even though I lived in Colorado for the first 26 years of my life I have never snow skied.  I did take five snowboarding lessons while I worked at the Boys and Girls Club while in college.

•  In my lifetime for pets I have had cats, dogs, horses, a pony, sheep, rabbits, birds and fish.  I currently have no pets since my time is devoted to Austin, but Austin would dearly love a doggy or a kitty.
• I am a HUGE DENVER BRONCOS fan.  I am obviously not a band-wagoner since they totally suck right now, but I love them anyway.  I was born in Denver on a Sunday when the Broncos played the San Diego Chargers.  I was born 10 minutes after my Mom got to the hospital and the doctor joked to her that she was just in a hurry so she could watch the Bronco game.
• I love to fish and can clean/fillet them myself.

• I drive a blue 2007 Nissan Xterra.
• I'm not especially athletic because I was in a bad car accident when I was 11 and messed up my right knee.  Even so I participated in track and field and swimming in high school and lettered in both (it was a small-ish school). 
• I have one sweet Goddaughter, Heidi.  I wish that I lived closer so I could be more involved in her life.

•  I had many part-time jobs through college that included babysitting, Program Coordinator at Boys and Girls Club, Receptionist at a Veterinary Clinic, Salesperson at a knife store, temp work including working in a bottling factory and a newspaper insert stuffing job, Receptionist at my sister's finance office, and grocery bagger.  I also had a research work study for a while and worked for the Ag Research Service as a Hydrologic Technician.
• I am a semi-cradle Catholic.  My Mom is Catholic and my Dad was pretty much atheist, but agreed to let us be raised Catholic.  I was born a year and a half after my oldest brother died in a car crash so my Mom was having a period of not being active in church so I was never baptized until I was 10.  We prayed during that time and went to church once and a while, so even though we didn't practice faithfully all those years, being Catholic is all I knew. 
• My favorite food is crab legs, yum!
• Things on my bucket list: Go to Ireland and Australia, see Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night in person, and visit all 50 states.
• I am married to my best friend Dustin.  We have been together for 8 years last Valentine's Day and married 6 years last Saturday.

Our first date.

Here is when we got engaged.  Even though it doesn't show it, it was very smokey in the cabin so we could hardly keep our eyes open for the picture.

•  My favorite potato chips are called Sterzings and they are made in Burlington, Iowa.  You can only get them in the vicinity of south-eastern Iowa, so if you are ever there look for the red and yellow bag.
• My favorite part about being Mommy to Austin is all the hugs and kisses.  He is a sweet boy and I love him dearly.

• I just noticed the other day that my driver's license says my weight is 135 lbs, which I weigh a little more than that now, LOL!
• I love all things chocolate in any shade of brown, but don't like white chocolate.
• My favorite beer is New Belgium Brewery's Fat Tire.
• My favorite/most useful piece of advice was from my Mom: "Try it, you might like it...and if you don't it was good for you anyway!"