100th Post

Several of my friends have gone with the tradition of sharing 100 random facts about themselves on their 100th post. I have loved reading those blogs, and I have been waiting a long time to do the same! So here goes...hope no one gets bored! LOL!



1. I have been thinking of things to put on this list for MONTHS! Now, for some reason, none of those things are coming to mind...darn it.


2. I am the oldest of three daughters.


3. I have always taken pride in the fact that I am 1/2 white and 1/2 Mexican.


4. My parents brought me up to believe in God and to have a personal relationship with Him. That has helped me in my life more than anything else.


5. I have been going to the same church, Mabton Grace Brethren Church, ALL MY LIFE! And I love it there.


6. My birthday is May 12, 1978. I expect everyone to make a big deal out of my birthday every year. And if they don't, I don't have any problems reminding them that they need to. Ha!


7. I really loved growing up in Mabton, even though a lot of people look down on the town. In my opinion, it was always very safe, and I had the best teachers.


8. Sports have always been a big part of my life, and I played 3 sports in high school.


9. I wouldn't say I was any good at any of those sports, but I knew the rules and the fundamentals. I just couldn't make my body do what my brain knew I should be doing!


10. I still have dreams about playing basketball, and I always make the winning shot - a 3 pointer at the buzzer. Man, that dream never gets old!


11. Speaking of basketball, my sister Kristal bumped into me and caused me to shove the girl I was defending...fouling me out of my last home basketball game of my career. I was very mad at her.

12. My sisters are extremely special to me, and I treasure the time I get to spend with them.

13. My middle name is Elena, after my grandma (my dad's mom). I am so glad I am named after her. She was very special to me, and died too young.

14. Speaking of grandparents, my nana and grandpa (mom's parents), have been married 55 years! I love my nana and grandpa SO much! My nana is a prayer warrior, and I have felt her prayers many times in my life.

15. I used to be the BIGGEST Michael Jordan fan. His posters were all over my room, which was painted black and white with red carpet (for his team, the Chicago Bulls).

16. I always had more friends that were boys than girls. I don't know why, but other girls hated that.

17. I played the trumpet in the band.

18. I wanted a saxophone, but I'm glad I never got one since I met my husband in the trumpet section of band class. :)

19. Playing the trumpet with braces on your teeth is not a joy. That is not a random "fact", but rather a statement I felt compelled to share with you all.

20. Yes, Dave was my high school sweetheart. His nickname was "Bird", because people thought he looked like Larry Bird.

21. When I told my dad I was "going out" with a boy named "Bird", he asked me what his real name was. I told him I'd have to ask the next day! LOL!

22. Our first date was to his Jr. prom. We looked goofy as heck, but at the time we looked pretty cool, I guess.

23. I didn't go to my Sr. prom because Dave had just had knee surgery and couldn't go. So I skipped mine and went with my friend Sam to his prom at White Swan. It was fun!

24. Ah, the White Swan crew who all went to church at Harrah Grace Brethren...WOW - I loved those guys so much!

25. We had the biggest youth group at my church when I was in high school. My parents and several others were the leaders.

26. Youth rallies and various churches every quarter and Camp Clear Lake every summer are times I will NEVER forget!

27. I went to Jr. Camp one summer (or maybe two - I can't remember), and was a counselor / cook helper. I got up early for kitchen duty, but it was worth it. Those were awesome kids!

28. I never had a job in high school, because I was always playing sports. I babysat, but that's about it...

29. I had always wanted to go to college, but seeing as how I thought I might be getting married soon, I opted to go to a junior college and live at home. Plus, I got my first job.

30. That job was waitressing at The Dykstra House in Grandview. My first night I made over 50 bucks in tips!

31. Linda, the owner, told me I "set beautiful tables"...I don't know if that's because I really did or she was just trying to find something nice to tell me. Waitressing was an awkward thing for me.

32. I was proposed to in front of my mom's entire family at my nana and grandpa's Christmas gathering. My Aunt Debbie held my hand because I told her I was scared. LOL!

33. We were married on August 9, 1997 at the Nazarene Church in Grandview.

34. We picked the 9th because 9 is Dave's favorite number. It was his football jersey and baseball jersey #.

35. We went to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World and Knott's Berry Farm for our honeymoon.

36. Between the time we got married and then moved to Wenatchee to go to school, we lived in the parsonage (where Pastor and Jane live now). It was only for about a month.

37. We both completed our 2nd year of college at Wenatchee Valley College.

38. We worked at Easy Auto Wash. I ran the cash register and pumped gas and Dave ran the car wash.

39. I LOVE PUMPING GAS! Ha!

40. Being away from my parents was VERY hard for me, but Dave & I look back on that first year with fondness, because we were each other's only support system and we learned a lot about each other.

41. We came back to Grandview because Dave got his job at Horse Heaven Heating & Cooling.

42. Horse Heaven Heating & Cooling is now Horse Heaven Refrigeration...Dave acquired the business in 2005!

43. I loved the time I worked with the middle schoolers at Grandview Middle School. If I could get my job back there, I'd go in a heartbeat.

44. I sometimes feel bad that I never got my teaching degree. Maybe someday...

45. I bet you're wondering why I haven't mentioned anything about my kids!

46. Hunter Reece was born Feb. 4, 2002.

47. I loved being pregnant, but his delivery was horrible.

48. Cooper Chase was born Aug. 22, 2005.

49. Coop's delivery was a close one, but it was a piece of cake. :) Still loved being pregnant, but the morning sickness I could have done without.

50. MY BOYS ARE MY LIFE!

51. I love my husband, Dave, with all my heart.

52. He is a great example to our kids.

53. I am so proud of the man Dave has become. Before he had God in his life, he was headed down the wrong path, but now his faith is so strong and he is a wonderful head of this household.

54. I go back and forth with myself about whether or not I would like to have a little girl.

55. I was no good at potty-training, which kind of deters me from wanting another child!

56. I think picking boy names was WAY easier than picking girl names!

57. I had to know the sex of my babies. I can't stand for other people to know things and not tell me.

58. I have a VERY hard time keeping a secret, but I have gotten way better in the last few years.

59. I used to peek at my Christmas presents. I have grown out of that now.

60. Speaking of Christmas, I can't sleep on Christmas Eve! I have been this way since I was a little girl!

61. I do not like the green Tums. So if you come to my house and need a Tum, chances are you'll get a green one since that's all there is left! Ha!

62. Being a mom is the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me.

63. Sometimes I do wish I did have a job outside of the home, since I am such a social butterfly, but I know it's best for me to stay home with my kids while they're small.

64. I feel extremely lucky to be able to stay home, because I know so many mom's who'd like to, but it is simply not an option for them.

65. I love Jesus!

66. I have a strong desire to make my relationship with Him deeper and more meaningful. I know everything I am and have is because of Him!

67. My oldest son, Hunter is so smart. He has a brain like a sponge, and it is full of random information that he just spurts out from time to time. He reminds me of myself when I was his age!

68. My youngest son, Coop, is a crazy spitfire of a child...he reminds me of his Dad!

69. I sometimes feel like I could use a class or a book about how to be a better mom. I love being a mom, it's just that I feel like I could be doing a better job!

70. Summer is my favorite time of the year.

71. This is mostly because of Dave and his softball team. Softball season is crazy, but we love it!

72. I have been known to occassionally yell at an umpire or two. Hey, I know the rules!

73. I especially enjoy it when Kev plays with Dave, that way I know if I need to yell at an ump, my sister Kristal will be there to yell with me!

74. Our Dad was a basketball referee and an umpire, and he took us to lots of his games. So we know what we're talking about!

75. I have some pretty special women in my life that I try to be like: my nana, my mom and my aunt Marci.

76. Cooking is not really my specialty, but I have gotten better thanks to 12 years of marriage!

77. I just learned how to make mashed potatoes last year. Not hard at all - don't know why I waited!

78. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. As far as I'm concerned, that is the only good part about winter.

79. Winter is hard, especially on the weekends, since Dave snowmobiles. I used to get really worked up about it, but now that I have kids, it's easier to just go with the flow than to argue about it.

80. That's something really special about Dave and I, is that we hardly ever argue. Seriously. It's kind of weird.

81. I have struggled with my weight since I had Hunter.

82. I desperately want to lose about 15 pounds, but I am not motivated at all. I know how to do it, but I have all kinds of excuses as to why I can't...basically I am lazy, I guess!

83. I believe in the power of prayer, and we are teaching our sons about it. I hope they grow up to know and love Jesus the way we do!

84. I clean my ears with a Q-tip about 3 or 4 times a day...not so much because they need cleaning, just because I think I have OCD. LOL!

85. I also wash my hands A LOT, which is part of that OCD, I believe...

86. I cannot just sit down and watch a movie. If we're at the theater that's okay, but when we're at home, I just can't do it. I don't know why. Dave gets annoyed with me about it.

87. I used to be paranoid about driving on the snow, but in the past few years I've been much more relaxed about it. Snow is fun for a few days, but I like it to melt the same day and start again in the morning.

88. Shopping on Black Friday used to be one of my favorite days to shop, but now it's not so much for the deals, it's just so I can go to the mall by myself! (Dave and the boys always hang out at home on that day).

89. I have been babysitting a little girl the past two school-years. Her name is Kora and she is almost 18 months old. She is a friend's baby. We love her so much!

90. I have vacation on the brain just about every day. I really want to take the boys to Disneyland! Just waiting for Coop to be tall enough to ride all the rides!

91. My best friend, Katy, is at Disneyland right now with her whole family! I miss her lots!

92. I am a Husky fan, and not ashamed of it! LOL!

93. I cannot wait until tomorrow at 10:00 AM because I am getting my hair cut and colored! Too many gray hairs!!

94. I am on Facebook way too much, but I am addicted to it.

95. I am especially addicted to the Bejeweled Blitz game. If you haven't tried it, you should. You can waste a lot of minutes playing that game!

96. Music is something that I really love. All kinds...but this time of year I like to rock out on the XM Holly station on my TV...Christmas music!

97. I am going to meticulously edit this post for spelling and grammar errors. I do not like it when those kinds of mistakes get past me and onto my blog!

98. I am thankful for all of my friends who read and comment on my blog. I sometimes get bummed out because I only get a few comments. I know, I am so attention starved...

99. Almost done - whoa! This has been really fun! Hopefully none of you are snoring yet...

100. I am truly blessed to be living this life God's given me. My joy and happiness is all because of Him!