1 - i've been out of the country. three countries. mexico [three times], costa rice, and panana [thank you honeymoon]
2 - i became a MRS. kind of easy to glide over but getting married is a big deal! at least 30% of my friends still aren't married. i was extremely lucky to have found justin when i did. but more then anything, we grew together. we grew apart. we learned how to come together again. marriage is NOT easy but it is so worth it.
3 - i learned how to cook. my family loves to tell a story about how i dropped some egg shells into some roll dough and just mixed it harder so hopefully no one would notice. there are a million 'melissa' cooking stories, mostly which involve burning or not following steps [because i listen to NO ONE]. now i must say, i'm kind of the bee's knees. i'm no martha stewart but i'm pretty good.
4 - i graduated with my bachelors of science. i'm proud to have a degree. granted, it's worthless without a masters, but still. that piece of paper was a lot of hard work and one day when i go back into the work force, i'm going to be glad i had it. plus the experiences at SUU were golden. as are the friends.
5 - i've learned how to be healthy. my degree is in exercise science so i know the mechanics of how to be healthy but i haven't always followed the rules. i love food! i love being lazy! but i've also learned how to enjoy the gym and exercise. i love eating a balanced meal and then spluring every once in a while. i am never going to be a size 6 and honestly, i don't want to do the work that comes with it. i just want to be healthy and happy. and i can do that at a size 12 [which i am not right now. i'm working on it!]
6 - i love my body! i remember when i got stretch marks for the first time and i showed my mom. i told her i didn't remember hurting myself there and she told me it was because i was getting fat. true story. [i forgive you mom - you had your own body issues]. i had about 18 years of body shaming - from family, friends, or even kids at school. but thankfully i grew to be thankful for my large legs becausse i'm strong. i'm glad i have big boobs because they help hide my belly. i'm thankful for my freckles because they make my skin unique and i never have to use foundation. i have a friend who just hates her body. it's really sad to hear her talk about her struggles, especially since she has a daughter. we need to be aware of what we're teaching our kids by how we feel.
7 - i ran a 5k [twice]. i once had this friend who said 'i don't know why people wear their 5k shirts with pride. seriously? 3 miles is nothing. i'm embaressed for them'. uh, 3 miles is not easy for everyone. and running more miles does not equate to healthier. when i started lacrosse, i picked goalie because running any length was tortorous. and then i became good at it and i could run longer. then i started going to the gym and could run faster. and longer.
8 - i grew a garden. again, i have a reputation among my family. of hating the outside. of being a city girl. but this city girl, in LAS VEGAS, grew a buttload of vegetables. honestly i couldn't tell you how i did it, but i did. oh yeah, justin helped. it helped me appreciate our food and the work that goes into it. that still doesn't mean i like paying more then $1.50 for apples but still.
9 - i learned how to can. i started my food storage. i made my 72 hour kits. these basic home making skills are going out the window. and by the amount of sci-fi/dystopian novels i read, i have to believe i'm going to need these skills one day!
10 - i've travelled. not a ton but enough. i've seen the golden gate bridge. i visited the world famous monterrey bay aquarium. i've seen lake tahoe. i've swam in the atantic and pacific ocean. i've had a hot dog in chicago and visited the mall of america. it's fun to see these places that you've read about or seen on tv. makes the world seem smaller and bigger at the same time.
11 - i'm doing my family history. i make yearly photo books of our family, i take pictures, i write in multiple journals, and i blog. i wish i had more from my childhood but i can understand why my mom didn't/couldn't document the way i do. i hope my kids appreciate it one day. even if they don't, it's cathartic.
12 - i've shot a gun. i wouldn't say i'm entirely comfortable with guns but i'm not afriad of them either.
13 - i've read the bible cover to cover [twice]. i've read the book of mormon [multiple times]. i know my religion and i know what i believe. my faith is my rock. my testimony is everything. and i'm teaching that to my children. i've seen how death, disease, marriage problems, financial problems - how they can rock a person to the core. faith is not a crutch - it's my everything. it makes me a better wife, mother, sister, friend. i know without a shadow of a doubt that the gospel of jesus christ is true. because one day i'm going to be brought to my knees by something and the only way i'm going to be able to stand up again is with the help of my heavenly father.
14 - that being said, i'm comfortable in the temple. i love the temple! people say that but they don't always mean it. the greatest gift my mom gave me was her love for the temple. i saw the sacrifices she made to go. and i saw her go often. i hope to give that to my kids. the first time was scary but just because it was new. but once i had been a couple times, i realize just how not new it really was. i'm not going to profess to know everything but i love going.
*now to conclude on a fun note*
15 - i've ziplined in costa rice. seriously it was the greatest thing. so much fun! i love heights and that thrill [i've also indoor sky dived but that's not quite as cool]. we did this on our honeymoon and it was a once in a lifetime experience...that i almost missed. i had a high school teacher who broke his leg while ziplining in costa rice. so... yeah i was a bit hesitant. but i'm glad i did.
...to be continued because this post got too long...
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