A Facebook tag...

My "old" childhood friend, Mandy, tagged me in a note on Facebook. I don't usually participate in these things, but I thought I would do this one. So, how well do you know me? The tag was "25 Random Things" and as I thought about what I might write, I wasn't even sure if I could come up with 25 random, yet somewhat interesting facts about myself that are worth sharing. So I'll just start and see how far I get....

1. I used to hate my name. Growing up, I didn't like that my name was unique and no one knew how to spell it. I wished I was named "Jennifer" or "Lisa" or something more typical for the time. I do love my name now. (I can only wonder how my kids feel about their names...Emmy (yes, it is just Emmy, not Emma or Emily, just Emmy), Azia (pronounced Asia), Parker, Cardiff (that one's a bit off the wall) and Sawyer.

2. I scored a perfect score (100%) on two of my Grade 12 Departmental final exams. Both my English 30 and Social Studies 30 written exams were received with a perfect grade.

3. I ran for Student Council president and lost. None the less, I loved my high school years.

4. I really thought I was going to be a pharmacist...for a while anyways. Then I didn't do so hot in Chemistry and I eventually enroled in college in the Communicative Disorders program. I eventually changed my major to Performing Arts - Dance. However, I still have this "thing" for drugstores...always liked them.

5. Speaking of college, I completed only 1 semester at Rick's College (now known as BYU Idaho). I had my next years' tuition and housing paid for when I returned home for the summer, only to be swept off my feet by a young pre-med, wanna-be songwriter.

6. I love Cherry Coke and it makes me very sad that it is not readily available here in Canada. I usually try to get my fill when we head south and even bring back cases of it when we have room.

7. My favorite dessert is Turtle Cheesecake for the Streetside Eatery. I LOOOOVVVVEE this cheesecake and I will not share! Call me selfish, but if you want some, you'd better get your own.

8. I do not like chinese food. Yes, I know this seems odd. I think it comes from my family's early years owning a chinese food restaurant and eating way too much of it. Some chinese food once in a while is fine, but I wouldn't choose to eat it.

9. I am an avid journal writer. I have kept a journal since 1990. I believe I have 14 completed, bound journals. I still try to keep a hand-written journal despite my conversion to blogging.

10. I am CHEAP. I love a good deal. We have gotten in on some really spectacular sales and paying $4-5 for an item of clothing is almost "too expensive" because I know we can find stuff for $0.94 or $1.97. Despite the increase in our family income, I think I'll always be frugal.

11. I went on 2 real dates before I met my husband...thanks to Phil and Preston. Both of those dates happened after I graduated from High school. (OK, I did have a "date" for our Grade 9 Graduation, but does that really count? We didn't even really hang out with each other.)

12. I was married at 19 years old. I met Wayne, got engaged 6 weeks later and married 7 weeks after that.

13. I hate slackers. Don't say you'll do something and not follow through or do a "half job". I'd sooner people just say 'no'.

14. I hate worms. I will still squeal (in fear) and scream slightly if there are worms on the ground following a rain shower. If I don't look down, and run to the vehicle, I will be alright, but it is always followed by a shiver.

15. I just got my first speeding ticket a few months ago. 16 years of driving and only one photo-radar ticket...that's not bad.

16. I love bedding. I love blankets, quilts, bedding of any kind. If you don't know what to buy me for a present, you can always get me a yummy, snuggly, cuddly blanket or quilt.

17. I bake at least 3-4 times a month. We usually make a batch of cookies or two, cream pies and some other scandalous dessert. I don't really know how to make bread, but I would really like to learn.

18. I enjoy a myriad of crafts. I don't scrapbook, but I do make cards, I can sew, crochet edges on blankets, various paper crafts, wood painting, glass etching etc.

19. I love musicals. I enjoy watching old musical (Singing in the Rain, White Christmas, An American in Paris etc) movies and musicals on stage (Les Mis, Aida, Miss Saigon etc.)

20. I've swam with sea turtles in Mexico, straddled the International date line in Greenich, England, seen 'Cats' in London, England, been to Tulum and Chichen Itza, been to Hawaii (on a high school band trip), parasailed over the ocean and lots of other fun things. I hope to do a lot more travelling in the future.

21. I like things done MY way. I know this too sounds selfish, but I am trying to change. I just know that my way is the best way! ;)

22. I always knew I would be a mom, but never imagined I would have 5 beautiful children! I am so very blessed.

23. I am an amateur graphic designer. I've done some poster designs for my parents' restaurants and I've also designed 2 family reunion t-shirts and a Relief Society Triathlon shirt...and I think they look pretty good.

24. I am often sarcastic, which sometimes gets me in trouble.

25. I wish I could sing. I can play the piano, I played the clarinet, I danced (and am taking a tap class once again!), I did gymnastics, but the one talent I wish I had was a beautiful singing voice. Especially being married to such a musical husband, I wish I was able to sing with him and sound just a little bit angelic. Hopefully the kids will get that talents and embrace it if they do have it. (The girls sound great singing on his Christmas album...check it out here.)

Phew, that took some thought! But I managed to come up with 25 random facts about myself. So did you know all of that about me? I'm realizing that I'm really sort of a boring person!

It will be worth it...I know it will!

I don't know how much more of this I can take. We thought that building our dream home would be fun, exciting and a highlight of our life. However, it has been everything BUT that! We signed the contract in July 2007 and they started digging the foundation in September 2007. It is now January 2009...and we are still not done. It has been 16 months!

The tardiness of the build is the least of my stresses. Here are some of the low-lights of the build:
-A 3 month delay waiting on approval of the "tall wall". This should never have been an issue since it was clearly stated on the blueprints that the wall needed to be framed a specific way, but he ignored it.
-Having to re-frame the "tall wall" after the rest of the house was already drywalled.
-The window guys installing 3 of the wrong windows and then forgetting to order the right ones for about 2 months.
-Plumber guy giving our boiler away to another job then having to re-order another one for us.
-Plumber guy ordering the WRONG boiler, so he installed a smaller one until the right one came in and then switched it out.
-Granite guy cut the granite the wrong size, so he gave us a more expensive granite for the same price.
-The fireplace guys ordered the wrong mantle and had to re-order the right one.
-The cabinet guy ordered vanities that were all counter height, not vanity height. Two inches were cut off of all of the toe kicks to the vanities.
-Cabinet guy not ordering the pull-out step for the kids' vanity, then ordering the wrong parts and having to re-order the correct parts.
-Someone breaking into the house and gouging 10 walls in the basement. These all need to be filled, sanded and re-painted.
-After turning on the in-floor heating in the master ensuite, finding that there is a leak and having to cut a whole in the garage ceiling (which was completely finished off) to find the problem.
-Our builder informing us that his insurance expires today and that we should insure the house! WHATEVER!? Insure a house that we do not have posession of? Yeah, right!
-Countless letters to our builder's lawyer to get a posession date. Still no date.

So, I'm trying to be excited, happy and feel so lucky that we will eventually get into our dream home, but at this point, it is really hard to look past all of the trials, problems and stress. Wayne has done almost all of the contracting work himself. So why are we paying our builder the big bucks?