33 things

I thought this was a great idea so I had to copy Amy.  33 things for my 33rd birthday (a day late cuz who has time to post on their birthday!)

1.  Jerry- we met when I was a freshman in college.  He was a manager at Long John Silvers and I was a cashier.  We were friends for 3 years and didn't start dating until my senior year of college.  I can't believe how God has changed him since I first met him.  He is such an amazing father and husband. 

2.  Hayden- You made our dreams of parenting come true.  I know there will be so many firsts with you being the oldest and I apologize now for our mistakes.  I know being the oldest isn't always fun but you are such a great big brother (most of the time!) I love watching you grow and learn new things.  You have such a passion for sports and such a tender heart.  I love you so much Bubba.

3.  Jackson- You make me smile and pull my hair out all in the same moment.  You are so stubborn and yet have such a caring heart.  I love to watch you take care of your little sisters.  I love watching your imagination at work whether it be playing with your action figures or doing artwork.  I love you wacky!

4.  Katelyn- You made my dreams of having a daughter come true.  You have a smile that lights up a room and your eyes can melt a heart.  I love to hear you giggle with your brothers.  You definately think they are the best.  You are such a good big sister, always ready to help out with your "be-be" You have brought us so many worries over your short little life, but have always increased our faith.  I can't imagine my life without you baby girl.  I love you!

5. Peyton- You complete our family.  I had dreamed of having two boys then two girls and God blessed us with exactly that.  You are so loved sweet baby.  You will never know how many kisses you get each day from your sister.  You are such a good baby.  I love your sweet smiles and all your baby talk.  Your eyes melt my heart.  I love you sweet girl.

6. I still miss Abilene after being gone for 15 years.  So many things I don't miss, but yet so many other things I do.  I feel our home is in KC and don't see us moving us back much to my kids' dismay.

7.  My favorite color is pink.   I especially love bright pink.  I have passed my love of pink onto Kate:)

8.  I love to organize, even though my house may not always look it.  I love containers of any size- baskets, buckets, tubs or jars!  They all make me very happy.  I have also recently fell in love with the label maker (compliments of my friend Leigh) This thing is fabulous!

9.  I collect serving dishes.  This is a collection my husband hates because it takes up quite a bit of cabinet space in the kitchen.  I love serving pieces of all sizes and shapes.  Now I just need to entertain more to use them all.

10.  I hate to wash dishes.  It is the worst chore ever.  Jerry does most of the dishes in the house because I will let them set.  I will find a toilet to scrub before washing a sink of dishes.

11.  I have a huge fear of public speaking.  I hate talking in front of people although I love to talk!

12.  I get to start working from home 4 days a week later this month.  I am SO excited.  I have a 45 min drive one way to work so this is going to be huge for me.  What will I do with my extra time in the morning.....exercise, quiet time, sleep- the possibilities are endless. 

13.  I have a fear of heights.  I can't even sit up in the nose bleed section at the Chiefs game without feeling like I am falling.

14.  Fall is my favorite season.  I love all the colors and cool weather. 

15.  I love to watch football.  Jerry and I watch football every Sunday together.  We have been to 3 Chiefs games together and I loved it.  I look forward to Sunday afternoons during football season.

16.  I love to read and want to do more of it.  I haven't read a novel in years however I love to read inspirational or self-help books.  The most recent book I read was "Heaven is for Real" (more to come on this soon)

17.  Jerry and I lead a small group at church.  I never imagined us leading a group and am amazed at how God works.

18.  I love to sing but don't sing that well.  I would love to sing in our praise band at church but thankfully for everyone else I won't even try out!  So instead I will just stick to my own praise band in the privacy of my car.

19.  I have two fabulous sisters.  I love having sisters and when I had Kate I told Jerry I had to have another girl because she needed a sister.  I can't imagine life without them. 

20.  I knew all four of my grandparents.  I was fortunate enough to live next door to my Grandpa & Grandma Sims growing up and have so many fond memories of them. 

21.  I love lists.  I love to make lists and especially like to cross things off my list.  I sometimes will add something to my list that I already did just so I can cross it off. 

22.  I was in a serious car accident 6 weeks before our wedding totaling out my brand new car.  Ever since then I am very cautious (paranoid as Jerry would say) on the road.  Heavy traffic can cause me severe anxiety.

23.  I had pregnancy complications with Kate.  I was told at 8 weeks I had lost the baby on a Friday.  I went all weekend grieving and on Monday got a call from the dr office asking me to come back in because my tests had come back and the numbers were too high.  I went in and they did another sono and advised I still had a baby.  They never were sure exactly what happened.  They speculated that I may have been carrying twins and lost one.  Kate truly is our miracle baby.

24.  I love chocolate.  I can never have too much chocolate.

25.  My favorite drink is Diet Dr. Pepper.  I cut out all caffiene when I was pregnant and vowed not to go back.  But that didn't last.

26.  My favorite piece of jewelry besides my wedding ring is my necklace with all my kids' names on it.  I wear it all the time.

27.  I am really looking forward to not having to dress up every day for work anymore.  I can see additional lounge clothes being added to my wardrobe. 

28.  I am officially old.  I have decided comfort over style in the shoe department.  I know this makes me officially old and I am ok with that.  Besides why would a 6'0 tall woman who is married to a 5'8 guy want to wear 3 inch heels???

29.  My favorite places to shop are Target, Kohls, Michaels and Hobby Lobby.  I can walk into any of those stores and ALWAYS find something (this isn't a good thing!)

30.  I love to talk.  I can spend hours talking on the phone, especially to my sisters.  I wish I knew how many hours of my life has been spent on the phone.  I can tell you it has been a lot.  Kate has several phones of her own and constantly walks around with one up to ear jabbering away. 

31.  I love Starbuck Carmel Machhiotto.  But since I can't afford that unless it's a special treat I just stick with flavored creamers.  I love coffee, especially in the winter.

32.  I didn't own a dog until I was 30 years old.  My mom was very against pets because they were too messy for her, although she did let me have a fish.  But the tank got too dirty so she cleaned it with bleach.  My poor fish didn't survive that. 

33.  I love a good bargain.  Nothing makes me more happy than to get a good deal on something.  I love to clip coupons.  I am the person you hate to get behind at Walmart.  I will price match and use coupons!  I am constantly getting free stuff with my coupons.  The best ones are the items that they pay me to take.  I have quite a system down.  On more than one occasion I have used so many coupons at Walmart that they have to call a manager for approval.