tag-ed

secretly, i always wanted to get tagged... tag yourself if you like.

1- when i find a song that i love i have absolutely no problem listening to it on repeat for 12+ straight hours until i'm sick of it. i get a kick out of looking at my most played list on itunes and seeing which song i've endured the longest. oddly enough, i never know all the lyrics even though i always sing along. my brain only memorizes the notes, the instruments, the music, but never the words.

2- i am very aware of my physical imperfections, shortcomings, etc and like most people feel self conscious in most social situations, yet i have a (healthy?) streak of vanity wherein I have no problem admitting when i think i look great. i also love looking at photos of myself (probably because i know i'm photogenic and look better in photos than in real life).

3- i have whatever the opposite of a foot fetish is. i think feet are so disgusting and get a little freaked out if people get their feet too close to me or (heaven forbid!) touch me with their feet. ironically, i give a great foot massage. my feet are fine though. i don't hate my feet. what's weird though is that i cross my toes. more often than not i have my big toe crossed over my second toe or vica versa and do it with both feet. i have the long finger-like toes that can pick stuff up which is why i can cross them.

4- i served an LDS mission in the Madagascar Antananarivo Mission. i guessed that's where i'd go so it wasn't a surprise to me when i opened my call (which i received on my 24th birthday). i never served in Mada though i was lucky enough to go there the last 2 days of my mission. after a 2 month visa wait in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission (i was in Fayetteville, Arkansas and loved it) i served, french speaking, on the 2 "outer" islands- La Reunion & Mauritius- that were part of the mission. i absolutely loved it! the islands were gorgeous, the missionaries were the cream of the crop and the cultures and people were amazing. i came home with a love for the indian (dot, not feather) culture, especially the food, thanks to my time in Mauritius. i love that i got to serve french speaking because i'd studied french all through jr high and high school and have always been a bit of a francophile. i'm still homesick for the Mascareign Islands!

5- i studied piano from the age of 5 until the time i left for college. i was required to practice 2 hours a day, went to various competitions every spring (i even won a concerto competition) and had several personal recitals. i wasn't always so dedicated to my practicing and my mom was always on my case about it (and still is to this day... seriously, this evening on the phone she asked if i had been practicing the piano). my greatest strength has always been sight reading. even though i've lost a lot of my technique i can still pick up almost any piece of music and play it. i even taught piano all through high school. my biggest regret (said La Belle Dame Sans Regrets...) is that i didn't continue on with my piano studies through college (i didn't realized i could get my engineering degree and still study the piano... one track mind). but one day i will go back and study piano pedagogy and combine my love for music and teaching (which was learned later in life) and have my own piano studio.

6- i am a serious night owl (2am 'lights out' is not uncommon for me). i hate going to sleep at night. but i love sleeping. waking up in the morning is the worst part of the day.

this is me with bubanky (my baby blanket), jimmy (the bear) and lammy (the lamb). i still have all three. cute, eh?