On being Carolyn...

(I got this idea from reading Carrie's and Erin's blogs)

...50 random facts about me at age 50!

Lessons my parents taught me: make happy memories, go to Disneyland, remember birthdays

Childhood memories: Creek of the Week, spoons, kick-the-can, toots (not the kind you may be thinking), X presents, coloring contests and talent shows

Failed attempts: school play, b-ball team, cheerleader, ensemble singers, sadie hawkins date, scuba lessons, former marriage

HS highlights: Arctic Circle lunches w/ Lora, date with Nick Dooley, Prom Queen, Pep Club Pres, Stake ping pong doubles champ w/ Lora

Music: Chicago, Beatles, Elvis, Simon & Garfunkle, Tears for Fears

I could just scream: rodents, forgetting things, my hair, debt, injustice, verbal abuse, rats in my hair

I need: 8 hrs sleep each night, my bed made, dishes done, bargain shopping

I can cook: recipes with chicken

I love to see: all my children receive the blessing of the temple

Favorite flowers: bird of paradise, yellow roses, daffodils

Comfort foods: soups, salads, grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut M&M's

Happy thoughts: family, friends, fireworks at Lake Sacajawea, dipping french fries in a Wendy's frosty

Career advice: do something you are good at, you love to do and that helps others

Proud to be: LDS, a momma, curious, happy

I wish I could: write better, read faster, roll my R's

I can live without: scary movies, baseball, arguing debate shows disguised as talk news

Amazing: Jimmy Stewart, Machu Picchu, Frank Lloyd Wright designs, the Pyramids, fireflies

I dislike: canned peas, liver, credit cards, soap operas, violence as entertainment, trash magazines

Fondness for: decorative tissue boxes, placemats, crayola markers, souvenir pins, colorful tableware, Space Needle lunches

Movies: Babe, Groundhog Day, You've Got Mail, The Family Man, It's a Wonderful Life

Unexpected gifts: Lane, Hill Cumorah Pageant participant 1978, contact with family during mission to NYC

Best dates: Los Hermanos Oct 1995, Paul McCartney concert 6th row, Yo-Yo Ma at Carnegie Hall

Songs: Be Still My Soul, When You Wish Upon a Star, Because You Loved Me, In my Daughter's Eyes

Top trips: Florida Aug 1996!!! Brazil '99 & '02, Alaska '01, Spain '03

I'd like to: play the piano, speak Spanish, learn to juggle

States I've lived in: Washington, Utah, Florida, Arkansas, New York

Preferences: kettle corn over buttered, lamps over ceiling lights, crunchy over creamy PB, soft over firm mattress

Simple pleasures: jumping rope, coloring, being barefoot, a kneaded eraser, a fuzzy robe, candlelight, holding the remote

Vacation spots: Mazatlan, anything Disney, Tetons, a beach

My heros: Jesus, my parents, Lane, President Hinckley, Abinadi

Tastes: potatoes, pink grapefruit juice, cucmbers on sandwiches, berries provolone cheese

I've been to: all 50 states, the United Nations, 26 temples, 8 foreign countries

I'm grateful for: Easter, quick temple cancellation, motherhood, grandmommy-hood, eyeglasses

Awesome sights: Iguazu Falls, Montserrate, Blueridge Mountains, the Redwoods, Delicate Arch

I've gotten all wet: parasailing, snorkling, jet-skiing, deep-sea fishing

Road trips: Nauvoo, Victoria BC, San Francisco, Quebec

Design favorites: color, contemporary, modern, simple, clean lines, hardwood floors

On location: Horseback riding in Monument Valley, all-you-can-eat crabbing on the Oregon Coast, Denali glacier landing, Haleakala Crater to coast bikeride

Indulgences: chocolate covered cinnamon bears, white hot chocolate w/ squirt chocolate whipped cream

National Parks: Yosemite, Tetons, Olympic Rainforest, Monument Valley, Mt. Rushmore

I've seen: a bullfight, sunrise/sunset coast to coast in Florida, the ball drop in Times Square

My overused phrase: "what were you thinking?"

Cool happenings: front row seats at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Mission call to NYC Public Affairs, ziplining in Kuwaii

I hate to love: sudokus, HGTV, staying up late

NYC fav spots: Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Temple, Wicked, rim walk, Liberty Island, our apartment

I enjoy: sitting, hugging grandkids, walking as exercise, Spring

Hobbies: crocheting, reading non-fiction, floral arranging, decorating, cooking with chocolate, spoiling Lane

What if I could: waltz, bake amazing cinnamon rolls, build a tree house

I can't: sleep with the closet doors open, go 2 more years w/o a Walmart

I'm blessed by: parents, siblings, YW camp, seminary, Book of Mormon, patriarchal blessing, BYU, RS, marriage, parenthood, mission

Looking forward to: being an active parent/grandparent, some travel, making DVD's of photos and video clips, another mission someday

(More than you ever wanted to know.)