Four Tag

Four random things I love about my husband :
1. He never, EVER admits that another girl is pretty, even when seriously egged on, and he insists that I’m the prettiest girl in the world.
2. He’s so nice about it when I wake him up to ask him to turn over when his snoring wakes me up.
3. He can talk to absolutely anyone
4. He’s a mean salsa-dancer, and an amazing father, and an amazing musician, and he knows everything and so many, many more.

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Shipley’s Donuts
2. Phone operator for a House-Arrest Company
3. HR Generalist Assistant for NuSkin in Provo
4. High School Choir Director

Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. Meet Me In St. Louis
2. You Can’t Take It With You
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Zoolander (I saw it 4 times IN THE THEATER!)

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Mystery Diagnosis
2. Forensic Files
3. Man vs. Wild
4. X-Weighted (what would I do without the Discovery Networks?)

Four random places I have been:
1. Gallup, New Mexico
2. Domincan Republic
3. An all-black, all-male barber shop (remind me to tell that story sometime)
4. The Llama Festival in Spanish Fork, UT

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Seafood!!!
2. Prime Rib
3. Bluebell Homemade Vanilla
4. Salad and Vegetables (um, I swear).

Four places I would like to visit:
1. Chicago, IL
2. China
3. Europe
4. Anyplace if someone else is paying

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. BUYING A HOUSE OF MY VERY OWN!!!
2. Hopefully adding a new baby Grundberg to the family
3. A Minivan (If we plan very, very well)
4. Having all of you come down to visit me, of course!

Four people I tag:
1. Darcy
2. Stacie
3. Kristy
4. Sherry

Tagged: His Story

Whats his name? Steven Joseph Grundberg, Sr.
How long have you been together? 6 years (wow, already??!!)
How long did you date? We dated for TWO YEARS, in PROVO!!! People were starting to tell us we needed to fish or cut bait (how considerate of them…)
How old is he? 35 this year!!! Born May 11, 1973.
Who eats more? Steven eats more but I often give him a run for his money (especially when I’m pregnant).
Who said I love you first? Steven did. He said it after we were dating just two weeks, and I think he thought I couldn’t hear him. But I did…and I remembered.
Who is taller? Steven is 6’3!!!
Who sings better? Okay, so maybe I can rip out an opera aria now and again, but nobody beats Steven when he’s singing a Temptations song. He has a beautiful singing voice and an amazing range!
Who is smarter? I’m not sure who actually has the higher IQ, but Steven does seem to know details on every conceivable subject in the world. Steven’s better at analytical thinking, and I’m better when it comes to communicating.
Who does the laundry? Me.
Who pays the bills? Steven does and I’m not quite sure when this happened. On day I just noticed that everything was already paid. And I like it.
Who sleeps on the right side? He does, but we might switch again, because I hate sleeping on the side by the door. I don’t know why.
Who mows the lawn? Steven LOVES doing yard stuff, but rarely has the time to do it the way he likes it. Just recently, the kids down the street mowed it for $15. We really need to buy a lawn mower…
Who cooks dinner? I do, partly because I consider it part of my job and partly because Steven knows I wouldn’t eat anything he made (he’s not a bad cook, I’m just psycho picky).
Who drives? He does, and I’m so glad. I enjoy just being the passenger. And besides, my driving makes him nervous (which is ridiculous, because he’s the psycho driver).
Who is more stubborn? He’s quietly stubborn, I’m loudly stubborn.
Who kissed who first? Steven kissed me first and I remember thinking at the time “Uh-oh, this guy’s a smoothie. He’s gonna break my heart.” But he didn’t. He called me the next day…at noon.
Who proposed? Steven technically proposed, but we decided to get married in May of 2001. He didn’t propose until September, that tease!
Who has more friends? Steven, hands down, has more friends. This is due to the fact that he’s never afraid to talk to anyone, and everyone he meets interests him.
Who is more sensitive? ME! I am constantly bewildering my husband with my incessant bouts of emotional basketcase-ism.
Who has more siblings? Steven is number 6 of 7 brothers and 1 sister. I just have 3 brothers.
Who wears the pants? I think do our share. As my father-in-law would say, the man is the head of the family, but the woman is the neck.

And now I tag Darcy, Bonnie & Julie

Abbreviated History

My friend Jenni tagged me with this cute 5 List, but I had already done part of it, so I’m doing my abbreviated history instead.

10 Years Ago:
I was finishing my junior year at BYU and trying to get better on the guitar. I was the messiest occupant in a four-girl apartment. I was singing in the Concert Choir w/ Mack Wilberg & played ‘Susanna’ in our Opera Scenes. Life was full of term papers, possible music connections, and dreams of getting married before I was 21 (didn’t happen, by the way. Why did I even want that?)

5 Years Ago:
Steven and I had been married for almost a year and living up in Libertyville, IL in a this tiny & dreary basement apartment (and were it not for newlywed love, it might have bothered me). I was teaching elementary music at Clearview School in Waukegan, and we were looking to buy a house (which we did 3 months later, and ohhh, I miss it so).

5 months Ago:
I was madly preparing for the Ward music program, wondering vaguely about when I was going to buy some gifts, and bracing myself for our first Christmas without Mom.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

I read this list on Kelli, Sarah & Shannon's blogs, and thought it was great, so I did it too.

maybe I should step away from the computer.
I love Steven so much I can barely stand it.
people would say that I’m loud and awkward.
I don’t understand why I can’t just do the things I should.
when I wake up in the morning I hear a cacophony of kid noise.
I lost a perfect black dress my last year in Provo, and it breaks my heart.
life is full of twists and turns.
my past is full of dumb preoccupations, triumphant moments, and heartbreak.
I get annoyed when there’s no milk for my cereal in the morning.
parties are scary when I first get there, and a blast by the time I have to leave.
I wish I had more discipline and money.
dogs are comforting, sweet and dirty.
cats are stuck-up and a bother.
tomorrow I'm going to try all over again.
I have low tolerance for back-biters and mean people.
I’m totally terrified of not being liked (how’s that for honest?)
I wonder why I care so much about what other people think.
never in my life have I smoked, drank or done drugs.
high school was all about singing.
when I’m nervous I talk too fast and interrupt people.
one time at a family gathering we had a huge beef dinner…oh wait, that’s every time.
take my advice: work hard, love God, forget yourself.
making my bed happens only on good days.
I'm almost always thinking of what I should have said.
I’m addicted to diet soda in a bad way.
I want someone to be a kindred spirit, like in Anne of Green Gables.

Name Tag

This is a hilarious little game Kelli tagged me with. It should be self-explanatory, and some work out better than others: here are my less than kosher answers.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Brandy Corrolla…sounds like some run-down country singer
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Blue Bell Cookie Dough Flip Flop, I might have to use an acronym like BBCDFF.
3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Red Dachshund
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Bembrey Arlington (of course with the middle name, streetname, it would be Bembrey Georgetown, which I used to think was my porno name, silly me.)
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): Gruje (yikes, again, I would either be the aged wise sage or the villain)
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Rainbow Off-brand Fruit-Punch Flavored Crystal Light doesn’t really have the right ring to it, does it?
7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Andy Elmer
8. STRIPPER NAME (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent,favorite candy): Coffee Caramel…now that’s a good one, except that I have completely tanless skin.
9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Bishop Birmingham,…that’s sounds like a dude.
10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Fourth of July Rose?
11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing rightnow) Clementine Yoga Pants (okay, now I’m just being difficult)
12. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Nutrigrain Mimosa (sounds like a health-nut alcoholic drink)

I tag Julie, Missy and Kristy

5 Things You Never Knew You Wanted to Know About Me

Shannon tagged me and so here we are! Throughout my deliberations on what to write, I've realized I have lots of disturbing quirks. In order to keep from freaking anyone out, I'll limit myself to 5.

1.) I hate condiments. Ketchup, mustard, mayo, you name it, I hate it. I don’t like my food to touch (I actually have sectioned Cornell plates…seriously) and tuna fish makes me want to throw up. I literally have to leave the room when Steven (or anyone else) eats it.

2.) We constantly had pets in the house as a child. Brandy, Licorice, Heidi, Gretchen, Molly, Rascal, Lassie Lee, Miss Kitty, and Tammy the Hamster are just a few. Not to mention a 10-gallon tank of numerous unlucky tropical fish that inevitably ended up being flushed down the toilet. And yet for some reason, I’m reluctant to get a pet now.

3.) Every time I sing the first movement of the Brahm’s Requiem at choir practice on Monday nights I cry. It’s just so beautiful. It’s getting a bit embarrassing, but I’m getting better at hiding it. (The other choir members must think I have the dirtiest contacts in the world).

4.) I am a Law & Order junkie. I must have seen every single idiotic episode by now and yet that doesn’t stop me from watching them over and over again. I don’t like the other Law & Order shows, just the original. I also have what can only be described as an unhealthy obsession with real live murder/mystery shows like “The New Detectives,” “Cold Case Files” and “American Justice.”

5.) When I was fifteen I had an amazingly obsessive crush on Paul Simon. Not Paul Newman, that would be normal, but Paul Simon from Simon and Garfunkel. That's right, this man: I had a picture of him on my bulletin board and would concoct crazy schemes on how I could meet him. Don’t ask me to explain this…I don’t think I can. This crush lasted until I was seventeen, when Paul McCartney took over (Beatles Paul McCartney, not Wings Paul McCartney).

I TAG: Darcy, Elisa and Kristy