I’m honored to be participating in Jennifer Wilson’s 34 Things Blog Party which celebrates all about me scrapbooking and her upcoming Big Picture Classes workshop, Before Your Story.

There are milestone events in life, such as marriage and motherhood, that divide us permanently into a “before” and an “after.” It’s easy to become so immersed in the after—the glorious here and now—that our “befores” rarely appear in our scrapbooks.

When I read these first few sentences of Jennifer’s class description I instantly related and I was eager to join her and  begin telling my story before my kids.  And I’m beginning my journey by sharing this list of things about me with all of you.

34 Things I Want You to Know About Me…

1. I love being a mother, but a perfect mother I am not.
2. I am a list maker. I make lists for everything.  Sometimes I put things on my list that I’ve already done just for the mere satisfaction of crossing them off.
3. I pride myself on being a lover of all living things, but that’s not exactly true.  I don’t love snakes, lizards, mice, flies or grasshoppers.
4. I’m not a great driver, I can get from point a to point b, but if I’m being honest I’d rather someone else drive.
5. I never thought I’d live in the same 20-mile radius for most of my life, but I’m happy with where I’ve ended up.
6. I have mixed feelings about when one of my boys is sick–on one hand I hate seeing them so miserable, but on the other I love being able to hold them close and take care of them.
7. I don’t enjoy cooking, but I do enjoy a good meal.
8. I never considered that I might not finish college, but I don’t regret it either.
9. When it comes to movies I love a good cry your eyes out love story, spy thrillers and almost anything based on a true story.
10. My high school appeared in several movies and is now a historical landmark.
11. I’ve always known I was a lot like my mother and now I can fully embrace this.
12. I have a clean freak side to me and a bit of a slob side–each week its a toss up to see which side will win out.
13. My husband proposed to me in front of a restroom, but in his defense it was the only place to pull off in the snowy canyon where we had gone fishing on our first date 5 months earlier.
14. I want so many things for my kids but more than anything I just want them to feel loved.
15. I love to sing.  I love to sing with my husband. And I love when my boys join in too!
16. My favorite book of all-time was Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
17. I watch a little too much TV and read less than I like to admit, but I’ve made peace with this.
18. I learned to sew when I was 5, but still can’t tie my shoes properly.
19. I love Classic Rock–Led Zepplin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Santana…the list goes on.
20. I’ve always dreamed of visiting Greece…one day maybe!?
21. I hate jogging and running, I would much prefer to get my exercise cleaning, swimming or climbing.
22. I love breakfast, but rarely eat it.
23. My grandfather was the person who I most looked up to as a child.
24. I read all of the Harry Potter books up until the 7th, which I quit in the middle. I guess I just moved on while waiting for the last book to come out.
25. I fell in love with my husband because he made me laugh and he still makes me laugh every single day.
26. I used to love watching reruns of Matlock and Perry Mason with my mother and may or may not have faked being sick on a few occasions in order to do so.
27. I hate my handwriting–it lacks character.
28. I NEVER thought I’d end up a digital scrapbooker, but I’m so happy I gave it a try!
29. I went nearly 5 years without wearing a spot of makeup and now I’m obsessed with it and love trying out new colors and trends.
30. I long for a new camera, but am also a bit scared to leave behind the comfort and understanding I have of my current camera.
31. I love experimenting with bold colors on the walls in my house, I don’t think we have a single wall in our home that is white.
32. I hate brown carpet–so much so that it was a definite deal breaker when we were looking for our first home.
33. Quitting my job to be a stay at home mom was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it turned out to be just what our family needed.
34. I have dreams of owning my own business one day but right now I’m enjoying working with and learning from other business owners and being able to watch my kids grow up.

Win a spot in Before Your Story

I’m so excited to be able to offer one lucky reader a free spot in Jennifer’s upcoming class at Big Picture Classes! In Before Your Story you’ll learn a simple approach to autobiographical scrapbooking and create an album that captures your story, from birth to adulthood.

Class begins February 27th and all you have to do to be entered in the giveaway is leave a comment below by February 9th, 10PM EST. I’ll announce the winner on Monday, February 10th.

More about the class…

In this 6-week workshop with Jennifer Wilson of simplescrapper.com, you’ll have all the guidance you need to tell your growing-up story in one gorgeous 12″ x 12″ pocket album. Her class combines the ease of slipping photos and journaling cards into photo sleeves with the brilliance of Stacy Julian’s “Library of Memories” scrapbooking categories.

Jennifer excels at making big goals reachable and overwhelming projects finish-able, with her step-by-step processes and detailed planning worksheets. You’ll complete a simple, streamlined album that will help your spouse or partner catch up on the years leading up to the moment you met. Or, it’s the perfect answer to that age-old question, “Mom, what were you like when you were my age?

Thanks for stopping by!

.