A little bit about myself...

Ann posted this on her blog yesterday, and I loved it!  I love learning more about everyone in blogger land, and this is a great way to do it.


What is your idea of perfect happiness?


Responsibilities taken care of, being in great shape, enjoying my excellent marriage, and having a lot of money to travel places with my sexy man.  :)


What is your greatest fear?


Losing someone I love.  Even though I know I will see them again, I just can't handle how much I would miss them!


Which figures do you most identify with?


This one is tough for me...I have many women that I admire and strive to be like, but I have the tendency to see the worst in myself (hello, my name is Becky and I am part of the human race.  nice to meet you!) and so any individual I identified with probably wouldn't like being identified with!  


So I'll change it...one of the women in my life that I admire and hope to be like someday is my sister.  She has four children and is the BEST mom to all of them.  She has a beautiful home that she has decorated (i has no decorating skills) and she always has meals prepared for them.  She is heavily involved in their education and their sports.  She also has a great marriage and is in fantastic shape.  She just barely had a baby and she is smaller than me--so not fair!   I don't have kids yet, but when I do I would really hope to be a great mom to them.


Another woman I really admire and strive to be more like is my dear friend Running Roommate.  She inspires me to be a better person in life and in church.  She's also the one who got me back into the running game, so I'm forever grateful to her!


What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?


See above.  I wish I could always see the good rather than focusing on the bad.  

What is the trait you most deplore in others?


Being hypocritical and/or judgmental.  Can't stand it--we all are imperfect individuals so it really isn't fair to judge when you don't know the entire situation.  I must admit I am guilty of this myself sometimes, but I'm working hard on it.

What do you most value in your friends?


Loyalty and honesty.  I need friends that I can always count on, but friends that are also honest enough to tell me when I'm being a schmuck because sometimes you really need someone to tell you that!

What words or phrases do you most overuse?


Huh...I really don't know.  Probably "om nom nom."  That is frequently said around my workplace!


What is your favorite journey?


I will say this weight-loss journey is my favorite...I've discovered that I am capable of far more than I thought I was.  The sense of pride I have now compared to 8 months ago is markedly different.


However, if we are going to talk about an actual journey I will have to say that I really enjoyed the journey of Road to Hana in Maui.  I did a hike there that started in the lush jungle, hiked past a 200 foot waterfall, then through a mile of bamboo forest, and then to a 400 foot waterfall.  It was pretty  much the most amazing hike ever.


What do you consider the most overrated virtue?


Patience.  I only say this because I lack it and this makes me feel better about myself.  Haha!  

What is your favorite occupation?


If I could pick a dream job it would be working as a professional landscape artist and travelling the world with my husband and taking beautiful photographs of all the amazing places in the world.  I would have to make a lot of money though because I would have to fly back to the States every month to see family.  I love my family!

What do you dislike most about your appearance?


Stretch marks.  Oh man.  I was stretch mark free until 2007 when I got my office job.  I think I gained 40 lbs in 4 months--seriously.  My skin couldn't handle it and I paid the price.  No matter how much weight I lose, those marks will always be my permanent reminder of the dangers of getting too comfortable.  


What is your greatest regret?


My biggest regret is that when my asthma flared up I didn't just push through the pain and deal with it.  Instead, I stopped working out and gained 60 lbs (seriously...that's not a fake number).  I would be SO much farther along in my running progress had I just sucked it up.  Oh well, I learned a lot about myself by failing and having to go through this process!  


What or who is the greatest love of your life?


Hubster.  Love him.  He is my best friend.

Where and when were you happiest?


No particular day really--but I find that I am a lot happier lately.  There is something to be said about the feeling of accomplishment one gets from a day well-lived.  

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?


I wish I was a natural born clean freak!  I hate cleaning so my house is never as tidy as I wish it was.  I'm working on this.


What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Two recent achievements I'm proud of--running my 10k when my friend told me I wouldn't be able to; and hiking Mount Timpanogos.  Not only was that one heck of a hard hike, when I reached the "saddle" of the mountain and saw the sheer drop-offs on either side I nearly peed my pants.  I had to overcome not only the physical challenge of that hike, but the real emotional challenge of pushing through my fear of heights.  I didn't write about it at the time, but I climbed the last half of that mountain with tears streaming down my face because I was so afraid.  You'll note the sunglasses that appear mid-hike; they weren't for the sun but to hide the tears.  But...I got to the top and I'm really proud of that.

What is your most treasured possession?


I would say my husband, but I don't think he would like being referred to as a possession!  So, I will say my piano instead!  Or my phone...let's be honest, I would die without it. 

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?


Self-inflicted misery.  Being so depressed and so miserable all because you couldn't/wouldn't change and pull yourself out of the hole you'd dug for yourself.

Been there.

Where would you like to live?


Close to family and close to the mountains.  Sounds like Utah is the perfect place!

What is your most marked characteristic?


My red hair--for sure.  I'm easily recognizable in a crowd just by my hair.

What is your greatest extravagance?


I buy MAC makeup.  It's pricey, but I love it so I splurge.

What are the qualities you most like in a man?


Hard-working, honest, affectionate, and has good values. 

Who are your favorite writers?


J.K. Rowling is a genius writer...seriously.  Go back and reread the series and you will notice things you never did before.  


I also really enjoy the Percy Jackson series.  It isn't necessarily the highest caliber of writing, but it's an engaging story that keeps me reading.

How would you like to die?


I don't want to outlive my body, but I'd like to die of natural causes when I'm older surrounded by family.   

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?


Tough question...lots of good books out there.  I'd have to say Snape from the HP series.  *Spoiler alert!*  His character is so fascinating to me because he had to so convincingly play the type of person that he must of abhorred in order to protect the world, and admittedly to protect a person he didn't care for.  That takes a very strong and courageous person to be able to suffer through that.   

Who are your heroes in real life?


My friends and family.  See above.

What is your motto?



"What's a motto with you?"  Gotta love Lion King...  My motto changes daily, so if I had to pick one for today it would be "Just keep swimming...just keep swimming..."  Sometimes life gets tough and you have a lot of work piled on your back, but you just have to keep moving and you'll make it!


...............................................................................................................................................................


If you're feeling up to it, I would love to have you answer these questions as well!