i was tagged weeks ago by several dearies and i just haven't gotten around to doing them, despite how much the subjects interested me. so finally i'm going through with my 30 things about me, combined with my five things i want to be when i grow up.

1. when i grow up i truly want to be a matriarch. a mama full of wisdom and gentle, loving insight. the person that my children and grandchildren turn to in good times and in bad.

2. i want to be involved with the giving of life. that is, i want to be involved with helping mothers labor and bring their babies into the world. whether as a doula or a certified nurse midwife, i'm not sure.

3. i want to write books. novels, doctrinal, children's, biographies; i want to do it all. and i would really like to edit other's incredible works.

4. i want to sing. and do more than just funerals and church meetings.

5. i want to be known for my art: photography, paintings, sketches, ukranian eggs :-D but all in all, i want to be seen as an artist... i should probably start doing something about this.

6. when i was little my list of what i wanted to be was somewhat different. when i was in the second grade i was asked to draw a picture of what i wanted to be when i grew up. being the snarky girl that i am, i wrote, *i want to be 5 feet tall!* i am currently 4' 10 3/4" probably should have set my dreams a little higher and asked for 65 inches instead.

7. i wanted to be a model. this was dashed by my height.

8. i wanted to be an airline stewardess. again, damn my height!

9. i wanted to be a back up singer and bass player for the rock band of the century.

10. but i have always to be a photographer.

11. i have always wanted a huge family. blame my parents, i have one living sibling that is 6 years my junior. and while i love him terribly, and we are GREAT friends, my house was much too quiet growing up.

12. have you heard how loud my house is now??? but it's not quite there yet. ;-D give me time.

13. i love research. i have several friends that will call me and ask me to research a topic for them. and i dig right in. i love learning new things. especially biology based things. although my next topic will be *the effects of divorce on children* i would really like to do a survey of several hundred children of divorce.

14. there is only one hot chocolate

15. while i enjoy the process of the seasons changing, i wish for more temperate weather. i don't like to be cold and i don't like to be hot. i'm mean in the heat.

16. my husband and i are polar opposites on most points OTHER than: how to raise children, how to make a marriage last, money, spirituality, and how to treat people. so basically we have all of the important things perfectly in sync.

17. i don't fear death for myself or for others.

18. i moved 18 times before i turned 18. i have now moved 28 times.

19. i view wealthiness not in monetary terms, but by what is ours: our children, our knowledge, our land.

20. i am the nucleus of the hubs's family, as well as my family.

21. by the age of 12 i was contributing to the income of household.

22. i LOVE reconnecting with old friends. having many close friends is extremely important to me.

23. i am afraid of MANY irrational (and some rational) things: earwigs, mold, lakes, earthquakes, house fires (i even sleep with shoes close to my bed just in case), evil spirits, and sometimes even the dark.

24. one of my biggest pet peeves is when people smoke around their children. go ahead and destroy your lungs, but leave your kids out of it.

25. i have never tasted alcohol.

26. i don't need lent to give up yummy things, i breastfeed. i'm currently going without peanuts. i've gone without chocolate, cabbage, onions, and garlic... all things that i LOVE. it's extremely hard for me.

27. i will someday finish my master herbalist requirements.

28. i want to travel to spain, israel, italy, (sign me up for a mediterreanian cruise!) sweden, costa rica, samoa, and russia. i want to go more places than that, but those would be my first choices.

29. is my favorite number. it's the day of my birth.

30. when i drink water in public places, i use THIS many lemons. i can't stand the taste of tap water. i have a reverse osmosis filter on my tap at home. i'm a water snob.if you would like to participate in either of these meme's consider yourself tagged. although, i would really like to see reba and kathryn do both of them!