50 Things About Brian

1. Is the second of 11 children
2. Loves the UNC Tarheels Mens Basketball Team
3. Is a Certified Public Accountant
4. He passed the CPA exam on his first try.
5. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from BYU
6. He wasn't supposed to have a job when he was getting his MAcc because then he wouldn't have time to do his school work. He had two (at the same time).
7. He served a mission to Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
8. He started off college as a pre-med major. I helped him realize he wanted to change it.
9. It's a good thing he did because he does NOT have the constitution for blood and guts and gross smells. He would be the doctor dry-heaving in his first surgery as an intern and we would have to start school all over again.
10. He makes German Pancakes for all of us on Sunday mornings.
11. He is the cleaning Nazi with the girls. He can't STAND it when the toyroom is messy. For me, it's the one room I let go because it is impossible to KEEP clean.
12. He gets up at 4:30 every morning and gets to work before 6:00.
13. He has worked at a half dozen different fast food places to save money for his mission. When I first met him he was working at Taco Bell, Hardees, AND Dairy Queen.
14. He was almost prohibited from going to Argentina because he had two bulging discs in his back that they were afraid would need surgery. He got a blessing and they have not bothered him since.
15. He hates the dentist because he had a bad experience with one who insisted on filling a cavity with no pain meds because it "wasn't that deep." It WAS that deep.
16. His favorite Disney movie is Pete's Dragon.
17. He loves to play basketball.
18. He is not a big fan of large crowds. He is kind of a homebody.
19. He wears a long sleeve shirt and tie to work every day. I love it. :)
20. He plays the piano, the guitar, and he is the new ward choir director.
21. He is very frugal. That is good for me, because I am not.
22. He is a huge Harry Connick Jr. fan.
23. On his mission the Argentinians (Argentines?) called him "Cabeson." I don't know how to spell it -- it means "Big Head."
24. He can write his talks for church SO quickly -- complete with scripture references, stories, and quotes. Then he delivers it like it was nothing. Drives me CRAZY.
25. He loves to read Fantasy books (like Robert Jordan, Lord of the Rings, and Terry Brooks stuff). But he is not as nerdy as MOST of the people who read those books. Thank goodness.
26. I love listening to him and his brothers swap stories about growing up. Some of them have grown into legends (like his brother jumping off of the two story landing in the foyer to escape his father who saw that he had gotten his ear pierced). When the get together everyone usually laughs until they cry.
27. He is a good sport and will go along with things that I insist we do (like get family pictures done) even though he would MUCH rather do something else.
28. He hates, hates, HATES to shop. Window or otherwise.
29. Quantity over Quality when it comes to eating out. He would rather have a HUGE plate of cheeseburger and fries than a small serving of the best steak and garlic mashed potatoes.
30. Is sensory defensive about cotton balls. The thought of a cotton ball or a Q-Tip makes him cringe.
31. Says his favorite color is "aquamarine." I'm pretty sure he likes plain blue, but as the daddy of girls he has to be creative to keep their attention.
32. Of all the things I cook or bake, his favorite is the Butterfinger Icecream Pie recipe that I got from my grandmother. Mmmmm. I *will* be breaking my diet to eat a piece of that this Christmas.
33. Is of good pioneer stock. Relatives from both parents lived in Nauvoo and crossed the plains to Utah. His great great great... grandfather was David P. Kimball who helped rescue the saints at the Sweetwater River.
34. Claims to hate our dog Kramer, but loves to have Kramer sit on his lap on the couch to watch sports and loves to torture/play with him.
35. Likes to sleep in a room that is totally dark. Before we got our chocolate brown drapes he would sleep with a sleeping blindfold on. He also has to have a fan AND a noisemaker on.
36. Is useless for the first five minutes of being awakened in the middle of the night. He has no idea where he is, what is going on, or how to deal with it. Heaven help us if there is ever a fire.
37. Reads Little House on the Prairie books to the girls every night that he can.
38. Was born in Provo, Utah.
39. Has lived in Provo, Green River, WY, Cedar City, UT, Beaumont, TX, and the Saint Louis area.
40. My mom thought I should marry Brian soon after she met him. She loved how down to earth he was. One of my earliest memories with him was in the kitchen of my house. I was making brownies and he was reading the paper. We were like an old married couple already!!
41. Loves to golf, though he hasn't had much time to do it lately.
42. Is a whiz with Excel. He can put anything into a spreadsheet and have charts and graphs within 30 minutes. When we first started losing weight he had all of my progress mapped out for me!
43. Hates vegetables. The only ones he will eat without protest are corn and potatoes. And weren't those reclassified as starches?
44. Has very straight teeth and never needed braces. I think he is a bit miffed that the kids got MY teeth and will all need orthodontic work.
45. Is a Republican.
46. Has incredibly fast growing fingernails and toenails.
47. Has great respect for his parents.
48. When he called to tell my parents he planned to ask me to marry him, my brother answered the phone saying, "Five Buck Pizza." Brian freaked out and hung up. Now when I call his cell phone, that is how he answers.
49. My proposal was a huge surprise, orchestrated by him. We had never talked about marriage, but he had my sister help him to pick up the ring, and he got us front row tickets to a show, he made a big fancy dinner, it was really nice and a HUGE surprise.
50. He is a fantastic husband and father. He works hard to provide for us, he is always happy to see us at the end of the day, he never yells (at me or the kids), he makes us all laugh. I count my lucky stars every day that I am married to him and that he saw me for the "work in progress" that I am (and always will be) and kept me anyway!!