15 FuN FaCtS aBoUt Me!!!

I rarely take part in tagging games, but I have been tagged and I think it could be good for me to participate and try to come up with 15 fun facts about myself...hope this does not leave you too bored, but I have learned in my life that you have to make a big deal of the little moments and the small things to find the greatness and purpose in your life. My life is a whirlwind of change in 2011 as I prepare to have my first child and I keep finding I am losing myself in the busy-ness and the stresses of life, so I think this will be the perfect opportunity to find myself and who I am again. :) Enjoy!

1. I have a very passionate affair with music that has been on-going my whole life! I love music! singing, dancing, musical plays you name it! If it has to do with music, I am all in! I really feel that music is the communication of the soul and emotion. No matter what I am feeling a song can perfectly embody whatever world I find myself in. One song can also completely change my mood within about 4 measures. I find I am happiest and feel most alive when there is music in the background. I love to perform and feel that the stage is my world, my one place to express everything I am, everything I love, everything I fear, and everything I dream. I dare say the world of Danae would not be in existance without music! I could never describe myself without it.

2. I am passionate! I am deep and logical and intense and emotional all at the same time. You can imagine the challenges this can create for some who know me-namely Ben ;) but I can't imagine myself any other way. When I am excited I am all out excited or when I am down I am intensely down. I am what I am and am not good at pretending to be something I am not. I am careful who I share details with about my depth, but for those that may not know why I am a certain way...they still know whether I am up or down that day. I really don't want to lose the excitement I have inside me for the little things in life, but learning to control the depth of my emotions during the struggles in life is a constant battle for me.

3. I love creativity! I love drawing, scrapbooking, making posters/signs, decorating my house, writing poems and songs, taking pictures, and thinking up fun date ideas. The only funny thing with me is that I rarely enjoy spending a lot of time putting these this things together, but really love the finished product! Ben laughs at me as I get frustrated over the process but then ooo and ahhh over the finished product. As long as it is a quick project I enjoy everything about it, but still my favorite part is the finished product. :)

4. I hate being told I need to "Calm Down" these are the two worst words you can tell me when i am in a panic. I don't need to be instructed, I need to feel understood. Also, like many women I don't need a solution from you when I am struggling...I am way ahead of you with a solution of my own....I just need to vent and have someone listen and understand. Ben is still working on understanding why this is, as am I, but what can I say most of the time we women just need a shoulder to cry on, and that is the best solution and the best way to get us to "calm down".

5. I am the oldest of 10 children, yes it is true. I have 6 little brothers and 3 little sisters. No this is not a joke but if you want to hear about a truly large family just ask my husband, Ben, who is the youngest of 17 children. :) It is pretty crazy...Ben and I have 25 siblings between the ages of 5 and 50+. I also thought it would be so cool to finally be an aunt but now it just seems silly to keep up with my neices and nephews as I am an aunt like 40 times over and a great aunt to about 13, and none of my siblings have had children yet. Not sure how many Ben and I will have of our own yet, for now lets just start with this one, because this child alone is already taking it out of me. It is a joke Ben and I will have 13 since this is the average of our two families, we got married on the 13th, and my wedding ring ironically enough has 13 diamonds in it...just don't hold your breath. ;)

6. I am OCD, just ask Ben who begs me to come and cuddle with him in bed, and I want to, I really do...but there is a couple dishes in the sink and the dishwasher is clean, and I just have to unload it and put those two dishes in the dishwasher before I can go to bed. Yes for me to feel calm about life, and it has been like this since I was 3 (just ask my mother), everything in my living space has to be perfect-neat orderly, clean, and in its proper place.

7. I love FOOD! Not now of course being that I am struggling with a very rough pregnancy and everything I eat comes up, but usually my problem is trying not to eat like a 20 year old football player. I am telling you it is gross how much food I can eat. Does not matter how late, how much, or what it is, if I want food I struggle restricting myself. Luckily I am blessed with a high metabolism although I worry about what my addiction may do to me over the years. ;) This pregnancy just may rid me of my addiction forever-at least it feels like it right now, but we'll see. :)

8. My favorite numbers are 3, 5, and 8. 3-because it was Bryon Russel's number when he played for the Jazz, 5-because it was the name of a band I liked growing up, and 8-because that is when I got to be baptized. Random, but those are my 3 favorite numbers and I love any combination of them.

9. My favorite color is silver, although I love all colors for different reasons...I look best in the red and green families, I love pastels because they remind me of my favorite season-Spring, and I love bright exuberant colors beacuse they make me feel alive and happy!

10. I was born on President Ezra Taft Benson's birthday when he was the prophet-August 4th, 1987. He is also my favorite prophet...love his talks and especially love his passion for the Book of Mormon. My Grandmother is also from the same town he was born in and is now buried Whitney, Idaho.

11. I love the outdoors especially camping and swimming! I am always so grateful for life and the world around me when I am basking in nature's glory. What a beautiful world we were given to live in!

12. I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and it defines me and my whole life as I strive to live the way my Heavenly Father would like me to and look forward to living with him and my family forever! All my favorite treasure in this life I get to keep with me for eternity! What a blessing!

13. I was married on Friday the 13th of June 2008 and I love the number 13 and am not superstitous.

14. I had a secret pen name in High School for my poems and written works I shared to get my feelings out on paper and share them with others, but hide my true identity. I am not as afraid of people knowing my works now and that secret pen name was Monique Isabella Jones.

15. One final fact...let's see...not really something most people don't know but I am crazy in love with Benjamin Luke Ostler and am so grateful and excited to get to share life and eternity with him!