Hobbies

If I'm not online, I'm doing something on the following list:

• Hanging crown moldings in our house!
• Working in my calling as Seminary Teacher
• Laundry. Again.
• Toting kids to piano and Scouts
• Watching Star Trek: Enterprise! Crying because Enterprise was canceled! fReAkiNg because there is going to be a new Star Trek Movie (please, God, don't let it be lame!). Waiting not-so-patiently for the new movie to be out on DVD because IT WAS GREAT! There is a God! Waiting for the next Star Trek film to come out!!!
• Reading
• Enjoying Mormon apologetic blogs
• Enjoying satiric Mormon blogs
• Watching a movie (favorites: Pride and Prejudice, While You Were Sleeping, Horatio Hornblower series; Much Ado About Nothing; Emma; Sense and Sensibility; Victoria & Albert -- good grief. I sound like an Anglophile -- Lion King; Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves; Hunt for Red October; Princess Bride; Lord of the Rings; all the Star Treks except Generations -- the one when they killed Kirk)

Where you stay?

I grew up in a small town in Mississippi where I attended a small Branch until age 18. Though living there was a trial in many ways, I gained a very strong testimony of the Gospel there. My daddy is a first-generation convert, and my mother's family has several generations of Mormon ancestry.

After High School graduation, I attended Brigham Young University, where I got my Bachelor's degree in Design, emphasis Industrial Design. I love school, and in addition to the required BYU Religion minor, have partial minors in Marketing and Computer Science, all of which have helped greatly in creating, tweaking, and promoting this website.

After marrying an Aggie I moved to Logan, Utah. Next we lived in Sandy and then Riverton, Utah. We have recently moved to northern Virginia where we live on a 300+ acre farm that's been in the family for 8 generations now.

I've had the good fortune to acquire an incredibly supportive husband (blame him for all the cool programming that provides the foundation for this site) and two very good-natured children.

Was that you in the picture at the top of the website with your feet sticking up in the air on the old site design?

You'd be surprised how often I am asked that question. Sorry to disappoint, but no -- it's not me. I get most of the photos for this site at iStockPhoto, including that one.

Which is your favorite Star Trek series?

Gosh, I don't know. I love the Original Series, or the Next Generation. I went to college for the last 2-3 seasons of DS9 and missed most of the last part of those, so I guess I like those the least. I liked Voyager alright, but never got to love Janeway, and LOVED Enterprise -- what was Paramount thinking???? I even donated to the Save Enterprise fan fund to pay for series production. Arg.

What do you watch on TV since Enterprise was canceled?

Mostly Lost, MythBusters, What Not to Wear, NCIS, and CNN.

I mostly wish they'd bring back Cosby Show reruns to prime time. There's just nothing on....

Favorite Book of Mormon story?

I love the parts in Alma that deal with Alma, Alma the Younger and Corianton. I love to read how they made mistakes and yet grew into stalwart church members, sharing the wisdom of their experience with others (me included). It helps me understand that God doesn't expect perfection, just best effort, and that past wrongs don't prevent future rights.

Favorite scripture?

John 16:33: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Favorite color?

Blue.

Favorite food?

This is a hard one for me. I love to eat most anything. I am especially partial to Southern foods like gumbo and grits. I love catfish and boiled peel-and-eat shrimp, but now that I'm a Westerner-by-marriage I like steak and salmon. I make a mean Fried Green Tomato and have finally gotten my yellow cornbread recipe right for this altitude (originally written in Utah). I could live on tomatoes and corn.

Confession: I am EXTREMELY picky about orange juice. I only drink Simply Orange.

Confession 2: I don't like pie. Not apple, not key lime, not chocolate... I hate the slimy crust layer. Ick.

Favorite restaurant?

• Mexican -- El Toro in Logan, UT or Los Hermanos in Utah County or Pancho Villa in Stafford, VA.
• Down Home -- Family Tree in Santaquin, UT and Peggy's in Philadelphia, MS and Mike's in Stafford, VA.
• Steak -- Maddox in Perry, UT.
• Fish -- McElroy's in Biloxi, MS, Virg's on State in Salt Lake City, or SeaFresh in London.
• Japanese -- Suehiro in Midvale, UT or Mizu Sushi in Jackson Hole, WY.
• Indian -- Bombay House in Provo, UT or Indian Guru in Fredericksburg, VA.
• Sandwich -- Camille's in Federicksburg, VA
• Hamburger -- Five Guys in Federicksburg, VA
• Chains -- Red Lobster or Cracker Barrel anywhere. I also like Joe's Crab Shack, Quizno's, Panera Bread, and Black Angus.

Favorite Vacation?

Anywhere with bad weather and broken internet access. :)

Other Interests/Oddities

• Amateur Radio Operator: KC5FTK (a lowly no-code tech)
• Member of the Potawameck Indian Tribe, of Pocahontas fame.
• I'm a (reluctant) member of the Overwharton Parish Chapter of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution).
• The week I got married, I attended two graduation ceremonies (both mine), attended four receptions in four states (all mine), attended two weddings (one was mine), and attended a funeral (not mine).

Bill

I have a car named Bill. Bill is a 1980 Chevrolet Citation--red/orange in color. Mostly orange now that he's been sitting out in the sun for so many years. Sweet thing still cranks first try every time. Don't try to drive him far though--power steering pump leaks like a sieve. I took a picture of Bill the other day to post here, but since then my camera broke.... we'll see if I ever get around to posting it.

UPDATE: Bill didn't make the move to Virginia. He is now scrap metal that was donated to our local cancer society. I still miss him, but he went for a good cause....