The Beginning of 100

After a few people said I should do my own 100 list, I thought I would give it a whirl. I am so ridiculously detailed that not only do I need an editor, I am giving you the list in two parts. I think though that life is hidden in people's details. Most people just weren't English majors and daydreamers. So good luck and happy reading!

1. What I drink with my meal is often more important than what I eat. I live and breathe by my beverages with bubbles and caffeine. The craving I have most often is for a vanilla coke from Sonic (not too sweet with the perfect ice). I just found out there is a Sonic about an hour away – can’t wait to go.
2. I love to drive when there is nowhere I have to be. Provo Canyon was my favorite Utah drive, and it ended up being my commute for a year (how many people can say they love their commute?!). In California, I love to drive to the Oakland temple or through the hills in Clayton.
3. I am a parentheses and dash addict. I use them to clarify thoughts – to add random one-liners – to draw the readers’ attention where I want it. Am I using them correctly? Doubt it. I learned my grammar rules just well enough to break them.
4. I received the book A Face in the Shadows for Christmas in 7th grade. I still read it at least once a year. I own three copies – two of which have been purchased from book dealers since it’s out of print.
5. I love the feeling of wind on my face. Icy winds on the top of mountains, warm breezes off Lake Tahoe, wherever whenever – I love it.
6. I was an A’s (shocking, I know) and a Giants fan until 1989. At the age of six, I made the fateful decision during that World Series to be a Giants fan. Despite the fact that they lost then and have not won a World Series since (so close until game six in 2002), I am proud of my decision. There’s nothing like being at a game on a summer night.
7. I love all things that are from that stereotypical American tradition – baseball, fireworks, jazz, barbeques, flags flying. I want to live in that neighborhood someday where you have block parties with kids running around laughing and parents standing back chatting over cold lemonade.
8. I want to live in a musical. Can you imagine a world where people spontaneously burst into song? Such a happy place-
9. If I am ever diabetic, I would risk high blood sugar for Yogurt Castle. It’s worth every spoonful.
10. I crave travel like some people crave food. Whether it’s a spontaneous roadtrip to Denver or a trip planned a year in advance to Europe, I’m always ready to go.
11. On that same note, I would live in a hotel if I had the means. A world with no clutter where someone makes my bed, that’s a piece of what my heaven is like.
12. I traded my secret of how to make checkered cakes for Dallen Webb’s chocolate frosting. Best baking/cooking decision I have ever made. The frosting completes the cake better than Brad completes Angelina.
13. I have looked up to Melia Fidel my whole life. She is my Utah mom, my student teaching mentor, my BYU professor, and my friend. I hope I grow up to be like her and have a family as cute as hers.
14. I have seen Les Miserables seven times. My dad took me for the first time when I was seven, after months of me singing to a cassette tape. If I could only listen to one cd for the rest of my life, this would be it.
15. I have a love/hate relationship with words. I love well-crafted sentences and speeches. I hate the sound some words make especially moist and wholesome. I will not list anymore because inevitably someone will use these around me thinking they’re the funniest thing ever.
16. Sundance – my favorite mountains, fall colors, restaurants, hikes, places to take pictures (just to name a few). I would do their PR work for free – that’s how much I love it.
17. In a perfect world with the perfect cool temperature, I would wear yoga sweats, long sleeved t-shirts, and socks every day.
18. My current beverage of choice is Diet Dr. Pepper – it’s my sanity saver.
19. My dad would sing the BYU fight song to wake me up before seminary in high school. He would be up the stairs by the time he finished the song, so when I got to BYU, I only knew the first half of the song. “Rise and shout, the Cougars are out….”
20. I love hip-hop dancing. Strat’s “Bootylicious” mix is still my favorite thing to bust out after a long day. I can body roll to the side, but not straight up and down – someday, I will be able to do that despite how white I am.
21. Growing up, I wanted to be Julie Blodgett and Missy Giles. I became involved in leadership, made a senior quilt, and lived in David John hall because they had. Every girl should have examples like them to follow.
22. I second Hillary’s love for Target. It has everything you could ever want. I have spent more hours and money there then I dare to count.
23. I get my hair cut and colored three to four times a year. Those three or four days are in close running for being the best days of the year. Natalie Seely works wonders every time –
24. Lake Tahoe is what I think of when Alma says “everything denotes there is a God.” It’s one of the places that I see Heavenly Father’s love in tangible form.
25. I love the sound of my parents laughing with each other. It’s always been such a comfort that they are so in love. Their story would make a great book.
26. I think laying out under the stars on trampolines is the perfect place to talk to for hours.
27. I like the feeling of warm dirt between my toes after it’s been rototilled.
28. My aunt Joanell gave me a star cookie cutter after I had searched for one for what seemed like years. It was the perfect gift. She makes me feel like I can do anything.
29. I am happiest when I am doing something for someone else – whether it’s listening after they’ve had a rough day, making them dinner, or ________________. Doesn’t really matter what it is as long as they feel better in the process.
30. I love that I’m left-handed. Few things that I am/do/have experienced make me unique. I love that Jewels, Hillary, Lauren, and Megan are left handed too. Makes me like them even more!
31. There is nothing like being at the temple. Mt. Timpanogas, Manti, and Oakland are the ones I most frequently visit. I look forward to the day I get to sit in those celestial rooms.
32. I have been the designated missionary writer for years. Nearly all my roommates (the ones I actually liked☺) and good friends in college served (two are still serving!) missions. It was my job to send them off, write them, and then help them adjust when they returned.
33. In the Gospel according to Jaclyn, I figure I get to ask five questions when I die. My list changes often, but the one question that has been on since high school history is who shot John F. Kennedy. I need to know – mob conspiracy? Three shooters?!
34. I do not like eating fish or anything that has once made its home in water. I do, however, like to fish. I tried sushi (cooked) for the first time yesterday. That which does not kill us makes us stronger, right?
35. The most relaxed I’ve ever been was reading on a beach in Kauai. Warm sand, cold pineapple smoothies, no “to do” list and Harry Potter – truly a perfect day.
36. I love movies – in any form – at home, in the theater, previews on youtube – you name it, I’ve watched or am planning to watch it. Too many great ones to even try listing the ones I love.
37. Despite the fact that I am an English teacher, I do not love poetry. Most of it makes me crazy. Why not just spit it out what you have to say in a way that we can understand without having to dissect every phrase?
38. I can say the alphabet backwards. I practiced it just in case I was ever pulled over for a DUI (I’m a sleepy driver – looks a bit sketchy). I don’t drink, but I cannot walk in a straight line. ZYXWVUT…..
39. I loved my high school car. Soldier aka Jane was a manual 1986 Mazda 323 with oxidizing paint. Her keys fell out of the ignition but Jane still drove. You could unlock the outside doors with a house key. Her trunk filled with water when it rained. She’s hasn’t been mine in six years, but I still have her key on my keyring.
40. I have two puncture wounds in my right shin. One was the result of rollerblading and the other from running away from a crazy dog. They feel totally different than the rest of my leg.
41. I got through college by doing crosswords Monday through Wednesday in class (Thursday if I was lucky – they get hard!). This, of course, when I wasn’t writing missionary letters or taking notes (I did have to pay attention sometimes).
42. After my car accidents last year, I had to go to physical therapy three times a week. I was asked out by one of my therapists. Nothing says awkward like having someone hit on you when you’re in a hospital gown.
43. Despite years of music theory training for the piano, I cannot lead music.
44. Hillary let me hold Dylan for a couple of hours the day after he was born. It’s one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
45. On the baby note, I will be an aunt this summer. So excited for Jewels, Brett, and the soon-to-be Baby Mae.
46. I am borderline OCD. Everything in my room and classroom (even when it’s messy) sits in a distinct place. My books, in particular, are strategically placed so they look a certain way. My movies are alphabetized. My closet is hung by sleeve length and color. Despite all this, I hate making my bed.
47. I have been tremendously blessed with great friends. I cannot list them all, but I am especially grateful to say that my siblings are part of that group. We’ve worked hard to make that a reality.
48. I love music and almost always have it playing. I even listen when I am going to sleep. That habit started when Jewels snoring in the next room would keep me awake. She was a petite little girl, but she was loud!
49. If I could pick another era to live in, I would choose to be a teenager and young adult in the 1940s. That era seems to possess all the nostalgic elements and values that we lack today…not to mention, great music, styles, and unflinching optimism.
50. I rarely write in a journal because I am excessively detailed. For that same reason, I am pausing my 100 list at 50 with a promise to post the second half later. If you made it this far, you deserve one of those gold stars they give you in kindergarten and you deserve a reprieve from reading about me. Stay tuned for more randomness – it’s sure to follow in whatever I come up with next.