20 years of ME!

Yep. Today, I've left behind the teenage years. It now takes all my fingers and toes to show how old I am. I don't think I really like the age 20. 19 is a good age. You're not old yet, but you're not young either. I liked being 19. Anyway, in celebration, I've decided to write up 20 random facts about me, or 20 things that make me who I am. I tried to pick some super random things, so none of them say stuff like, "I like singing," because that's just sort of a given. I must admit, though, by the time I got to 20, I was on a role and almost kept going because I could easily think of more. This is it for now though. I left it at 20. This should help you get to know me a little better. :)

1. I like "little kid" food. Especially during the summer. Maybe it's because summer reminds me of home, so I fell like I have to eat what I ate at home. Chips and salsa. Frozen chicken nuggets. Goldfish crackers. Grapes. Sliced apples and peanut butter. Hot dogs. Baby carrots and ranch. Nachos. Fruit snacks. and lots and lots of otter pops. These are the thinks you can currently find in my cupboards and refrigerator. Sometimes, I'm 5 years old.
2. I hate shopping, with the exception of books, music, and shoes. I can't go for more than an hour without getting grumpy and irritated. And sales always make it a more enjoyable experience. Also, my mom realized a couple years ago that I shop by feel rather than style. If something is soft, I'll pull it out and look at it. Hence the reason all my jeans are super soft. I like comfort, ok?
3. I've studied 3 languages besides English. I took 2 years of Spanish in high school and was at least competent, until I took a year of Italian. My Italian teacher was AWESOME. From day 1, there was "niente inglese" allowed in class, so I learned really fast, and by the end of the year, I was partially fluent. I still understand most of it. Then last year, I took German. German is my favorite to speak, but it's hard to learn, and almost impossible without a good teacher. Let's just say my teachers were less than committed. The class wasn't a priority for them, so we didn't learn much. I still know Italian best, Spanish a bit, and German hardly at all. The sister missionaries at the St. George temple were nice & gave me a Book of Mormon in each of those languages. I just don't know which one to start with.
4. I love Antiques Roadshow, as well as ancient civilization and universe documentaries.
5. I'm a medical mystery. Kinda. I just have weird things wrong with me. My achilles tendon in my left leg has a fold in it, so it can't stretch as far. I have extremely weak ankles. My knees (and probably hips and shoulders) are about as worn out as a 40 yr. old man's (that's what the dr. told me once after an MRI). I get hives every time water dries on my skin, so after showers, swimming, and sweating. Eating sausage/processed meat type things makes me very sick. I have asthma. I have a totally numb patch on my right knee, unless it gets bumped in which case it suddenly feels like it was stabbed. My left knee hyper-extends a lot. My hips and ribs touch (maybe I'm missing some vertebrae? (: ). I've split my head open over 7 times. I'm allergic to all types of grass. And I have extremely low blood pressure. 
6. I've been to 16 states: Arizona, Utah, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas (layover), Illinois, Minnesota (layover), Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. And 4 countries outside the U.S.: Germany, Austria, England, and Wales. And since I was little, I've wanted to go to Africa.
7. I have an irrational fear of button locks, you know, the bathroom door locks where you push a button instead of turning or latching something. I always think the button's going to pop out and the door's going to open.
8. When I was little, I always wanted to get married when I was 19 like my mom. Ha! Last time I was home and having an argument with my dad, I had to remind him that was now older than my mother was when she married him. Weird.
9. I bite my fingernails, suck on my perpetually-fat lip, chew on crushed ice, and walk on my tip-toes.
10. I collect knives. Not on purpose. I bought my own pocket knife when I was 14, and since then, every time I go camping or something, I've ended up finding some sort of knife. I've got some pretty cool-looking ones, too. And I have one in almost all of my purses/bags. So much more effective than that silly, pink, rape whistle BYU gave me that plays Mary Had a Little Lamb.
11. I have OCD tendencies. Volume must be on multiples of 5. Things must be symmetrical, or at least balanced. I have a very strict bed routine that must happen every single night. And if I accidentally fall asleep without reading my scriptures or writing in my journal, I wake up in the middle of the night with a panic attack and do it then, even if it's 4 AM. 
12. I have a couple, not-so-lady-like, hidden talents. I won't list all of them. But one is chili-dog eating contests (I think my record is 6 in 10 minutes), and the other is pie-eating contests. I've won a few of them. And when I was 14, I competed against twenty 30-40 year old men (my uncles)..........and got 3rd place. An entire pie. No hands. A couple minutes. I don't recommend it. You feel disgusting afterwards.
13. I remember birthdays. and dates in general. I still know the birthday of my first best friend, my best friend in third grade, my third grade crush, etc. I know the birthdays of all my siblings, friends, some friends' families, some cousins, most of my grandparents, and some celebrities and fictional characters.   If you've told me your birthday, chances are, I'll remember it. Dates just stick for some reason. Before cell phones, I was the same way with phone numbers. If you were my friend before I was 15, I probably still know your phone number by heart. My dad makes fun of me and calls me an autistic savant. 
14. I love dirt-biking and motorcycles in general.
15. My random dream-jobs are: Ben&Jerry's taste-tester, Egyptologist working in Alexandria, the person who names the crayon colors, elementary school teacher, symphony conductor, social worker (specifically working with kids from minority groups. It's something I'm pretty passionate about. The whole system needs a reform.), astrological engineer, ER doctor, Ob-gyn, opera singer (obviously), Broadway performer, psychologist/therapist, history professor, etc.
16. I don't like the color pink. I don't have a favorite color (I like different shades of different colors), but pink is probably my least favorite.
17. I've asked for a puppy for Christmas every year of my life. Still haven't gotten one. One year, I got really mad at Santa because he brought me a stuffed animal puppy. Actually, that's happened several years.
18. I love horses. And barns. I wish I could go riding more often, but alas, I'm in Provo. I've been lucky enough to go at least once the last 2 times I've been home though. One of my earliest memories is being 3 years old and having Dad put me up on gentle Old Bart bareback. I wanted to hold the reigns so bad, but they told me I had to hold onto his mane. I think I could live on a ranch for the rest of my life and be totally happy.
19. I'm a Red/Blue personality, almost exactly evenly split (1 number off). And apparently, it's the hardest color combination to be because Reds and Blues conflict with each other. It actually makes a lot of sense though and fits with my "emotionally guarded" diagnoses from the therapist (long story. ask me if you're really dying to hear.). I like being in charge. I'm very straightforward when it comes to dealing with people, especially at home being the oldest sibling (Red). I can be EXTREMELY intolerant, especially of slowness or stupidity or incompetence (Red). BUT I feel things very deeply (Blue). I'm good at remaining stoic and calm in intense situations (Red), but I'm extremely passionate about and attached to things/people who are close to me (Blue). I protect those I love (Red and Blue), and I think I am tolerant of and sensitive to people who are hurting (Blue). It's a weird sort of balance.
20. I've wanted to adopt kids since I was 3 years old and wanted all my baby dolls to be Black. It's been in the plans for as long as I can remember. Hopefully at least 2 from Africa in addition to my own biological children. And maybe some more. We'll see.