25 Random Things About Me

I was tagged on Facebook and so I decided to share here as well 25 Random Things about myself, so here it goes. Sorry, this turned out to be more like a book and the first ones aren't so random...oh well :)

1. My first computer of my very own was an original “Bondi Blue” iMac G3 that they introduced in 1998. Back then I thought my iMac was the best computer on the planet and that a Mac was far better than a PC...well I haven't owned a Mac since my iMac died. I spent hours on that iMac just playing...role playing, playing Nanosaur, chatting with my friends, instant messaging, etc.

2. Online I was introduced to POD or Place Of Dolphins by my Animorphs (Animorphs are books that I was hooked on back then about these kids who could morph into animals and with their powers had to save the planet...long story, LOL!) role playing buddy, Sean a.k.a. Izumi on POD, there I met my husband, Brian a.k.a. Afalina on POD. My nick name was Dolphin Moon on other things, but POD wouldn't accept that many letters so...I shortened it to Finamoon and that became my POD user name (and character)...it also is my primary user name that I use everywhere now. We embellish the truth a little and say that POD is a dolphin discussion forum because that sounds more sophisticated than what it actually was/is... a chat room that you actually role play that you are a dolphin, porpoise, or whale. My husband, Brian also chatted with me on AOL Instant Messenger and he sent me a Logitech QuickCam VC in the mail so that we could chat and see each other using an application called CU-SeeMe. We got to know each other very quickly that way and spent hours chatting back and forth online. We were so very much in love and still are! I wanted to spend every moment chatting with him. Sometimes I would skip classes in college to be able to chat with him...I am not so proud of that fact, but I was love struck.

3. Brian and I met in March of 1999 online, met in person the day before my birthday in May (he flew out to Utah to visit me from Ohio) and were married on June 26th of that same year in a whirlwind wedding in his parents' backyard. He had long hair before he flew out to Utah to meet me in person and my family and upon my request (my dad would have flipped worse than he probably had already) he cut it short. I think my parents were pleasantly surprised and while Brian was visiting we rebuilt my parents back steps that were falling apart and put in a chair rail in their kitchen. I think he won my dad over because my dad is no handyman! I flew out to meet his folks and family in Ohio and the date of our marriage was set. Brian's mother made all of the arrangements for our wedding. She also made the cake from scratch and the flower girl dresses. My mother made my wedding gown, my two sister's bridesmaids dresses, and her dress. We had an aqua/dolphin theme with bubbles instead of rice. My wedding ring was found in the snow by my husband before we met. He turned it into the police in case somebody lost it. No one claimed it and he got it back. He was in hard times and was going to sell it but he had a strong feeling not to so it became my wedding ring. It is beautiful and I have not seen another like it. His ring also has an interesting story behind it...if you would like to hear it let me know.

4. Since we have been married we have moved around quite a bit because of Brian's jobs. The place we had the most fun at, but had the least amount of money was Orlando, Florida. I wouldn't mind at all going back to live there someday. We moved there partly because we had been kicked out of our house we were renting in Reedsport, Oregon, just about to be kicked out of our house we were renting in Winchester Bay, Oregon, and had our silver 2001 Honda Civic (that we nicknamed the Sea Pony) repossessed (We were living in a depressed area and trying to get our own business up and running with many other circumstances holding us back.) and partly because Brian's sister Rebecca was getting married at around the same time at Disney World and the only way we were going was if we were to pack up and just go. So, we sold my husband's CNC Router and left pretty much everything behind to go to Orlando. We lived out of a one room hotel with three kids for a while before anyone would rent an apartment to us. We also didn't have a car until a lot later. We did buy two nice bikes and one bike trailer. We got a Sea World season pass and would bike their often. I would have my daughter, Tatiana, on my back in a baby carrier and my two boys riding in the bike trailer. Once I was biking to a doctors appointment with the kids with me while Brian was at work and I stopped at a stop sign to wait for cars passing. A pickup truck with some burly looking guys stopped at the same stop sign and one guy took a double take at me and yelled out the window, “What a woman!!”. That made me laugh. :)

5. I have four kids now. I love large families. I love my children! When Brian and I were asked how many children we wanted when we were first married we told them a non prime number :) I have that now. All my children have unique names. Delbin's name means dolphin in Greek and his middlename, Zachary, is Hebrew for the Lord remembers. Jaedan's name means Jordan River in Hebrew (Brian and I were married in the Jordan River Temple) and his middlename, Wyatt, is Old English for little warrior or water. Tatiana's name means fairy queen in Russian and her middlename, Nai'a, is Hawaiian for dolphin. Teela's name is taken from a warrior goddess character in an 80's cartoon called He-Man and the Masters of the Universe...it also is a variant of the color teal and her middlename, Katarina, is Greek meaning pure. Our last name Abel means breath in Hebrew and was the biblical brother of Cain.

6. My daughter, Tatiana, is my miracle child! She came very close to dying in 2008 because of an hemolytic allergic reaction to an antibiotic she had had before, but pulled through. She is amazing! She is 5 now, but when she was 8 months the doctors told us she had a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma (brain tumor). It had grown from her optic nerves on back engulfing her pituitary and carotid artery (about a small lemon size when found). She had surgery to resect it and that caused her to become totally blind without light perception and have a whole bunch of Endocrine issues. She is multiply handicapped, developmentally delayed, and medically complicated. She has the sweetest disposition and loves hugs, kisses, and to be held. She loves music and her favorites at the moment include Moby, Styx, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Moody Blues, Sixpence None the Richer, Josh Groban, and The Laurie Berkner Band. Although...she also sings some of the children's classics and Bee Gees's Stayin' Alive.

7. Tatiana has been through a lot and I try to be right there with her through it all. I have learned so many things because of her. I'd like to think that I have grown as a person. She is such a blessing! Besides becoming a mother I became much more because of her. Many registered nurses have told me that I could easily become a nurse if I wanted to with all that I know. I have learned how to: give shots, administer medicine (by mouth and by G-tube), check dosages and avoid interactions, use a NG-tube, clean and change a G-tube, hook up a G-tube to a feeding pump, change an Ileostomy bag, care for a child in a spica cast, administer therapies, use various medical equipment including: feeding pumps, AFOs, standers, gait trainers, wheelchairs, etc.; keep medical records organized and charted, order equipment and supplies, work with insurance companies and supply companies, take temperatures, wound care, etc. I have also gotten really good at filling out paperwork for grants and funds.

8. I still haven't got my drivers license. Haven't been able to pass the driving part of the exam yet. I am still practicing...not enough though as my husband can vouch for.

9. In 1998 I went to the Caribbean and stayed at the Habitat Resort in Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao as a college trip with a whole bunch of students and teachers from my physical science, astronomy, and planetarium classes. We scuba dived, snorkeled, explored, and shopped in the city. On February 26th, 1998 we saw the total solar eclipse while we were there. The experience was unforgettable!

10. I played the violin in 6th grade through high school, but never really got good at it. I had a hard time reading music. I also dabbled in piano and keyboard and was in choir some. I would like to someday get another violin and maybe teach myself guitar too. I have always loved harp music also.

11. I struggled through school, but always tried to make good grades. I was usually an honors student in school and got letters in language and home economics. I took 3 years of Spanish in high school, but have forgotten most of it. I also took sign language which was a lot of fun.

12. I have been married twice to the same man. Once civilly in his parents backyard in Ohio and once in the Jordan River Temple in Utah a year later when I was pregnant with my first. Subsequently my mother had to sew a whole new wedding dress. I was the first to get married out of my two sisters and even though I was the oldest I didn't think that I was going to be the first to get married.

13. My favorite colors are blue, purple, and aqua. Although I love color in general and wish my house and wardrobe had more of it!

14. My favorite food is ethnic. I make my own sushi often for my family and my boys love the stuff :) I also love cooking in cast iron...it makes the food taste so much better, imo. Again...my husband will tell you that I need to cook more. I hate drinking water plain...I never liked the taste by itself. I water down my juice to the point my husband complains :) I have gotten used to it and it tastes too sweet to me if I don't. I also love drinking herbal tea.

15. I am a stay at home mom and I homeschool. I love it and the rewards are great!

16. I have very eclectic taste. I like combining a whole lot of different things together. My taste in fashion, music, food, home decoration, and just about everything is borrowed from many different sources and cultures.

17. Even though I have a very eclectic taste...it doesn't show usually because of my budget. Also, I usually am seen in a t-shirt and jeans because I am more comfortable in them and it is kid friendly wear. I would love to wear my chandelier earrings more often, but with little ones these are constantly being yanked on.

18. Someday I would love to own a horse or pony. I road English style in Ohio and it was a lot of fun. I won a blue ribbon my first horse show. One of the horses I rode, Marky, had a whale shaped patch on her forehead. I have also looked into a seeing eye: mini pony or a hypoallergenic dog breed for my daughter. My other favorite animals are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and sea horses.

19. My favorite whale is the male Narwhal because it is so unique.

20. My favorite flower is the hydrangea (probably because of its color in more acidic soil).

21. I love to wear my hair long. I got it cut really short when I was a freshman in high school and even though I loved that it was easier to take care of my school pictures turned out awful! Please, those of you with Provo High School yearbooks don't go looking it up!! My senior high school picture is worth looking up though :)

22. On my 16th birthday I got glamor shots done at a photography studio. It was my sweet 16 birthday present from my parents.

23. My oldest, Delbin, modeled as a baby and had his picture in the Schottenstein's department store mailer when we lived in Ohio.

24. All of my kids' birth dates so far are either on the 5th or on the 15th day of a month. Delbin's birthday lands on the first day of school here in Oregon usually. Jaedan's is almost on Mother's Day. Tatiana was supposed to be a New Years baby...just missed it by a few days. Teela was born on Tax day :) Funny enough my birthday falls on Mother's Day sometimes and Brian's birthday is on Summer Solstice.

25. I love my family! They are everything to me! I would love to spend every moment with my husband if I could. I love being a stay at home mom and being there for my children! It means so much to me. God is good! Blessed be the name of the Lord! You can read more about me on my Info page in Facebook.

*Updates:
April 13, 2010 our beautiful daughter Tatiana Nai'a passes away. Read more about Tatiana HERE.

Oct. 19, 2010 a new daughter, Zari Katana is born into our family. Zari in Arabic means blossoming flower, splendor, dawn; in Slavic it means water priestess; in Swahili it means beautiful; in African it means golden. Also could be a Hebrew nickname of Zara, Zariah, and Zarya which is an offshoot of Sarah or Sariah which means princess and radiance. Katana is Japanese and is a samurai sword that is also used as a female name in Japan and also means slender.