Saturday, December 14

Ten Pet Peeves

As part of my 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me series, I'm supposed to share ten of my pet peeves. Some come to mind immediately but it will take some work to think of ten. So here I go:

1. Things that stick to/ catch on my fingernails. I hate fabrics that do this. It doesn't bother him when his finger or toenails aren't cut perfectly rounded so they don't catch on things. I can't stand it though!

2. Dry Skin. I have never used so much lotion in my entire life as I have in the last three years since I've lived out west. Hate on humidity all you want, but I love what it does to my hair (it gives it a wave and some curl which is infinitely better than boring and flat) and I definitely prefer my skin moist and smooth. I would rather feel moist than be drying up like a prune.

3. Drama. Ugh, I can't stand it. Not even the word. I don't think I ever wished for sisters growing up because I just can't tolerate catty girl drama. There was enough drama just between my girl friends, which is probably why I had far more male friends than female. I always wanted to have just one daughter so I wouldn't have to endure the drama girls seem to love creating. (Now that I have one already, I would love more girls, but I can assure you that I will not allow drama in our house.)

4. Money. Why do we even need this stuff? I just hate it because I feel like way too much time is spent getting it just so it can be used, very often for pointless STUFF. I hate stressing about it and I hate how hard it is to feel secure unless you have it. To me, the primary benefit of having a lot of money would be that I could feel financially secure and as though we weren't going to lose everything just because we don't have enough paper. Money is paper. And far too many people think that it is the purpose of this life.

5. People that don't like the east. I'm an east coast girl through and through and when people complain about the east it takes all my self control not to get worked up. I don't know if I would feel the same if I were born elsewhere, but all I know is I think about New Hampshire every single day, missing the babbling brooks and rivers, still ponds, numerous blue lakes, and soft-sanded ocean beaches. I miss the color green, the tree-covered mountains, and clean air. I miss the dark, starry nights and rainy days and colorful falls. I didn't mean to get all poetic, but I'm kind of in love with the world over there and don't believe that anywhere else really compares.

6. Mean People. Why can't everyone just be kind to other people? I can't stand it when people feel the need to be mean to others for no reason. If someone is fat or unattractive why do we have to talk about it? We don't know their circumstances. Maybe it isn't their fault and they're a really great person. I just want people to be nice to others. 

7. Winter. Snow is pretty the first time it falls. And on Christmas. But (sorry to my skier brother, Donovan) I hate it. I hate being cold. January is my least favorite of all the months. Because Christmas is over and all we're left with is cold, gray, dirty snow, wind, and ice. Maybe I wouldn't mind it so much if winter was just one month long and temperatures never dropped below 32 degrees. But it isn't, and unfortunately Global Warming isn't real (if it were, then I want to know why it has been 1 degree outside the last two weeks...) so I'll just have to do as I always do and hibernate for three months and hope spring comes early.

8. People who are anti-Mormon. I mean, really, have you even met any Mormons? This is a fake statistic, but seriously 99 out of 100 Mormons are really nice! Maybe even annoyingly so. If you want to say something bad about my church, that just makes anyone who actually knows a Mormon think you must be really stupid. Mormons in general are happy, friendly, and glad to serve others. We stick to our beliefs. We dress modestly to show respect for our bodies and for God. We don't drink alcohol, coffee, or most teas because, frankly, they're bad for you. We don't do drugs, we don't swear, we don't view pornography, and we don't practice polygamy. We do believe in a modern day prophet named Thomas S. Monson who is probably one of the nicest men on this earth. Most importantly, we believe in Jesus Christ (and are therefore Christians) and try to be like Him. There's a saying that I've heard a few times that goes, "The Church is perfect, the people aren't." I definitely know that to be the case. If one member of the church offends you, you can't claim the whole church is bad. That would be pointless. Truly, we are just like everyone else, just doing our best in this life so we can be with our families forever. That is our primary goal.

9. When people leave a handful of cereal or snacks in a box, or just an ounce of juice and don't finish it or throw it away. Someone told me this is a western thing because everyone wants to be nice and not take the last bit for themselves. I think it's probably an all-America thing for the most part, but if there are two Oreos left, for heaven's sake, just TAKE THEM! No one wants to have that small a serving of that delicious cookie anyway! And same with drinks--you think anyone wants that last sip of backwash for themselves? No one will call you selfish if you finish something you were already eating. Seriously. Just finish things or throw them away.

10. The toilet paper goes OVER the roll not under. Why is this even a question?? Why would anyone even want it the other way? Thankfully, this was only a problem living at home or visiting the occasional friend's house because Dalin and I agree it goes over the roll, and more often than not, we don't take the time to put it on the roller anyway.

What are your pet peeves?
Do you have any of the same ones as me?

6 comments:

  1. In regards to number 6, my pet peeve is when Mormons (and Christians in general) claim to be so tolerant and loving towards gays while simultaneously denying their right to get married.

    Imagine if I said to you, “Olivia, I really like you... but it’s wrong that you married Dalin. Your marriage really should have been illegal. And you definitely should not have been allowed to have a child together. Tenley deserves to be raised by good parents, not you and Dalin.”

    You’d probably want to slap me in the face! If I said those things to you, it would be pretty clear that I don’t actually like you. I can’t claim to like or respect you while at the same time telling you I disagree with your marriage and decision to become parents. Your roles as a wife to Dalin and a mother to Tenley are very important parts of who you are. They’re not just trivial preferences, like your favourite color or the music you listen to. Yet that’s how you treat gay marriage. Gay couples who want to get married love each other just as much as you love your husband. Put yourself in their shoes for a second. How would you feel if someone told you that you can’t spend the rest of your life with the person you love?

    If you’re against gay marriage, that’s fine. You’re entitled to your own opinions. Just don’t pretend that you like gay people! Either you love them for who they are (which includes their decision to fall in love and get married), or you don’t love them at all. Simple as that.

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  2. With regards to money, you might find you don't stress out about it as much if you saved. It is hard to hear someone talk about money struggles or being on WIC when they then talk about how they bought their spouse and ipad. Do you have a iphone or some other high tech phone? If you can afford your luxuries then you shouldn't need to be on government well fair or even worrying about money in general.

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  3. We actually do quite well at saving. As you might have read in my post from September, I'm not buying clothes for a year. I haven't bought a single thing since I made that goal. As for the iPad, that was something I bought for an early Christmas present for my husband only because it was on sale through BYU and was purchased with money I'd been given for my birthday. And you should see my phone...it's an old Motorola Razr V3. Pretty much ancient. I don't think it is very fair for you to judge that about us when you seem to know little about how much it costs to have a baby. Try, upwards of $6000 down the drain with insurance. It sucks, but she was more than worth it!
    Also, if you think I should be ashamed to be on WIC that's your problem. We're poor college students with a baby now living on one income to pay for two tuitions, our apartment, and car. If anything, we are the perfect candidates for government help because we are getting an education so we can give back someday. I have zero shame about that. You might consider reading this post I wrote before you judge unfairly: http://lilgunnellfam.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-get-rich.html

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  4. Why don't you believe in global warming?

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    1. Well Global Warming itself is a complicated issue and it's not so much that I don't believe it exists but that it has become a billion dollar industry. It has become a means of pushing all of these "go green" products which are both expensive and, in my opinion, ultimately not going to save the earth from what's happening to it. To me, if it is happening at all, it's like the ice age which was just inevitable and not something that could be stopped or "saved". It's not that I don't ever recycle or buy any green products, but in the long run, do I really believe those things are going to make a difference? No. If anything, they are just a slightly helpful blip in a long history of human waste. I just can't stand that people use the term "saving the environment" when there are many bigger priorities out there. Like saving unborn babies, but that's another issue completely. Maybe I should have put "go green" crap instead of Global Warming. That was just what had popped into my head as I was writing. Thanks for your question.

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  5. Thanks so much for posting this list! I find myself agreeing with you on a number of things. I especially agree with the money aspect. Why is it that our world revolves around coloured paper? It also upsets me a lot when I see people decide to have unprotected sex (I know birth control isn't always effective, but my thought is, if you're not ready for a baby you're not ready for sex. period.) and when they get pregnant, immediately go to abortion. There are numerous families out there who would love to have a child of their own who can't, and to be able to adopt a beautiful child would make their lives so much richer. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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