A 100 Things About Ben

Since I wrote a huge list of things about me, I thought it appropriate to come up with some things about Ben. Ben helped me with most of the list, but then I wracked my brain trying to think of more - to make a 100. My head hurts now!


1. Ben is the 5th of 6 children in his family.
2. His birthday is Mar 24, 1977.
3. He served a mission to Knoxville, Tennessee
4. His hair started falling out when he was 17 years old.
5. He has a general contractor's license.
6. He has a real estate license.
7. He and his cousin, Jake, once swapped dates while on a date because they liked the other girl better.
8. He quit piano lessons because his teacher was mean to him, so he then taught himself to play. (He's pretty good too!)
9. One time, he and his cousin again, brought dates to the mall. They laughed so hard and so long at something that when they finally looked up, their dates were gone. Then they laughed even harder for another 10 minutes because their dates ditched them!
10. He has built around 50 LDS churches across the USA.
11. He loves to watch airplanes take off and land.
12. He wanted to be a pilot in the Air Force.
13. He used to dream he was a Navy Seal and one time he punched a hole in the wall during a Navy Seal dream in the middle of the night.
14. He has flown an airplane before -- Alarus CH 2000 (I think that's what it's called!)
15. He owns a Harley-Davidson but doesn't ride it nearly enough!
16. He loves fast cars, motorcycles and airplanes.
17. When he wants to do something - anything, he usually goes all out.
18. Richard G. Scott taught him and 11 other missionaries for about 2 hours during a zone leader conference (or something??), then he ran into him at the hair doctor just after he returned. Elder Scott asked him what he was doing there and he said he was losing his hair, and Elder Scott responded, while combing his fingers through his nice, thick head of hair, "It happens to the best of us!"
19. He broke his thumb, wrist and pinkie.
20. He smashed his right middle finger once.
21. He broke 3 ribs while playing football. A 10 or 12 year old tackled him and rolled on him funny.
22. He had an ulcer in middle school.
23. When he had his wisdom teeth taken out, he woke up midway through the surgery and ripped out all of the equipment in his mouth and told the nurse she was beautiful when really she was butt ugly! They gave him more drugs and he had to have stitches in his mouth.
24. He likes all sports, but especially basketball and football.
25. He worked at Staples, the movie theater and Home Town Buffet for 1 day each.
26. Mostly everything he has succeeded at, he has attempted 3 times. The third time is the charm with him!
27. He broke off an engagement.
28. He asked me to marry him after only dating 3 weeks exclusively. Our first date was Jan 8 and he proposed on Feb 14.
29. He said his favorite food is, "Anything Courtney cooks!" (Good answer, Babe!)
30. He has eaten alagator, squirrel and black bear.
31. He likes to read non-fiction.
32. He loves to go to the movies.
33. He really likes pecan pie (my pecan pie!)
34. He likes guns and likes to shoot them too!
35. He has his concealed weapons permit and sometimes he packs heat when we go out on dates - "just to be safe!"
36. He likes ALL outdoor activities.
37. He goes fishing with his dad and 3 brothers every Summer.
38. We have an annual family camp-out in his parents backyard (but we like to camp in the great outdoors too!)
39. His dad wanted to teach his boys how to work so he started a lawn mowing business. The boys earned extra money for their missions by mowing laws Spring through Fall.
40. He thinks it would be cool to be a construction consultant - to be paid purely for his knowledge.
41. He also likes the idea of becoming an architect and designing LDS churches.
42. He has a very eclectic music taste. He really likes a lot of stuff from the 80's and early 90's but finds good in all types. He listens to John Denver, REO Speedwagon, Kenny Loggins, Journey, George Michael, Movie Sound Tracks, Country, Rap (Eminem), Classical and Church music. He likes the oldies too. Any many, many other artists.
43. Jake made us 10 cds with 15 different songs on each disk of the best songs and love songs they both listened to for our wedding. They were our favorite cds until we've gradually lost each one. Sad story. Wish he would make us some more!
44. He used to be obsessed with Elvis Presley. He impersonated him once for a talent contest in 9th grade. And he had his whole room decorated in Elvis memorabilia.
45. One time he egged his friend's ex-girlfriend's house with his friends because she was bad mouthing all of them at school - telling blatant lies.
46. After they egged the house, they went and pulled down over 1,000 election signs and dumped them in the high school parking lot.
47. He and his brother jumped off the roof of their house onto a snow-piled trampoline during the winter. They broke the trampoline.
48. He was born and raised in Utah.
49. We have been married for 8 1/2 years.
50. We were married on Friday, the 13th!
51. He has been to 20 different US states.
52. He was afraid to kiss girls in the 6th grade because his dad told him that kissing girls would make them pregnant. He eluded the girls until finally he was cornered by them and made to kiss one.
53. It seems like everytime he plays basketball now, he sprains his ankle. So, he always wears a brace to prevent any "accidents."
54. He is a true JAZZ fan and BYU fan.
55. His graduation ceremony only lasted 45 minutes because of an impending storm. Big, dark clouds started rolling in just as they began. Their graduation ceremony was held on the football field because they had so many students. 45 minutes to read off almost 1,000 names and hear the speeches from the valedictorian and salutatorian! I wish I could've been there. It was probably the best graduation ever!
56. His friend gave him a night stick at school one time as a gift. He got caught just after the unveiling and was expelled from school.
57. He loves to golf.
58. He installed satelite dishes when we were in college.
59. One time he guessed the exact amount of jelly beans in a jar to win a bike. Unfortunately, the school office denied him of his prize because he guessed on the day he was in detention.
60. One time his dad randomly caught him and his friends at the mall ditching school.
61. He enjoys watching the History and Discovery channels.
62. He also LOVES Glen Beck!
63. When flying to space becomes open to the general public, he will be the first in line.
64. He didn't go to his senior prom because it was stag. He thought it was lame.
65. He's pretty particular about his clothes. And, he ALWAYS looks good. He definitely knows how to dress and wear his clothes.
66. He started doing his own laundry when he was about 12.
67. He's had many nicknames: Benny, Benny Honna, Benji, Stallion, Strap and The King.
68. He has been in both the YM Presidency and the Eldors Quorum Pres.
69. Lately, he seems to always get the calling as the 16 year olds SS teacher.
70. He's the bomb when it comes to breakfast cooking.
71. He's experimental in the kitchen and has created some very pleasing dishes to the palette and some not so pleasing! But I don't complain . . . I'm just glad he cooks on occassion!
72. He cooked for me all during our engagement. I never cooked once. Then, right after we were married, I made tacos for dinner and he stopped cooking on a regular basis. It was a huge disappointment for me. But he says, it's because I cooked so much better than him. Yeah right?!
73. He LOVES roller coasters!
74. He snorkeled for the first time in Hawaii and fell in love with it. We totally got hooked up with all the gear and we can't wait to go again.
75. We plan to become SCUBA certified someday.
76. He loves fish. To eat and to watch.
77. We broke our forbidden fish tank at Wyview when we were cleaning it and water went everywhere! I wonder why fish tanks were against the rules there?!
78. He wants a huge salt water fish tank someday.
79. His first name is Michael.
80. His mom wanted to name him Michael and his dad wanted to name him Benjamin. Although he is Michael on his birth certificate, he will for always be known as Ben.
81. He broke his trumpet during band class by throwing it against the wall after his band teacher picked on him and blamed him for doing something he didn't do. The sad thing was, he really liked to play the trumpet.
82. He has a happy, friendly personality -- most people like him immediately. I did!
83. He loves his family.
84. He takes care of us.
85. He knows how to get his groove on!
86. He is good at remembering the lyrics to songs (while I am NOT!)
87. He gives great FHE lessons- the kids always enjoy his object lessons.
88. He has been to Disneyland 3 times. The first time was when he was 17 and the first thing he and Jake did was find girls. I think he hooked up with a German girl with hairy armpits!!! The 2nd time was with me and our little family. And, the 3rd time was with just me for one of our anniversaries. He is slowly falling in the love with the place!
89. He wrecked a car once while dragging state st in SLC during his high school days. He ran a yellow and collided with another person turning left at the yellow. T-boned.
90. At the hospital, in the delivery room with Elise, the doctor told him to sit down because he was at the point of fainting. They gave him a mask and he rallied till the bitter end!
91. He broke up with his girlfriend on his mission but then got back together with her a week later because he wasn't receiving cookies and care packages anymore.
92. He came home from his mission to go directly to the funeral home to his Grandpa's viewing, then, much to his mother's dismay, he left to go clubbing with his cousin, Jake.
93. He never met his maternal grandparents. They lived in Baltimore and died at fairly young ages.
94. He likes water sports.
95. At first I didn't think he was an RM so I wouldn't date him. I could never find his "g" line. Then, one day, at work, he said something about his mission in TN and I was immediately enraptured.
96. We kissed on our first date. We both swore to ourselves we wouldn't kiss that night. I knowing that kissing on the first date never led anywhere and he was only looking for a "friend." But the thing was, after watching Happy Gilmore, he turned off the lights, lit some candles and put on George Michael. How sexy is that? I could not resist! And neither could he. The kiss was electrifying!
97. He is very kind hearted and sensitive.
98. He has 52 first cousins.
99. He has 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
100. He's the best-est husband a girl could ask for!