A little about me

What food would you like to eat everyday? Chocolate, and I do eat it everyday even though I shouldn't.
What's the scariest thing you've ever done? Hmm, I'm terrified of heights so I'd have to say that bungee-jumping was very scary.
What would you do with a million dollars? Spend some of it to buy Ryan a new truck and boat, buy some acreage out in the country to build a new house on, and take an awesome vacation with Ryan. Then invest/save the rest.
If you could only eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be? Either Ixtapa Mexican or Garozzo's Italian.
What's your favorite cereal? Frosted mini wheats
What vegetables do you like best? I love asparagus and tolerate others. I wish I liked veggies better.
What's the best age to be and why? That's hard because I've liked life more the older I've gotten. I thought it was fun to be a teenager, but then I felt more secure when I was in my 20's. Now I'm happy and content in my 30's, so maybe each age will just continue to get better!
Who's your best friend? Ryan. Then my sisters. Then my close friends here in Missouri.
What stories do you know about your birth? My Dad held me in his arms and walked around the delivery room calling me "precious".
What did you do in your neighborhood as a child? We had so much fun! I'm always telling me kids that we used to know how to really have fun. Instead of life revolving around video games, we would play kickball, kick the can, spy and use our imaginations! It was so fun to be a kid.
What school subjects did you excel in? Reading and English were always easy for me. Then I realized I was good at math. I became an Accounting assistant and thought I wanted to get my degree in accounting. That's not the case anymore.
What were your relationships like with your siblings? I was very close to my brother, Scott. We would spend hours hanging out and talking about life. I looked up to my big sister, Kara, and loved to hang out with her. I didn't really know my biggest sister, Tiffany, until I was an adult. I don't remember her being around much before she left for college. Now we are very close.
Who was your closest friend when you were a teenager? I had a lot of good friends, some from my ward and some from school. My closest girl friends as a teenager were probably Janee, Tera, Jaime and Kristen. I also had some close guy friends.
When I was a teenager, I thought at my age I'd be: About where I am now, although I thought I'd finish college before getting married and having kids.
By the time I'm 70, I hope I've: Served a mission with Ryan, retired from my career, spent my time and money to be with my family.
Where would you like to go on vacation next year? Cruise with Ryan, Lake Powell as a family.
What makes you mad? When my kids deliberately disobey me. They don't do it often, so it really surprises me and makes me angry when they do.
What is your favorite item in your home? I really like my bedroom furniture and the new TV I just bought Ryan.
What household chore do you like the most? Laundry.
What household chore do you hate? Scrubbing pots and pans, scrubbing my shower.
When you were a child, how many kids did you think you'd have? I always wanted 4. 2 boys and 2 girls. In fact, if I could have decided the gender order, it would have been boy-girl-girl-boy. I wanted a boy first, so he could take care of his younger siblings. Then I wanted a girl so I'd be sure that I'd get one. Then I wanted to make sure my daughter got a sister, because sisters are so important to me. Then I wanted one more chance to do the boy thing, and I wanted to round out my numbers. I did well!
What is your nickname and how did you get it? My real name is Alison, so Ali is actually a nickname, but Alison Ellefsen is quite the mouthfull!
What do you think is your best physical characteristic? I love being tall.
What is your best personality trait? Compassion.
What's the biggest challenge you've been through? I don't feel like I've gone through any MAJOR challenges, but little trials along the way. Learning to understand children with different personalities than my own, the normal adjustments after having each baby, and moving to Missouri. Besides that, having friends/family members pass away.
What was once important to you, but is less so now? Money. It doesn't make people any happier. I think I always knew that, but I know it even more so now.
What have you learned from your children? So much. That my way is not always the right/only way. Patience. Unconditional love. Getting along with personalities that are different than my own. To laugh more and worry less.
What do you consider your most significant accomplishment? My 4 kids and my marriage.
What's the most essential thing you've learned in life so far? Living gospel principles will make you happy.

Now each of you should answer these questions on your own blog!