Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Wise People Wednesday

"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle, but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
- Marilyn Monroe

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Wise People Wednesday

"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
- Benjamin Franklin

Friday, August 5, 2011

Truisms

Truisms -

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of any importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. Even when opportunity knocks, you still have to get up off your seat and open the door.

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?

29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

32. Even under ideal conditions, people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my all that everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Wise People Wednesday

"Maybe some women weren't meant to be tamed, maybe they're suppose to run wild until they find someone just as wild to run with."
Carrie Bradshaw - Sex in the City

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Wise People Wednesday

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.
~RENT

(I actually love this quote so much that I want to incorporate it into my next tattoo, however I'm not creative at all so if you have any suggestions, please, by all means, share!)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wise People Wednesday

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want."
- Ben Stein

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Wise Words Wednesday

"THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE UNSEEN...THAT'S WHY WE CLOSE OUR EYES WHEN WE KISS...CRY...AND DREAM...!"
Author: unknown

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Wise Words Wednesday

Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way.
Al Franken, "Oh, the Things I Know", 200

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Wise People Wednesday

"The trick in life isn't getting what you want, it's wanting it after you get it."
- Katherine Hepburn

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Wise People Wednesday

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams
~Dr. Seuss

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wise Words Wednesday

“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.”
~Sex and the City~

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

How do you meet new people?

It's a question a lot of people ask and tonight i think i may have stumbled upon your answer. People always say "where do you go to meet people" and "you won't meet someone sitting home on your couch". The answer is accept invitations, all of them, unless you really do have something else you should be doing or the invitation isn't something that's safe or healthy.

For example today after work i was going to a friends to pack up a lot of my stuff to move tomorrow (putting some of my stuff in a storage unit) and it didn't sound like a great Friday night but at least I'd be productive. Well our department was dismissed early from work and some co-workers wanted to go for a drink and i happened to stumble into the conversation. I was asked to go and at first i started to say no and then changed my mind. Yes my stuff needed to get done but i could go for an hour right? Well one hour turned into two and then three and well let's just say it's five hours later. But the best part is i did something i hadn't planned on doing tonight, i made a friend. Another co-worker had stumbled into the same "let's go for drinks" conversation and even tho (like me) it wasn't her crowd she decided what the heck and joined us. Well long after everyone poops out and goes home we sit and talk, then walk around and shop and then go for coffee. She's a truly awesome person, someone i have a lot in common with. And even tho I'm starting to pack at 11:15 on a Friday night (and am going to hate my life in the early AM) it was so worth it.

My point? Go! When you are asked, GO! Even if it sounds boring. If you show up and it is, then you've only wasted what, a half hour of your life? But if you're invited and you truly have no where else you NEED to be then go. Cause who knows, one person may bring their friends who runs into their friend and maybe you'll hit it off. It could be a romance or just a new person you have a lot in common with. But it's totally worth it to meet new people, and at least this way it's not like the bar or internet where you start from nothing, at least this person has some conversation starter (when did you start in this dept, how long have you known so and so, etc). It beats sitting home and hoping mr/mrs right is gonna walk into your living room looking for you. Or sitting at a bar seeing someone attractive only to watch their other half come back from the bathroom and put their arms around your cutie. At least this way you're not there looking for anything more than drinks w/ friends (or whatever the invite may be) and won't be disappointed if that's all it turns out to be (instead of being at a bar looking for someone to go home w/ and having no luck). So go ahead, put yourself out there, if you do you're sure to meet some awesome new people...


(another one from the achieves that stands true today, originally posted to MySpace in 2006)

Monday, May 9, 2011

My Proposal Story

Written a few days after my husband proposed back in June 2009...

"To tell the whole story I have to rewind a little here....

Two weeks ago I was running a bit late to work (as usual) and about jumped out of my skin when I heard a man say "hello" in my driveway. Who the heck is in my driveway at 8am!? It was the mail man and he needed me to sign for a package. He said he wanted to make sure he came by early so he wouldn't miss us. The day before we had gotten one of those "sorry we missed you, come to the post office to get your package" tags for our tax documents so I figured that's what i was signing for. I remember thinking it was sweet of him to go out of his way figuring that we'd be off to work soon (how would he know Lee is unemployed and home every day). But it wasn't the tax docs and as i walked in the house i turned it over and stopped dead in my tracks... i had just signed for my engagement ring!!! I had no idea what to do. Should i run after the mail man, give it back, make him bring it back later and pretend it never happened... nah, I'm a lousy liar, i could never pull that off. Do i put it in my car and make no mention of it, yeah no, Mike would flip if he got the e-mail that it was delivered and he didn't have it. So I left it on the kitchen counter and went to work. I figured I'd get some kind of text or call but nothing came. Around 1 pm i texted him "did you see the kitchen counter?" "yup, did you?" "yup" "well that sucks". That was it, i knew, he knew i knew, and there was nothing we could do about it, you can't unlearn something like that.

Now we've been talking and planning a wedding for months now so I've had to fight the urge that every night when i get home to think "is it tonight?". But now, knowing that the ring was in the house, it was very, very, very hard not to look for it around every corner. But i know my man, and i know he's a planner so i figured it would come on Memorial Day weekend. When it didn't i figured it would be our anniversary so i convinced myself of that and reminded myself of that when i felt as "is this it" coming on. This past Friday I stayed a bit late at work and he texted me that he was hungry and to meet him at the diner half way from work and home. My first thought "here it comes, this is where we had our first kiss" but then i told myself to stop being stupid. He's a planner, he wouldn't do it on a whim at a diner on a random Friday night. Besides, he was waiting for our anniversary. So i get there and get a table. When he comes in he walks up to the table w/ his hands behind his back. I think, well it's not a ring, you put that in your pocket, not hide it behind your back. He kneels down next to the table and hands me a box with a GPS! I was surprised and asked him what this was for. He said ever since i got lost (two weeks prior i wasted 2 hours and half a tank of gas because i missed my exit on the turnpike) he wanted to get me one and it came in today. I thanked him but told him to stop kneeling on the floor and to come sit next to me (I thought it looked too much like he was gonna propose and it was distracting me). I was looking at the GPS when i noticed he was sitting funny so i asked him what was in his hand. He said "nothing" and pulled his hand out from under the table to show me he wasn't holding anything. He told me to turn on the GPS, that he'd spent the whole day loading stuff on it and he wanted to show me how it worked. I hit the on button and the first thing i saw was the words "Will You Marry Me????" I turned to look at him and he pulled his other hand out from under the table and there was my ring. Now I've known this was coming, I've even rehearsed my response. But he got me, he actually surprised me and i just took the ring, put it on my finger and kissed him. Somewhere in there I said of course but he figured me putting it on meant i accepted.

When he went to the bathroom later in the evening i snuck a pic so i could text it to everyone in my phone (if you didn't get a text don't be insulted, it's a new phone and i only have a small portion of my numbers programmed in it).

As for knowing my man, i was right, he had it in his bag all memorial day weekend but the moment never struck him. First I ruined his plan when i declared i had no interest on going on a bike ride and then he decided not to bring it out on the lake for fear of dropping it in the water. I then figured it would be at the Rascal Flatts concert we're going to in two weeks and he said that was the original plan but there is no guarantee that your request nor your message will make it up to the screen. He had thought of our anniversary but our plans kept changing with his drill schedule. So he said when the GPS came in he got the idea and just realized he didn't want to wait anymore. I think he's just proud that he surprised the unsurprisable.

And for those who have asked about the ring. Below is the professional/website pic of it.


He searched for a long time to find the perfect ring. He had his heart set on tension setting and even though many people tried to change his mind he had it set on what he wanted. He found www.titaniumera.com and fell in love w/ this setting. He showed it to me around Christmastime and I loved it as much as he did. What I didn't know is that soon after, his mother offered him the diamond that his father had given her when they got engaged. The trick was getting the jeweler on the phone to figure out how to get them the diamond so they could put it in the setting he wanted. (Tension settings have to be hard metals, if it's a soft metal like gold it will bend and the diamond will pop out. Can't have that w/ a family heirloom stone. So he had to be 100% that this setting would work and keep the diamond safe.) And this is why i knew what was in the package, I'd been to the website so i recognized the return address.

So ends the "is this it, will it be tonight" and so starts the nights of "wedding this, wedding that". I just told him that no matter what happens between now and our wedding night, as long as i go to bed that night married to the man I love, it will have been the perfect day.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

You Are

You are strong...
when you take your grief and teach it to smile.

You are brave...
when you overcome your fear and help others to do the same.

You are happy...
when you see a flower and are thankful for the blessing.

You are loving ...
when your own pain does not blind you to the pain of others.

You are wise...
when you know the limits of your wisdom.

You are true...
when you admit there are times you fool yourself.

You are alive...
when tomorrow's hope means more to you than yesterday's mistake.

You are growing...
when you know what you are but not what you will become.

You are free...
when you are in control of yourself and do not wish to control others.

You are honorable...
when you find your honor is to honor others.

You are generous...
when you can take as sweetly as you can give.

You are humble...
when you do not know how humble you are.

You are thoughtful...
when you see me just as I am and treat me just as you are.

You are merciful...
when you forgive in others the faults you condemn in yourself.

You are beautiful...
when you don't need a mirror to tell you.

You are rich...
when you never need more than what you have.

You are you...
When you are at peace with who you are not.

Author: unknown

Friday, May 6, 2011

Lenorisms

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. (originally posted on FB and transferred over here, no way to tag but if you would like to answer, feel free to do so in a comment below)

1. I was born in TX, raised in NJ, educated in upstate NY, married in FL, divorced in NYC and currently reside in PA.

2. I hate the cold weather and only live up here to be close to my family. I had a choice, live in paradise and visit family twice a year or live by family and visit paradise... family won... but i still bitch about the weather.

3. I can't cook. Well, I can cook. Any idiot can read instructions, use a microwave and sustain life. But i can't cook well. Not for lack of training, I just HATE doing it.

4. I am a soririty sister and will be until the day I die. It has made me the person I am today. Anyone who says i "paid for my friends" should be kicked in the teeth. No, I paid so non greeks like you could come to our parties and drink our free beer... idiot

5. I have a BA in Psychology and I currently work in Accounting. Explain that one...

6. I loved sky diving and para-sailing and want to try bungee jumping yet i'm terrified of heights... don't quite get that one either

7. I am VERY impatient. If i thought stomping my feet and screaming "NOW NOW NOW' would get me what I wanted even a minute sooner i would revert to a 2 year old in a heartbeat. (Luckily i know this doesn't work so you aren't likely to see me throwing a tantrum)

8. Without my contacts or glasses I must be about 5 inches from you to see clearly. I've been wearing glasses since the second grade.

9. I have a black thumb. If it doesn't meow, bark or cry I don't feed it. I've been told i could kill a plastic plant.

10. I have seen a dead body and stood outside of crime scene tape to talk to the cops. It was creepy and not a scene I care to re-live.

11. I have a bucket list. One of the things on it is "See the ball drop in Times Square live"

12. I have been married. I had an almost perfect wedding. If i could go back and do it again the only things I'd change about that day would be the DJ and the groom.

13. One of my biggest pet peeves is agressive drivers. What in the world makes you so damn important that you can drive up the shoulder and cut off a long line of cars just to save yourself what, two minutes?
*note, driving a loved one to the hospital is the only respectable answer to this question, then, and only then are you more important than the 35 other cars who have been in the correct lane since they saw the sign 2 miles back

14. I hate reality TV. Instead of watching someone else's life I think you should go out and life your own.

15. I can drive stick and ride a motorcycle. I want to know that wherever I am I will be able to get home. Getting in the car with a drunk driver because you can't "drive a stick" is a really dumb reason to die.

16. If I died tomorrow the only regret I'd have is that I was not able to become a mother. Otherwise, I'm happy with my choices and how my life has ended up.

17. I hate movies where someone gets left at the alter. Take Sweet Home Alabama for instance. That perfectly good, attractive, wealthy, sweet, sincere man gets left at the alter. Yes, we are happy that you are going back to your childhood sweetheart lady but what about the man standing in front of all of his friends and family devestated that the woman he wants to marry just turned and ran. That sucks, and if you do that to someone you suck. And i don't like watching movies with people who suck.

18. I knew someone who committed suicide. I knew someone who died before making it to high school. I know someone who has been raped. I know someone who became a parent before high school graduation. I know someone who spent time in prison. I know someone who has an STD. I know someone who cheated on thier spouse. I know someone who is gay. I know someone who had a close friend murdered. I know someone in the NYPD. I know someone who recently got back from Iraq. All of these people have made a difference in my life.

19. I am "too" nice but it's a habit i'm working on breaking.

20. In my group of friends i have two carpenters, two plumbers, two electricians, one handy man, one paver.... now all we need is Ty Pennington and the funds and we could be Exteme Makeover Home Edition Tri-State Area!

21. I am a sucker for flowers. Seriously, you can get yourself out of almost any fight with me if you buy me flowers.

22. I was an EMT. I rode ambulance for a summer, have seen several car wrecks and enough alcohol poisoning cases to last a lifetime. That said, i'm a sympathy puker. Hear it, see it, smell it and i'm going right after you. Makes for an interesting scene when the EMT has to wait outside for the patient to stop yacking.

23. I love taking pictures. I have hundreds of framed pictures all over my house. Those that are not framed are in carefully put together scrapbooks or albums. Those that have not made it that far are categorized in a box. Yup, i'm a bit OCD.

24. I recently had a miscarriage. I don't usually believe "everything happens for a reason" but this I do. If my body saw that my child would not survive and it took care of things on it's own then who am I to argue. Someday I will carry a child to term and will have what every parent wants, a happy, healthy newborn. That said it was a terrible and very painful experience and no, thanks for asking but I don't want to talk about it.

25. I have been a witness in a rape trial. I was on the jury for a medical malpractice suit. I will soon be sued for breach of contract. I'm not a big fan of the courtroom. It doesn't scare me but so far in my life, nothing good has ever come of it either...

Thursday, May 5, 2011

EVERY WOMAN

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one old love she can imagine going back to...and one who reminds her how far she has come...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems , and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can' t change the length of her calves, the width of her hips,or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day, a month, and a year...

~~Maya Angelou~~

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Wise Words Wednesday

"You'll never become old and wise if if you aren't young and crazy."
~Anon

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

From the archives: What is Love?

I am currently married and next month we will have been together a total of 4 years. I remember writing this post but can't pinpoint the actual date. I had originally posted it to my MySpace (yes I posted it that long ago) page but when I deleted my account I thought to keep this one. So here is something from the archives.
~~~~
A co-worker said something a few years ago that stuck with me. We were talking about our boyfriends and she was talking about a fight she had with hers. She said "no matter how mad I am at him, I'd rather be in the same room as him and be mad than be anywhere else". That hit me a few days later when my boyfriend and I had our first real fight. I was in the basement with every intention of sleeping there and he went to bed alone. And as I lay there on the futon, on the phone with my best friend, it dawned on me... no matter how much he had pissed me off, i still really wanted to be in bed with him. I swallowed my pride and the lump in my throat from crying and went upstairs and we made up. No I didn't come crawling back, but I made the first move. It was because I really wanted to work it out. I HATED being mad at him. And I don't sleep well if my feet aren't touching his....

Back in 2006 a friend of mine and his longtime girlfriend broke up. He said he knew things were going south when he started noticing other girls. I was like, "seriously!? I mean after 5 years you've never noticed another girl??" That was way beyond my comprehension. I've been in love before, a few times, heck I've been married before, but I've never been so wrapped up in another person that i never noticed anyone else. Then I met my boyfriend and it clicked. I don't notice other men anymore. I used to look at someone good looking or smart or charming and wonder what they are like to talk to, date, or be with but that has stopped happening. I didn't even notice it until i started thinking about it and i realized something... This is a happiness I've never felt before. I've never been so happy with someone that i know in my heart no one else could make me happier.

Ever tried to describe love to a kid? They ask how do you know you are in love and you have to resort back to "you just know".... Well that's because everyone's idea of love is different. I've been in love so deeply that I've been crushed and had my heart burst into pieces when we split. But it still wasn't the same all consuming feeling i have now. I would have been happy feeling the way I used to feel. I mean i was happy. But this, this is different.... and if you ever have felt this way, this all consuming, never want to live without them, would rather be in the room mad at them, know no one else will ever make you happier love then you are the luckiest.... This is a feeling i wish for all my friends. This is the stuff 50 year marriages are made of. If everyone waited for this feeling before they took the leap there would be a lot less divorce in the world. But sadly people (myself included) get wrapped up in getting married, having kids by a certain time, having a big wedding, buying a house, and settling down that they do just that, they settle. I do want to someday marry my boyfriend. But it's a new feeling for me to know that if that day never comes I'd be ok with that. I'd be happy just going to sleep next to him every night and feel his feet there under the covers cause that's how i know everything is going to be all right.
~~~~

And if you are wondering if things are still the same... they are. My husband is my soulmate which is funny because before him I never believed in them. Anyone who has ever met us can attest to this. And in our 4 years we've only fought 3 times. And each time, the worst part was being mad at him. The best part... he FINALLY learned that all it takes is to hug me and tell me everything is going to be ok.

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Dame's Questionnaire

I have been away from blogging for a long time, mostly for the same excuse I use whenever I don't do the things I love.... no time. But recently The Dame (whom I know personally) referenced Alex's blog on her Facebook page and I realized that it has been a very long time since I have read either women's blog and there is no excuse for it. Both are brilliant and well written and each and every time I read these two women I walk away with something to think about or something to smile about, which, in my book, is something worth doing every day.

The Dame posted this questionnaire and asked others to answer so Dame, this one is for you:


Dame's Questionnaire

What fictional person, place or thing would you make real, were it in your power?
Hogwarts (not sure why, just what came to mind)

What do you find comforting?
That no matter what, if I needed someone/something at any hour of any day in any location, I have a large and strong enough support system that someone out there can and will help me

What makes you almost hold your breath in excitement?
When someone is opening a gift that I have put a lot of thought into giving/making them

What offends you?
Judgement and racism, no one person is better than any other person, just different, and different is not bad.

What always makes you smile?
My husband

How are you in a crisis?
Supportive. It has been a long, long time since the last moment in my life that can be considered a "crisis" and I can not base how I may act now (in my 30's) on how I acted back then (when I was 19). But for those of whom I have been close to that have gone thru something absolutely terrible, I would do anything to take their pain away and hopefully, in some small way I have.

What is your most unusual or rare quality?
When I was little I didn't think giving to others and caring more about others than you do yourself was unusual or rare. It's something I always saw my mom do; taking the burnt piece so we kids could have the "good" toast, giving gifts that the person didn't realize you knew they wanted for occasions they didn't expect you to remember. But then I grew up and found that not everyone was as giving and as loving as my mom. So I thought it was rare but something to be continued as it was a quality I've always admired in my mom. Then I met my husband who is kinder than anyone I've ever met.

What woman has had the strongest impact on your life?
No lie, and not because she asked me to post this, but hands down the Dame. My mom and a few other women have helped shape me but there is not a part of my life, my being, my soul (from what shoes are in my closet to what movies are a must see to how I treat others) that the Dame did not have a part in shaping.

What fictional character did you love most or identify most closely with as a child?
Cheesy I know, but usually Disney princesses. I was in my 20's when I realized I could do things for myself, and I didn't have to wait around for others to do them for me so I don't think it was a good influence...

What's the strangest job you ever had?
I can't say I've ever done anything strange....

What's the hardest job you ever had?
Sister to a man who is so hard headed and stubborn that I spend most of my days wanting to smack him and the rest of them wanting to smack those who take advantage of his good nature. My dad was right, just cause you love someone, you don't always have to like them.

If you could relive any moment in your life, which would it be?
Just relive? The motorcycle ride with my husband the day before our wedding. I've never felt so close to him than on that day.
With the ability to change? My senior year in high school... I would have hung up the phone.

Who was your first crush on?
Todd Slater - first grade, in TX, I talked to him and when he responded he got his name on the board for talking in class. Even at that age I knew i should have raised my hand and told the teacher it was my fault, that I talked first. But I didn't and he never talked to me again. My first (and well learned lesson) that letting others take the blame for your wrong doing is never fair, will never feel good and will never have good consequences. Punishment is always far better than what comes when you let someone else take the fall for your actions.

What song makes your heart sing?
Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

What book do you never tire of?
Can't say that I've ever reread a book

If you could live in a book, which book would it be?
Again, can't say I've read a book that changed my life

What film have you watched the most times?
I don't know that it currently rates as the most as it's only been out of a handful of years but it's by far my favorite movie/play/soundtrack and one I can see needing to own several copies of in my lifetime because I will wear them out: RENT

What film do you quote most often?
(Actually quote, not wish you were clever enough to quote regularly and INTEND to quote. What do you ACTUALLY quote?)
I can't say that I actually quote movies, at least not that I know of.

What film's dialogue do you love most?
nothing is coming to mind...

What poem or line of poetry resonates with you most strongly?
can't say I read poetry...

What famous quote do you repeat or refer to most frequently?
Forget Regret or Life is Yours to Miss

If you could (or had to) freeze your physical self at one age, what would it be?
27

What view would you choose if you could have any view from your bedroom window?
A nature scene, no other houses, cars, roads, etc, just nature

What one thing would you give to everyone you know if you could?
The ability to have children (not everyone may want or need this ability but for those who want it so desperately and cannot, it's the hands down the most devastating thing to hear)

If you could be a tremendous success at any one thing, what would it be?
Being a mom

What, if anything, do you hesitate to do for fear of looking silly or being laughed at?
Singing (tho after my recent singing lessons I've allowed myself to sing in the car with my husband who is a professional musician)

Who would you choose if you could talk to anyone who is no longer alive for an hour?
Aunt Jeanne - it's sad to realize that at her funeral is when i learned that she lived the kind of life I want with the kind of marriage I work hard to achieve

If you wrote your will, who would you leave your most prized possession to?
My family is my most prized "possession" so I'm not sure that there is anything to speak of in my will worth fighting over

What sentence did you never say to someone, but wish you had?
I think I'm lucky when I say that I cannot answer this question. I have a habit of telling people what I truly think when I have the opportunity so I never come to the end of my life wishing I could have said something to someone I loved.

What do you most like getting the opportunity to say?
You're welcome

When have you laughed the longest or the most?
When I am with my sorority sister

Whose face is your favorite face?
my husband

Where do you feel safest?
with my husband, the most mild mannered man I've ever met, until you upset me, then he's a force to be reckoned with

When do you feel most yourself?
Around those who know me, the real me, and still love me despite my craziness

What makes you nostalgic?
Warm spring days, makes me miss FL

What is the best lesson you have learned in life?
That no matter how bad things get, it's the people that make a difference in our lives. No one ever looks back and wishes they had worked harder, or made more money, or owned more cars. So cherish the ones you love and everything else will work itself out.