Day 7- My favorite Childhood Toys

I had a few toys that I still have to this day and would have to say that those few are probably my favorite.  I have my teddy bear Daewoo, koala Deakor, and racoon Rocky.  I was a stuffed animal kind of girl, I would say I had hundreds of them.  I also had my cabbage patch doll (bridget if I remember right) that I loved.  Aside from that I remember enjoying my light bright and easy bake oven (both of which I still have), a meagerie of board games, my Nintendo, Atari, and who could forget the good ol swing set.  Does a swing set count as a toy?  We always had the coolest biggest swing set that my Dad built.  My favorite thing was always our family Easter Egg Huntand one egg would be hidden at the top of the swing set for me.  I loved climbing to the very top and getting that egg, I was the only kid that could do it.  I think that sums up the majority of my favorite toys.

Day 6 - Your zodiac sign

Does my zodiac sign fit me?  Well lets see, here is what I have found a s a description of people born under the sign of Gemini:

Gemini in a Nutshell:


Gemini people are many sided, quick both in the mind and physically. They are brimming with energy and vitality, they are clever with words. They are intelligent and very adaptable to every situation and every person. Gemini are curious and always want to know what's going on in the world around them. They are not one to sit back and watch the world go by, they want to be involved. This can sometimes make Gemini nosy, they do not mind their own business! This is because they really enjoy communicating, more so then most other astrology signs, they are the ultimate social butterfly. Gemini can talk and talk, but they have interesting things to say, their talk is not mindless babble. They have interesting opinions and thoughts on things and are not afraid to speak their mind. They are always in the know and are the one to see for the latest juicy gossip. Lacking perseverance, Gemini easily goes off topic to explore another thought or idea. Gemini are superficial, they will form opinions on matter without diving into them and exploring them fully. This can lead them into thinking they know everything, which they usually do but their mind is too busy to be concerned with fine details. Routine and boredom are Gemini's biggest fears. Gemini would rather be naive then know the depressing truth, they do not want anything putting a damper on their freedom or positive energy.

Now some of this is spot on for me and other parts I don't feel fit me at all.  I do feel that I am an intelligent person that is fairly adaptable to situations and very adaptable to people.  I love being around people, especially new people.  I hate just sitting and watching life happen, I have to be active and involved in everything I am a part of.  I feel I went into the profession of Marriage and family therapy specifically because people interest me and I love communicating with people and teaching people how to communicate effectively.  This is also part of why I enjoy my work in special education as well.  I think I am a good conversationalist, and I think most of my friends and family would agree with this.  I know I go off topic and have very random trains of thought sometimes.  On the downside, I know I am nosy (always have been) and I can't stand being bored (moved jobs a few times because of this). 

The parts I disagree with are that I feel like I do look past the superficial and really get to know people and information, this is something I really enjoy.  I think that I often linger on the fine details rather then brush over them.  And I hate to be naive and would always rather know the truth. 

I think overall I fit more then I don't.  I've always been proud to be a Gemini, we are a fun group to be around.

Day 5 - My favorite Comfort foods and why

    I have so many of these, mostly because I love food, but what is better then a home cooked meal.  So here goes the list:

From my mom:
Macaroni and Cheese (hers is the absolute best I have ever had!)
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes (her recipe is the only meatloaf I will eat)
Red Pork chops and Rice (something about this is just the best thing in the world)

From Grandma and Papa:
Dungenous crab (what is not good about this)
Fried chicken (Papa is form the south and learned how to fry a mean grilled chicken)

From Ian:
Popcorn Cow (Reminds me of his mom and it is just plain tasty)
Fried chicken (different then Papa's but oh so delicious)
BBQ chicken (He is magical with the grill, and his sauce is to die for)
Beef Stroganoff (He makes it from scratch and I LOVE it)

All of these foods just remind me of the people that make them and how much I love them, thus making each and every one a comforting meal for me. 

Day 4 - Religion

Religion is always a touchy subject for me.  I was not raised in any religion, nor do I practice any religion at this point in my life.  Instead I was brought up with a set of moral standards that taught me how to be a "good person".  The reality is that these are very Christian based rules, as both of my parents were brought up in the church.  I always seem to get myself in trouble when it comes to this topic, but after much contemplation and thought where I stand on the subject is this:  I believe there is always something greater then myself out there, even if it is simply the world we live in.  I believe that everything we do has an impact on someone or something else, so I should try to live my life the best way I know how, and I should raise my children to do the same.  I would like to think that if there is an almighty being waiting at the gates of heaven/valhalla/nirvana/etc. to let people in then they will be able to look at what I have done in my life and how I have lived and cared for others when they pass judgment on me.  If that almighty being cannot look past my questioning beliefs and see the good that I have done then I would not want to spend eternity with that being, I would rather fade into non existence.  I realize that my views are not accepted by many, and I know that they are "controversial", but it is what it is.  I accept all beliefs as valid, and have much respect for the faithful, it just isn't what works for me. 

Day 3 - My Top 5 Pet Peeves

This one is a challenge for me.  I feel like I don't really have that many pet peeves, but then I really think about it and realize thatI have a lot of them.

#1 - Mean People.  Like the people who know they are being mean and still do it anyway. I try my best everyday to smile and be fairly peaceful and I just don't understand this at all.

#2 - People who ask a lot of stupid questions.  Now I realize I have done this myself, but what I am talking about is when I am sitting in class and a person raises their hand repeatedly to ask something that was just answered.  Or better yet, continue asking it over and over like the response is somehow going to change if they ask enough times.  If you are too dumb to grasp the concepts why are you in the class?!?!

#3 - Obnoxious neighbors.  My neighborhood is filled with them right now.  We have the fence neighbors that have made a wall of cars down our driveway, hte domestic violence neighbors who we have to call the cops on all the time, the parking monitors across the street, and of course the naked chick behind my sister's house (she wanders around the yard naked at night).

#4 - Dirty dishes.  There is nothing good about dishes, I hate doing them, but I hate seeing them sit there in the sink even more. I hate how angry they make me everytime I have to do them.  If I could wish for one type of house keeping to be done that would be it.

#5 - Running Late.  I hate running late, it drives me crazy and stresses me to no end.  I do my best, but I swear I am late more often then I am on time.  Still working on a solution to that.

Day 2 - Where I'd like to be in 10 years

Still working on getting this done on time, what can you do?  In 10 years?  This is a remarkably hard question for me.  Ideally I would love to be a therapist/photographer.  I finished my degree in Marriage and Family Therapy 2 years ago and still have not been able to find a job due to the recession we are in.  I love the work that I was doing during school and can't imagine myself doing many other things.  The one other thing I can see myself doing is being a full time photographer, but this is a bit of a pipe dream.  Another one of those difficult things to do in a slow economy, and in a  very saturated market place.  Who knows, maybe I will go back to school and work on my doctorate, or a master's in something completely different.  No plans are ever written in stone for me.  All I know is that in 10 years I will be the mother of a very soon to be 16 year old boy, and that is a very scary thought!!

Day 1 - My Relationship

Day 1 seems to be a few days later then expected, but still here.  My relationship?  Is a pretty good one.  I have been married to the love of my life for almost 7 years now.  We have been together for 13 years, and we have been friends for about 18 years.  Ian and I are good and bad for each other all at the same time.  I always laugh when I really take a look at us and see what opposites we are.  We disagree on politics, color palettes, and where things belong.  But when all is said and done we agree on the major things in life; how to raise our children, how to treat other people, and how to treat each other.  We met in Jr. high water polo and according to him I was the scary big girl that could kick all the incoming freshman boy's butts.  While it is probably true that I could kick butt, I was no where near as big as he seems to remember, although I did have an inch or two on him.  I can't say that we had an instant friendship because that would not be true, but it did develop over time.  By our senior year in high school we were more then acquaintances, but nothing like best friends.  I guess you could say that love blossomed after high school once Ian grew a few inches and put on a little bit of weight.  We started hanging out on a regular basis and by a yea rout of high school were a couple.  We have been Ian and Bri ever since.  We have been through so much together and honestly I can't imagine going on life's journey with anyone else.  He can drive me crazy some days, but overall I think we are the best match for one another.  I push him to do things he would never even think about without me, and he keeps me from going into an emotional upheaval every other day.