Last week, Kim asked us to write 10 things about ourselves. i found this to be a great starting point for this blog post. it was cathartic to just write stuff out, share some stuff that i might not share with everyone. here are my (more than) 10 truths:
1. I’m one of the many “kids” who moved home after graduating college and has never moved back out. I’ve been “home” for over 10 years now, and this is the longest I’ve ever lived in a place, plus we’ve been in the same house—not just the same town! I live with my dad, my stepmom (we got her about 6 yrs ago), and our two Lhasa Apso dogs, Cleo and Bandit (who are often highlighted in my photos).
2. I’ve lived in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and back to Massachusetts. I’ve only got 3 more New England states to go! When we first moved from MA to ME, I hated it. I was jealous of all of my friends who lived in the same town and/or house their whole lives. Then I realized I would have never met the friends I had in Maine if we hadn’t moved there. I like to think that goes for every place I’ve lived. It made me grow up a little faster, learn to adapt, explore and travel. I wouldn’t trade living in all the different places (well, the actual packing & moving I could have done without!) for anything.
3. I am what some people would call a packrat. I have bins, boxes, cartons, baskets, and drawers full of arts & crafts material, or stuff I think I will one day use for a craft or project. I used to work at Michaels, and I would tell the customers that I literally owned one of everything we sold in the store. I’m a bit of an ADD crafter, so I like to dabble wherever my fancy takes me. Sometimes I wish I was really great at one thing and would just stick with that one thing. But then I realize how bored I would get and I’m glad I like it all.
4. I learned sewing, knitting, crocheting, and many other things from my grandmother. Unfortunately, I didn’t get her cooking skills. I hate most cooking—it takes too long, there are too many steps, it’s messy, etc. I do like to bake sometimes. And I make a mean egg in multiple ways. But more often than not, I would rather pick up something on the way home to eat than cook it myself. I wish I liked to cook, but I just don’t.
5. Although I love taking photos outside, I really hate the outdoors. I can’t stand gardening, hiking, most sports, bugs, too much sun, etc. I love visiting the beach and feel fortunate to live close enough to a coastline, so I try to go at least once a summer.
6. I made some amazing friends at my last job, and I foresee that we’ll be friends for many years to come. I miss having lunch with them or yelling to them across the office. We had some great times while (we were supposed to be) working.
7. I have some personal phrases and mottos I live by: If you’re not having fun, why do it? Nothing is impossible. Do what makes you happy. Well behaved women rarely make history. The "impossible" quote from Audrey Hepburn. many others...
8. I love humor and making myself and others laugh. I crack myself up all the time. I think it's important to know how to laugh and how to cry, and to do both often (although crying is limited to a couple of times a week while watching shows like Undercover Boss, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and dramas).
9. I love TV, but I also love to read. I’ve found that you can learn so much from both of these. I hate when people say “turn off the TV” like TV is a bad thing. You don’t have to just watch reality shows—don’t you know that PBS, the History Channel, HGTV, and news are on TV, too? I have too many favorite shows and books to list here. I’ve always been an avid reader (my mom audio taped me reading—on the toilet—when I was 2) and I always will be. My stepmom Sue got me a Nook last Christmas, and it’s one of the greatest inventions ever! I love being able to watch movies/TV, play games, go on the internet, check my email, read books, trade books, and look up words I don’t know while reading.
10. I’m a technologist. Is that a word? I mean that I love technology. It’s funny because I never had to take a computer class in college (I did in high school), and we didn’t even own a computer with internet until I was 16. I’ve found that I’m great at using these gadgets and figuring things out on my own (although I also love it when someone tells/shows me how to do things). I just got an iPhone and I’m in love. I’m loving the Pinterest and Instagram apps.
11. I have a full time job doing marketing/philanthropy/community relations at our local community hospital, but I also teach ZUMBA® Fitness classes. ZUMBA has changed my life. After teaching ZUMBA for over 2 years, I’ve finally found my niche—working with special needs groups, and teaching AQUA ZUMBA® (in the pool). I would have never thought in a million & a half years that I would be teaching—or even doing—anything exercise related, but I am. And I’m pretty okay at it. And I love it, and it's great for me, which is what matters most.
12. I started Weight Watchers about a year and a half ago, and I’ve lost over 30 pounds so far. I have a few more to go, but I’m down to my college size, and hoping to get to high school-size someday! It feels amazing to know how to eat and get the results you work hard for. I know sometimes people talk about WW like it’s a religion or a cult. In some ways, it is—but better. It teaches you how to eat—not deprive yourself, not give up things you love, not DIET…just how to live healthy. Plus it’s a great group of people who’ve gone through the same stuff and will help support you.
13. I still have nightmares that I have to go back to high school. Somehow they’ve let me keep my college degree—it’s just the high school diploma they say I haven’t finished yet. I can’t remember where I’m supposed to be, I’m late, and my locker combination doesn’t work. I hate those stupid dreams!
14. I’ve lost a lot of people that meant something to me—my grandmother, my best friend Barbara, my college friend Kristy, my cousin Luke, my cat Pearl…all of them contributed to my life, and many other lives. I miss them all the time. I got my first tattoo with the initials of my gram, B, and Kristy. My next tattoo will be for myself with a Zumba-inspired twist.
15. When I was growing up, I always told myself that I wouldn’t be as old as my parents were when they had me (they were 30 & 33!), because my grandmother had seemed so old when I was little (she was 73 when I was born), and I wanted my kids to know their grandparents. Well, you can’t plan your life! I’m past the age when both of my parents had me, with no prospects on the horizon… here's hoping...
16. I've gone to "talk therapy" for years. I think that everyone could use therapy at some point in their lives (if not for their whole life). It's nice having a non-partisan person to talk to, throw ideas off of, get new ideas that you would never have found without them. I'm a big proponent for mental health, having struggled with things in my life that no one helped me with. Sometimes you have to go out and find what you need to make yourself better, happy, complete, healthy. Don't be ashamed if you're going through something--most likely, the person in front of you has had some or all of the same problems as you. It's like cancer or AIDS...someone you know has had to deal with this or known someone close to them that had to deal with it, so it's okay to talk about it in public. Don't hide what you're thinking--share it with others. You never know who you could help.
So, those are some blurbs about me...what about you? :o)
4 comments:
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. :)
I came to view your Whisper image and discovered your 10+ things! You are an interesting young lady and you make beautiful art!
thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Dropping by from Beyond Layers -- thoroughly enjoyed reading your generously long and interesting list of truths. Your storyboard of your Lhasa apsos is so sweet.
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