Heather - 100 Things
Topic: 100 Things

"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, whose game is pretending that he's 'Who I am', "today I received my niece's 100 Things."

Tiger let out an aggravated, 'Ahhhhh,' because he didn't much care for anyone taking a look at themselves, which was my clue to post it along with a picture of Heather.

Before posting I said, "Look at that smile and notice too," I added, "her cousin, my daughter Molly, is standing with her. The picture was taken last week when Heather, Molly, Beth and cousin Rachael went into Boston to see a show at the Wang Center with Sherry, Heather's mother."

Another, 'Ahhhhh,' from the pest was all I could handle. I immediately posted Heather's 100 Things.

1) My full name is Heather Mae Brow
2) I was born on January 25th 1979
3) I live on my own in an apartment in Quincy MA
4) My job is 6 minutes away from my house, but I am usually at least 5 minutes late for work everyday
5) My full job title is Anti-Money Laundering Fraud Administrator (and I hate telling people when they ask what I do)
6) I am proud to say that I have been at my company for almost 10 years and at one point has a staff of 9
7) I do not have a college degree
8) I am OK with that, and proud to say that I am a hard worker and always have been
9) I also bar tend 2 nights a week
10) I?ve had 2 jobs for more than 6 years
11) Even though I don?t like to admit it (well I am now) I like it when people ask me for help
12) I hate asking for any kind of help
13) When I was a child and I was acting up or being grouchy, my mother use to always tell me ?Take a deep breath, and blow out the little Me? I still use that advice today
14) If I could change one thing from my past it would be that I stayed living at home longer (now I realized- why was in such a rush?)
15) I have small rituals and routines that I have to follow everyday
16) I am very organized
17) I love music and listening to the words of songs, they mean so much more when you know what the song is all about
18) I have on older brother named Andrew who I am very close to
19) He taught me how to tie my sneakers
20) He has also protected me all my life, even now
21) He taught me to love sports 22) We use to always fight over the TV growing up, and because he was older we watched what he wanted, and it was always sports
23) My brother was somewhat a father figure to me 24) My father passed away some time ago
25) Even though towards the end of his life we weren?t as close, I still think about him 26) He was never waked and I feel I never had closer with him
27) One of our last conversations he told me ?Heather, you are going to have to accept that I am an alcoholic and I?m not going to stop drinking? I feel like he gave up and never even tried
28) I love dancing
29) I took lessons for over 20 years
30) I was also the captain of my high school?s dance team
31) I danced this past year at a pre-game show at the Fleet Center before a Celtics basketball game
32) I remember one recital when I was younger, while I was dancing I looked at the crowd to see where my family was sitting and in the end seat of the row I saw my grandfather cheering me on
33) My very first year of dancing I performed in a pink tutu to ?Boogie-Woogie Piggy?
34) My papa always brought that up when we talked about dancing
35) He passed away and I miss him so much
36) When I lived with my grandparents, he use to make me coffee every morning before work and tell me all his stories about his fascinating life
37) I?m glad we shared those moments
38) My grandmother is one of the strongest women I know
39) I can not believe she had 9 children
40) I always appreciate everything she has done for me and I?m glad we are close
41) Family is very important to me 42) My mother is another one of the strongest women I know
43) We have the BEST relationship- I couldn?t ask for anything better
44) I can tell her anything (and I mean anything)
45) I hope some day when I have children, I can be strong and bring them up the same way she did my brother and I
46) I thank God everyday for her
47) My mother is married to Nelson
48) She is so happy with him and I?m glad they found each other
49) It?s hard for me to express my feelings for Nelson (I have no idea why) but I do love him
50) I am in love right now, and he doesn?t even know
51) His name is Bill
52) He told me on our first date that it was going to be my last first date
53) This is the first time I can picture spending the rest of my life with someone
54) I once asked someone ?How do you know you found The One?? they told me ?You just know? I know exactly what that means know and it kinda freaks me out
55) My best friend Stacy knows everything about me
56) We don?t see each other often, but was talk almost every night, and still have so much to talk about
57) I?m a hopeless romantic
58) My other best friend Chuck thinks I live in La La land sometimes
59) He also knows everything about me
60) He is a recovering alcoholic for more than 3 years and I?m so proud of him for not giving up and going through something like that at a young age
61) I believe Chuck is my ?Friend Mate? (kinda like a soul mate but in a friend/brother kind of way
62) I love shopping
63) I never look at price tags, I tell my friends, if you absolutely LOVE something, buy it, you will regret that you didn?t and when you go back to get it, it?s gone
64) I have a jean fetish
65) I own 27 pairs (funny that is my age)
66) I just counted them before I wrote that
67) I love when people say ?Heather, you have the best jeans?
68) The one thing I will require when I own my own house will be a giant walk-in closet
69) I love vegetables
70) Growing up, my brother and I could not leave the dinner table until all of our meal was finished including veggies (I hated them)
71) I thank my mom for that because I know now that is why I like them
72) I always hated broccoli bottoms and use to have them cut off in order to eat it
73) Still to this day I cut off my broccoli bottoms
74) I also remember my brother eating all of his spinach, because he believed that it would make him strong like Popeye
75) I had a great childhood
76) I grew up in a neighborhood where there were tons of kids my age
77) I always remember going out and playing all day and never wanting to come in- even for supper
78) I am an Aquarius
79) I love Astrology
80) I read my horoscope everyday from the Herald
81) I know people think they are bull, but I think there is some truth to them
82) I like the saying ?You only live once?
83) If I?m afraid to do something, I repeat that in my head
84) My friends would say I?m the life of the party
85) I usually can turn a bad time into great fun
86) I believe I get this from my mother
87) I?m close with my cousins
88) I?m glad we still hang out
89) We always have the best times when we all get together
90) I love email
91) Email is my main source for keeping in touch with everyone
92) I hate in climate weather
93) I am petrified of driving in the rain (and snow)
94) I?ve had panic attacks and had to pull over till it stopped
95) I love sunny 85-90 degree weather
96) I love the ocean and beaches
97) I believe in Guardian angels
98) I also believe everyone is one and has one and we all work in disguise
99) I thank God for my health, family, and friends
100) The saying ?everything happens for a reason? is so TRUE

Treasure Chests & Matrioshka Dolls
Topic: 100 Things
"A beggar had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you are sitting on?" "Nothing," replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember." "Ever looked inside?" asked the stranger. "No," said the beggar. "What's the point? There's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold." - Excerpted from The Power of Now. Copyright ¿ 2001 by New World Library


"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, the pest who aims to point me in the wrong direction, "I've another 100 Things to post for tomorrow or Tuesday - this one will from my niece Heather, my sister Sherry's daughter." I added too, "My step daughter, Kim, is working on her list."

'I don't get the deal with this 100 things list,' put in Mr. Tiger before he said, 'is this supposed to be some magic doorway into the inner self, representing who these people really are?'

"No Tige," I answered seriously, "the 100 things, in my opinion, does not define who we are. It's just an individual glimpse into the t chest." I restated, "It is by no means who we really are, but of course it is a start."

Pretending that he didn't know what I meant Mr. Tiger asked, 'A start? A start to what?'

"it's just a small start that leads to a series of boxes."

'What'd searching for at the end? Gold?' asked the pest who must have read the above excerpt from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Before I answered his question I reminded Tiger that he could take a look through the 100 Things topic list by clicking along the side bar to the left. I then responded to his question indirectly because I didn't know how to adequately explain that we are are stories, and yet we're not, without going into a long rendition. I said one word, "Presence."

I then pasted an inspirational story from Chapter One of The Faithful Gardener: A Wise Tale about That Which Can Never Die by Jungian psychologist/storyteller Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

Estes writes:
Within This Small Book There are several stories. Like Matrioshka dolls, they fit one inside the other. Among my people, both Magyar and Mexicano, we have long traditions of telling stories while we work at our daily labors. Questions about the living of life, especially those pertaining to matters of heart and soul, are most often answered by telling a story or a series of tales. We consider story our living relative, and so it seems to us completely sensible that as one friend invites another friend to join in the conversation, so, too, a certain story calls forth a specific second story, which in turn evokes a third story, and frequently a fourth and a fifth, and occasionally several more, until the answer to a single question has become several stories long.
So, according to our rustic practices you can see why, before I tell you this singular story about "That Which Can Never Die, I must first tell you the story of my uncle, an old peasant farmer who survived the horrors of World War II in Hungary.
He brought the essence of this story through burning forests, through memories of unutterable events of days and nights in slave labor camps.
He brought the seed of this story over oceans in the dark of steerage to America.
He sheltered this story as he rode black trains through the golden fields along the northern border that separates Canada from the United States. Through all this and much more, he held the spirit of the story in a refuge near his heart, somehow managing to hold it safely away from the wars crackling inside him.
But even before I tell Uncle's story, I must tell you the story he told me about "This Man," the old farmer he knew in the old country who attempted to defend a young and precious grove of trees from being destroyed by a marauding foreign army. However, in order to tell you the story of "This Man," I must first tell you a story about how stories were created to begin with, for without the creation of stories, there would be no stories to tell at all ? no story about stories, no story about my uncle, no story about "This Man," and no story about "That Which Can Never Die ? and the rest of the pages of this book would remain as unwritten upon as the autumn moon.

In my family, the old ones practiced a tradition called "make-story," this being a time ? often over a meal rich in aromas of fresh onions, warm bread, and spicy rice-sausage ? when the elders encouraged the young to weave tales, poems, and other pieces. The old ones laughed with one another as they ate. To us they said, "We are going to test you to see if you are gaining any knowledge worth having. Come, come now, give us a story from scratch. Let us see you flex your story muscles."

This story about stories was one of the first I wove as a young child. The Creation of Stories.
How did stories come into being?' Ah, stories came into the world because God was lonely. God was lonely? Oh, yes, for you see, the void at the beginning of time was very dark. The void was dark because it was so tightly packed with stories that not even one story stood out from the others. Stories were therefore without form, and the face of God moved over the deep, searching and searching ? for a story. And God's loneliness was very great. Finally, a great idea rose up, and God whispered, "Let there be light," and there was light so great that God was able to reach into the void and separate the darkstories from the stories of light.
As a result, clear morning stories came to life, and fine evening tales as well. And God saw that it was good.
Now God felt encouraged, and next separated the heavenly stories from the earthly stories, and these from the stories about water.
Then God took great joy in creating the small and the tall trees and brilliantly colored seeds and plants, so that there could be stories about the trees and seeds, and plants, too.
God laughed with pleasure, and from God's laughter fell the stars and the sky into their places. God set into the sky the golden light, the sun, to rule the day, and the moon, the silver light, to rule the night. And in all, God created these so that there would be stories about the stars and the moon, stories about the sun, and stories about all the mysteries of night.
God was so pleased with these that God turned to creating birds, sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, every fish and all the plants under the sea, and every winged creature, and all the cattle and creeping things, and all the beasts of the earth, according to their kind. And from all these came stories about God's winged messengers, and stories about ghosts and monsters, and tales of whales and fishes, and other stories about life before life knew itself, about all that had life now, and all that would come to life one day.
Yet even with all these wondrous creatures and all these magnificent stories, even with all the pleasures of creating, God was still lonely. God paced and thought, and thought and paced, and finally it came to our great Creator. "Ah. Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them care for, and be cared for in return, by all creatures of the seas, all those of the air, and all those of the earth. "So God created human beings from the dust of the ground, and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life, and human beings became living souls: male and female God created them.

100 Things - Kathy
Topic: 100 Things

"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, the inner pest who keeps track of all my petty incidentals, "I've decided to do my 100 Things today."

'I'm glad I finally persuaded you,' said the pious Mr. Tiger, 'and I hope your list gets down to the minutest of details.'

I laughed at his second comment and elaborated on the first. "You didn't persuade me Tige. It's just that I'm waiting for my daughter Kim's list to come along, and perhaps two or three others. Since there is no deadline, I'll post mine today and theirs when I receive them." I added too, "There's no need anyway, to present them one after another."

A sneer accompanied Tiger's last remark, 'But you planned on leaving yours till last.'

A quote my brother John uses often, accompanied mine. I said as I posted of my list and a picture of myself working on a hooked rug, "If you want to make God laugh - just tell him your plans."

1. I was born to Barbara and Robert Redman in January of 1948, their second child
2. An Aquarius girl
3. Jimmy was my older brother
4. My other siblings, Colleen, Danny, Sherry, Johnny, Joey, Bobby and Tricia came later
5. I lived by the ocean
6. I still love the smell of salt air
7. My childhood was full
8. I almost always had a tag along brother or sister wherever I went
9. It taught me to be conscientiousness
10. I didn't always like the responsibility
11 I used to hit my brothers when they didn't behave
12. I hope they forgive me for that - I would never hit a child these days
13. I knew I was loved
14. I loved everyone back
14. I didn't love school
15. except for the social aspect
16. I wasn't a good reader in spite of the plethora of books in my home
17. I'd bring a book to bed, almost nightly - I wanted to read like others
18. My father told me that everything I wanted to know was contained in books
19. I wanted to know everything. Why did I come? What was my purpose?
20. These questions began to form in me early on. I'm still asking
21. Sometimes I got to skip school to help my mother fold the clothes or bake a cake for dessert after supper
22. Good food was as plentiful as the books in my home - money wasn't
23. My father liked to eat
24. I ate well too. My mother was a good cook, always believing a day should have three square meals, even when she worked 5 nights a week. My father cooked sometimes to give her a break
25. I weeded the garden, when it was my turn
26. My life was sometimes a merry-go round
27. My father liked to drink too
28. He was an alcoholic
29. All through my youth he drank then stopped, then started again, then stopped and started again with many dry peroids in between (thank goodness)
30. A teacher at heart, my father taught me and my siblings about his illness
31. He taught me about the human spirit
32. He taught me to always battle the demons, in whatever form they appeared
33. I wish I could have told him before he died last year that I understood. I did. I do.
34. Love never dies but I miss him something awful
35. I love my mother too
36. She taught me through example to keep a clean home and take good care of my babies
37. I suckled her breast, she combed my fine hair and dressed me in pretty clothes
38. I nursed my own children too even when it wasn't popular - the last one until she was three
39. I took good care of my kids because my mother took good care of me. It works that way
40. She taught me to want all that she had
37. I reached my fairy tale goal in 1967, 4 months after turning 20
38. My prince told me he wasn't ready to be married the night before the big day
39. I sobbed in his arms telling him my parents had spent so much money preparing our wedding and my heart would be forever broken if he backed out (in that order)
40. My dream came true anyway. I was married in May
41. My innocence was soon gone
42. Marriage wasn't what I thought it would be
43. I never admitted it - I kept it tucked away, far in the back of my brain
44. It didn't matter, I was pregnant within a month
45. Another dream came true.
46. Chrissie was born on March 27, 1968
47. I loved her instantly from the top of her head down to her ten little baby toes
48. Bobby, her dad, went to Vietnam
49. I learned how to waitress and sew while he was away
50. I grew up
51. Our marriage fell apart a year after his return
52. I never talked him down. My daughter would not know how I was treated.
53. I forgive him
54. Oz is my husband now - I love this man more as the years pass by
55. He loves me too and his kids and his cars
56. We've been married for over 30 years
57. He had a little girl too - a year younger than Chrissie. Her name is Kim
58. Beth was conceived in April of '76 and born in a big snow storm the day after Christmas, nine years after I gave birth to her sister Chrissie
59. Now I had three little girls to love
60. Molly, the fourth, came as a happy surprise six years after Beth
61. After college, Molly came back to the nest, sleeping again in the same room where she was born
62. I taught my kids to sew. Two liked it - two didn't
63. I learned that doling out equal time to four children is hard - especially in blended families
64. Samanatha, my first grandchild, came into the world twelve years ago - I witnessed her birth
65. I was present too for two others. My granddaughter Isabel's was seven years ago
66. Smack dab in the middle of the deaths of my two brothers, Jimmy and Danny, Dominic was born - a reprieve from what was happening 5 years ago.
67. I saw Danny die. Myself, my sister Colleen, and my sister-in-law Jeanne were with him until the end - August 29, 2001.
66. Jimmy died alone - a tragic accident at his job; only 36 days before Danny
65. Kim has two babies, bringing the grandchildren total to five.
66. I've been wearing hearing aids for a little over 3 years - nerve damage I'm told
67. I listen to talk radio moreso than music - I can't always catch the lyrics. I miss that.
68. I dye wool but not my hair. It's turning gray
68. I love all colors
70. I use it profusely in my rugs
71. I've been hooking and braiding rugs since my kids were little
72. Each grandchild has a hooked rug that I've made to celebrate their arrivals
73. I think of these as family heirlooms
74. I've taught the craft to others
75. I have a dream to own a rug store one day - I'll call it Snug As A Bug
76. I'm still waitressing, but only once a week.
77. I'm manager on my other 4 shifts. It suits me fine most of the time
78. I work with Beth's EX
79. It has not always been easy
80. I'm adapting, now that her heart is mending
81. Chrissie is living back in Virginia with Samantha, a dog and a cat. She's been back and forth, back and forth. The cost of living is cheaper there
82. I miss them
83. Kim lives by the ocean not far from where I grew up. Beth lives 5 minutes away, a home-town girl
84. My mother still lives in the same town where I grew up
85. I don't do the laundry as often as I used to - it waits until I want to get to it
86. Lately I only vacuum once a week
87. I've other things to busy myself with; things that feel more important now that my children are off building their own lives
88. I've shelves of books in every room of my home
89. They offer to me what my father told they would
90. I love to read - my dyslexia hardly shows
91. My brother Joe had it worse - he couldn't read until he was in his forties
92. I was reading pretty well by my twenties
93. Springing from my desire to say all that I hold inside, I've recently begun to write. I practice on my blog
95. I've so much to express and several ways to state what I know, which is only a drop in the bucket of the fathomless sea
96. Arranging words into sentences reminds me of choosing the colors for my rugs - some work better than others. I test them until I find what fits,
almost like using an adjective before a noun to create a more colorful picture
97. Writing mine has moved me to tears
98. I'm still sentimental
99. I often wonder at the ending but of course there is none - I'll continue to grow and learn from where ever I land
100. I had a good foundation



 

100 Things Rachael
Topic: 100 Things




"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, the buttinski within, "I thought today for my continuing series of 100 things, that I'd introduce my niece Rachael. She's the daughter of my brother Joe and sister-in-law Nancy."

'But I'm waiting for yours,' responded the pest.

"Soon enough Tige, soon enough," was all I said.

'But don't you think people who read over here want to see your 100 Things more than others in your family?' he asked, knowing full well that I was leaving mine for last.

Without giving him an excuse or an explanation, I pasted Rachael's 100 Things with a picture of my daughter Beth who taught Rachael how to quilt, myself, and the star for today.


1. My legal full name is Rachael Marie Studer
2. Redman is my maiden name, which I hold dear to my heart and still use at work, I call it my show name
3. I work at a FM TALK radio station in Boston, i hear news and politics all day long
4. I am now addicted to talk radio, i have no idea what the "hot" songs are anymore
5. I once went to see a therapist because I felt i did not belong in a sales job
6. I found out my clients buy me because I'm not salesy...
7. I think being differant is a good thing
8. politically I would conisider myself a Libertarian
9. The ocean reminds me of my grandparents
10. I recently went up to Maine and went to the ocean and had to hold
back tears
11. I was born May 13, 1980, which makes me a Taurus
12. I love my husband with my whole heart
13. I was married on August 16, 2002
14. Currently my husband is re-building me a beautiful home with his own hands
15. I have never been more proud of some one, than Jay
16. I have been to marriage counceling, and continued to see a therapist after
17. Jay did too
18. counceling saved our marriage and ourselves (if that makes sense)
19. I had a fantastic childhood, i have so many great memories and never ever worried
20. My parents never fought in front of us, I'm going to stick to that rule for my kids
21. At work I was named "Quite Thunder", I liked that
22. I love the saying "grace is how you get back up after a fall"
23. I have an older brother and a younger sister, they are so precious to me
24. I talk to my sister almost every day, she knows me more than anyone
25. My brother and I are always real goofy around each other, showing off our Redman dance moves and singing voices
26. I have a 2 1/2 year old neice who calls me her best friend
27. I believe my niece Emily is going to be something big someday
28. I love how my husband always pays attention to the details
29. My mother in law loves to cook for us - sometimes dropping off a couple freezable meals - this is good for us because we rarely cook
30. My mother in law would do anything for us - she would drop anything to get to us if we needed her - that feels good to know that
31. My brother's wife Liza changed his world, I am gratefull to her for that
32. Sometimes I get voice mails at work before I get in from Jay telling me to have a good day
33. I have always said I wanted a marriage just like my parents
34. I have always looked up to them - and still do
35. I loved being a waitress - you build little relationships with people you barely know
36. I once cried to my Aunt Trisha after answering phones for 6 months, that I wanted to go back to being a waitress
37. I didn't want to disappoint my dad
38. I love to people watch
39. I have had IBS symptoms since I was 16 - I never talked about it until I was 23
40. I recently found out that about 90% of my girlfriends have the same stomach problems
41. I'm a very private person
42. I never discuss money with anyone, except my husband
43. I can now confront uncomfotable situations and just say whats on my mind, in a nice way
44. I love to travel and see new places - if I could choose anywhere to live it would be Greece, living an old fashioned life style
45. I have two tri-color Bassett Hounds
46. my dogs bring me joy
47. I have always had in my mind I want to adopt, maybe I will some day
48. I don't like the thought of a child not being loved...that breaks my heart
49. Jay has an unusual birthday: 11-22-77
50. Jay and my Uncle Jimmy shared the same birth day and month, also
the same day that JFK was assinated
51. I love that most of my cousins are the same age, so we are all friends
52. I am learning to golf
53. I said I wouldn't tell anyone just incase I didn't like it, but now it's out there
54. I never got to say goodbye to my Nana Curtis
55. I still miss her quirkiness
56. I have a weird tolerance with alchohol, sometimes it really doesn't agree with me - I get that from my dad
57. I met my husband and my best friend the same day
58. Sometimes my friend Jackie and I can have a conversation that is about the most random topics, one leading to the next for hours, and just laugh at ourselves
59. Jackie is my best friend and sister inlaw
60. My cousin Beth taught me how to make quilts
61. I love that she was the one who taught me art
62. I come from an extremely creative family
63. I consider my dad and my husband artists
64. my sisters confidence in her work abilities, inspire me
65. I remember teaching my sister to say the word duck
66. I still see Danielle as a 10 year old in my mind
67. When I started my career in radio sales I read a book called "Who Moved My Cheese", its about change - I got through the begining days thinking to myself "what would I do if I were not afraid?"
68. I actually wrote that on a piece of paper and taped it in my car
69. Its no longer in my car
70. My boss Nika is my friend
71. I had a mentor named Debbie
72. Debbie is no longer in the industry, but we remain friends
73. When I look at my hands I see my mom's hands, I can sometimes see my brother and sister's hands too
74. I think my internal alarm clock is for 8am, but unfortunetley I have to be up at 6:30 to be to work at 8:30 in Boston
75. It wouldn't be unusual for me to need 10 hours of sleep
76. about a year ago I found a gold Saint Christopher charm in my house - I believe in God
77. I believe that when you love someone, you love all of that person, even the tough stuff, because you would hope they would love you through your tough stuff
78. Because I am private putting this 100 things list makes me nervous to put out there
79. My two favorite desserts are Baklava and Tiramisu
80. I used to read for my dad, I once taped myself reading a contractors regulation book, so my dad could listen and pass his test
81. He passed
82. My dad is an inspiration to me
83. He doesn't let anything hold him back - never has, ever since he was a kid he made things work for him in his own way - always staying postive - I try to take the same approach
84. My mom had a rough childhood - I never fully understood the extent until I was older - I then could understand more about her
85. My mother is a strong person, I admire her strength
86. My original GSM, Alan, did not want to hire me - he said I did not have enough life experience (I was 21 at the time)
87. Work is very challenging for me, I feel mentally drained by the end of the day
88. My first car was a red Ford Festiva - it was a standard, my Father taught me how to drive it, he is a good teacher
89. I remember playing barbies with my mother, that meant allot to me
90. I had little self confidence in myself from about the age of 10 all the way through high school - I am happy in my own skin now - sometimes I revert to those feelings though
91. My ten year high school reunion will be in the fall of 2008, I am actually looking forward to it
92. I think my nana makes the best home made meals
93. I remember my papa being so proud of his home made soups...they were always delicious - that also reminds me of when he was in the hospital and Trish &I were visiting and all he wanted was soup...I miss him
94. I grew up going to my grandparents house every other Sunday, rituaously
95. I am glad I got that connection with my grandparents - some of my friends only see there family once a year
96. I learned in marriage counceling to get things off your chest, even if they seem insignificant - sometimes if you hold it in little things, they turn into big things
97. I get sentimental about small stuff, for example we are changing the color of my house to blue - I feel a little sadness for loosing the red color
98. Jay says I'm sentimental because I feel at home at a red house, the house I grew up in was red and my grandparents house was red
99. I get very protective about my family
100. I am so blessed

100 Things _Tricia
Topic: 100 Things




"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, who aims to keep me from seeing what is what, "here I am again today to expand on these very rich 100 Things About Me."

'You are saturating your blog with this nonsense,' responded Tiger, 'I don't understand your purpose.'

"Ha," I deliberately laughed to show him I knew he was pulling my leg. And then, more to myself than to him, I said, "Some of the 100 Things are light-hearted, while others are done with deeper intent. Underneath each is only the flavor of the person. Nothing more - nothing less. And besides for that," I added, "it's fun."

With that I posted my next entry of 100 Things written by my youngest sibling, Tricia.


1. My name is Patricia Ellen
2. I am 42 years old born on November 19, 1963
3. I have the same middle name as my mother
4. My youngest son Patrick is named after me (the male version of Patricia) and my husband: his middle name Daniel is my husband?s first name
5. My oldest son Matthew has the same middle name as my husband: Christopher
6. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 3 days after I was born
7. My birthday almost fell on my brother Jimmy?s birthday, which is November 22nd (actually the day JFK was assassinated)?so the youngest and oldest in the family almost had the same birthday
8. I am a Scorpio although my ruling planet Pluto has recently been declassified as a Planet so what this means astrologically I do not know
9. I have blue eyes
10. My body type is petite
11. I want people who read this to name the top five things that they didn?t already know
12. I have 2 sons ? 10 & 7 years old
13. I nursed them both for far longer than is socially acceptable?past their 3rd year and there was no weaning involved at all they just stopped when they were ready
14. There was a time when they were both nursing in tandem
15. My first child was a c-section
16. My second child was a v-bac (vaginal birth after c-section)
17. I wanted the v-bac right from the beginning of the pregnancy
18. When I was 2 weeks overdue with my second child they wanted to induce me
19. I instinctively knew that I?d end up with another c-section if nature didn?t take its course, so I resisted the inducement
20. I also wanted my baby to come into the world at the exact moment it was ready to and not any earlier
21. I love my entire family to no end?each and every member
22. I have 5 brothers, and 3 sisters who I love dearly (2 of which I love are in heaven)
23. I miss my brothers and think about them all the time
24. My parents were married for 2 months shy of 60 years
25. They didn?t celebrate their 60th anniversary because my father died
26. Sometimes I still can?t believe my father is gone
27. I went to a Red Sox game last week with work and they played ?Take me out to the Ball Game? and I had to excuse myself with tears in my eyes because this was one of my father?s theme songs
28. Part of me always wonders what would have happened if my father could have been taken home that fateful day we both ended up in the ER
29. Part of me wonders if I could have insisted that we not be placed in separate rooms then Dad would have been more comfortable and the nurse may not have been inclined to drug him up with all that Haldol
30. Part of me knows there?s a big possibility he would still be here if (28) and (29) happened but I try not to dwell on it because it makes me too sad
31. Part of me also knows he?s at peace in heaven now
32. I often baffle over how hard it must have been for my mother and father to bring up nine kids
33. Some of my fondest memories of growing up were of high school days and cheerleading and competitions and the football rallies
34. Nancy and Jaye are my true, blue best friends and I couldn?t have a list of 100 things about myself without mentioning them and their impact on my life
35. I have a Bachelor?s Degree in Business Management with a minor in Psychology
36. I got my Degree from UMASS ? Boston
37. I worked 20 hours a week at State Street from 7:00 to 11:00 while also going to school full-time
38. I never lived away at college but so many of my friends did that I got to live the experience through them (UMASS Boston is a commuter school)
39. I?ve been married for 15 years
40. 15 years is a long time and I?m happy for all the years and I?m looking forward to many more
41. Marriage isn?t always a walk in the park though?..it takes work
42. My brain cells can produce too much electricity and the cells can misfire
43. When this happens to a small area of the brain it produces minor but still uncomfortable symptoms but consciousness is not lost
44. Twice in my life, it has spread to effect my whole brain and I?ve lost consciousness and my body experienced a full-blown seizure (it?s sort of like when there?s a thunder and lightning storm and the power in the house goes out)
45. The last time this happened was October 17th?the same day my father got in the car accident that took his life 43 days later
46. My two kids both witnessed parts of the seizure I had
47. My youngest son was six at the time and he called 911 completely on his own
48. My oldest son had to go to a therapist for months afterward because of the trauma of witnessing his mom have a seizure and all the deaths that seemed to follow it
49. He seems ok now but as his mother I always worry about him because he?s so serious and he keeps a lot inside?my youngest is more laid back and less intense
50. I have a new neurologist and I?m taking a new anti-seizure medication
51. I had to double dose (both new and old med) before I could wean off the old medicine and this was not an easy thing for me because it took about 2 whole months
52. I am an now totally weaned off the old medicine and taking only the new medicine and I?m so psyched to have that behind me
53. I fired the first neurologist because she seemed to want her patients to be her puppets
54. I couldn?t drive for six months after the seizure and this took place during the holiday season and losing your independence is hard
55. The main reason I chose to take the anti-seizure medicine is because of the reams of evidence that it helps prevent seizures even with the side effects it may have
56. Anything that has even a remote chance to help prevent another one so that my kids do not have to go through seeing me that way again???.I will try
57. There are no guarantees though even with the medicine I take and that?s a scary thing
58. Even though it?s true there are no guarantees, I try to focus on the fact that this disorder has been present for 13 some odd years and the fact remains that only 2 full-blown seizures have resulted so my brain is doing a pretty good job most of the time!
59. I sometimes feel depressed when I look at carefree pictures of the past and see a Trish that still had a father, five brothers and no thoughts of seizures or medicine (life was so simple then)
60. I don?t like when the summer ends and that my kids have to be swallowed up by those yellow school buses
61. My favorite food of all time is by far eggs
62. I have to have a big breakfast or I?m ruined for the day
63. I could never have a continental breakfast
64. When I go out to eat with friends and order a non-alcoholic drink, I think they should serve it in a glass without me having to ask especially when all my friends alcoholic drinks are in glass cups (automatically you get plastic if it?s non-alcoholic for those of you who do not know?.no wonder people drink L)
65. I own my own house (well the mortgage company does) but I?m the owner on the deed and I pay the taxes
66. I love to read
67. My most important job is being a mom
68. I?m also a vice president at Eastern Bank where I?m a financial advisor to cities and Town?s helping them finance their capital projects like building new schools, police stations, replacing water mains etc.
69. My job, commuting back and forth to Boston, juggling work and parenting and staying on top of notices, birthdays, sporting events and homework takes a lot or organization and is hard work
70. I have Friday?s off from work thank god or I?d really be nuts?.this is my sanity day and even with this day off I?m stressed out
71. Things have been very stressful for me lately and I?m looking for ways to minimize stress in my life?..I may sign up for a yoga class
72. I don?t have time to cook thank goodness Danny cooks dinner
73. Sometimes I crave quiet?..without any radio, TV, noise or anything competing with conversation
74. I get easily distracted
75. Things don?t always look the same way twice for me?.I could travel the same road every day and I?d always notice something different
76. I easily get lost
77. I have so many nieces and nephews that I?ve lost track of how many
78. I don?t have any pets?. well we have 1 fish and Mr Snail just died
79. I keep my cars for a long time usually on average about 10-12 years
80. I have never leased a car
81. I think horns on cars are great for emergencies like if somebody is about to crash into you but I do not like it when people use them because they?re impatient
82. I bought my first car for $725 with hard earned money earned while working all summer at Paragon Park
83. I loved my first car and think that working all summer for it was a good life lesson that my mother taught me at 16: to work hard toward what you want in life
84. I am a morning person
85. At about 4:30-4:45 every day I get so terribly tired that I could just crash?..this is my worst time of the day
86. The ocean can do wonders for me if I?m not quite right emotionally or physically
87. I wish I lived in walking distance to the ocean then I wouldn?t have to even think about yoga for a stress release
88. I don?t like when people give me directions and I don?t have a pen and paper in my hand
89. I have to write everything down in order to commit it to memory
90. I?m the type of person who pushes my self sometimes too much and always goes the extra mile, which has served me well in life but it can also be a bad thing sometimes
91. I don?t easily wind down when I?m worked up
92. I may not sleep for 2 days and my whole system will be in disarray if I?m hurting about something
93. I look at things like rainbows, fireflies, butterflies and hummingbirds as miracles of nature and gifts to be beheld for the fleeting time periods that they come before us
94. I love to take pictures especially of Matthew & Patrick but I take them of everybody
95. My favorite saying is that ?what the heart knows today, the head will understand tomorrow?
96. I?m a person who will fight for what I believe is right
97. I pray every night that every one I love will remain safe and healthy and that I will too
98. I try to look for the positive in every situation
99. I think it?s better to speak your mind than to beat around the bush
100. I believe that love is the most important thing there is in the world

100 Things - Molly
Topic: 100 Things

"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger the schmuck within, "another addition to the continuing series of 100 Things. If you're ready, I'm ready to post my daughter Molly's 100 Things. "

'And if I'm not?' the pest asked and then without making eye contact he added, 'I'm waiting for yours.'

"Soon enough," I said, "soon enough."

With that I posted 100 Things about my youngest child. The picture is of Molly and her dad, my Oz, taken at her girlfriend Mandy's wedding almost 3 weeks ago.

1. My full name is Molly Joy Osborn.

2. Some of my nicknames are Mo, Momo, Momobadobo (thanks mom!), MoJo, Mosbo, and Mazo.

3. At different times in my life there have been different names that I?ve tacked at the end of Molly Joy, imaging what my last name will be later in life when I?m married: Laramee? Scarpelli? Solari?

4. I was the maid of honor in my college roommate?s wedding last weekend- my first friend to get married.

5. I wrote the toast and did a good job presenting it.

6. I am slightly nervous when I have to speak publicly.

7. I once took a public speaking course and did the final speech standing on one leg, unknowingly. My friend informed me of this balance act after class.

8. I went to Salve Regina University from 2001- 2005.

9. I was homesick at college for the first two years.

10. I found my group of friends junior year, and loved school after finding them.

11. My apartment was on Thames Street, the most famous street in Newport, RI

12. I graduated with high honors- magna cum laude ? with a 3.94 GPA.

13. I always had a pretty easy time with school, but hated it growing up.
14. I was a cheerleader from 2nd grade through high school.

15. I didn?t make the squad my freshman year. My parents claimed "politics" were to blame but it hurt all the same.

16. I tried out for the Patriot?s Cheerleading team in 2003, making the first cut, but ultimately went home in tears.

17. My parents picked me up from tryouts and drove me back to college, after my roommate (and ride) was cut before me and went home early.

18. I still live with my parents, at age 23.

19. This is sometimes more convenient than other times.

20. I am a marketing and development coordinator at Mystic Valley Elder Services.

21. I drive from Rockland to Malden and Malden to Rockland every day for work.

22. Due to the commute, I spend about 3 hours on average in my car everyday.

23. I hate traffic.

24. My boyfriend?s name is Brad Michael Solari

25. He?s 30 and I?m 23.

26. Sometimes the age difference is apparent, but usually not.

27. I?m the youngest of four girls and like to think I have parts of each of their personalities.

28. My sisters are my built-in best friends.

29. I have always been super close to my parents and sisters.

30. I was born in my house?my bedroom.

31. My mom did this on purpose (first question people ask)

32. I grew up next door to four other girls ? the Guites.

33. Sarah Guite is still my best friend and always will be.

34. I spend a lot of time thinking about my past.

35. I miss so much about it and have always hated change.

36. I?m cautious.

37. I?m a goofball.

38. I love to spend my time cross-stitching.

39. My sister taught me to stitch when I was visiting her in Virginia about 12 years ago.

40. I go to the gym, but don?t like to and don?t really think I have to?

41. I love to dance.

42. I danced for eight years, and quit when I was about 14 because I didn?t have time for it anymore.

43. I regret this.

44. I want to start taking lessons again and my sister Beth said she?d do it with me.

45. I quit piano too. My dad still gives me grief.

46. I?m working on my losing tendency to quit.

47. I danced again in college on my dance team.

48. I wish I wasn?t too timid to cheograph in college and wish I went beyond hip-hop, going back to jazz, lyrical, and tap?my roots.

49. I?m a perfectionist in some areas, but not in all situations.

50. I?ve never been a fan of working?especially 9 ? 5.

51. I want to open up a craft shop with my mom and sister.

52. I?ll paint, do caligraphy, and deal with the business and marketing aspects of the job.

53. Sometimes I think I know what I want in life, but that I?m going the opposite way.

54. Sometimes I want to up and move to California. Sarah says she?ll come with me.

55. I smoke cigarettes, but plan on quitting before I have children?way before.

56. My favorite wine is Pinot Grigio, but my favorite beverage is cold Miller Lite.

57. My mom makes the best roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy around.

58. I can?t cook.

59. I make english muffin pizzas to die for, though ? Mom?s recipe from childhood.

60. I?m creative.

61. I?m a dork. It?s becoming more apparent ? or I?m expressing it more ? the older I get.

62. I think too much and worry a lot?I?m working on this too.

63. I made up the word "smudge" for soft skin when I was little. This is now used by the masses. (well, family and friends)

64. I got voted as "cutest" in the high school yearbook.

65. I consider myself shy, but outgoing?weird.

66. Yes, I?m that too: weird.

67. I do a little jig where my legs and arms go loose?it?s like nothing you?ve ever seen and usually induces laughter.

68. I have a tendency to get cavities, but haven?t been to the dentist in over a year.

69. I think I?m a good writer.

70. If I could have dinner with a late night talk show host, I?d choose Conan O?Brien.

71. I don?t like bugs?or mice, or anything that crawls fast.

72. I find it harder than I thought it would be to come up with 100 facts about myself.

73. I didn?t drive on the highway until I was about 19 or 20.

74. The second time I ever drove on the highway, I ended up crashing into a Friendly?s Restaurant at the end of the trip.

75. I swore in front of people after the crash!

76. I try not to swear and don?t do it too often.

77. My armpits sweat when I?m in social situations.

78. I had braces when I was a young teenager.

79. I have decided I would write a different version of my 100 things, if only I would read it? I don?t know that this is good or bad or what it says about me.

80. I took the T to work today and I am currently waiting for my boss to drive me to the station, and he is over a half-hour late.

81. I should have walked.

82. I am the proud aunt of Sami, Is, Dom, Carl, and Amelia.

83. I have pictures of each of them at work, and show them off regularly.

84. I was the first aunt of all my friends at age 10.

85. I am still waiting for that ride to the T, but hear my boss packing up. Yes!

86. I am an Aquarius and a number five.

87. I blush very easily.

88. I have size 7 ? feet and often borrow my mom?s shoes?and skirts.

89. I have two groups of friends, those from home and those from college. I feel so lucky to have the friends that I do.

90. I want children some day.

91. I want to be comfortable ? as far as money goes? not necessarily rich but VERY comfortable (wink).

92. I am finishing this list of 100 things, so my mommy (or ben-gal) can post them on her blog.

93. One time in an email, my friends/family and I described each other in one word. One of my friends said I was "free spirited." Although it?s kind of two words, I never forgot it and I loved this word she chose for me.

94. I?m often stubborn.

95. I wish I didn?t have to go to work everyday.

96. I am a Red Sox fan and love Fenway Park.

97. I love to laugh.

98. I had an awesome childhood.

99. I feel so blessed to be living the life I live.

100. I am so lucky to be loved by my family and friends.

100 Things - Beth
Topic: 100 Things
~~~ Beth Anne ~~~
~~~ left picture; a quilt creation made by Beth for my livingroom~~~



"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, the inner pest who aims to turn my words upside down and inside out, "I'm continuing with the 100 Things series. As promised, let me introduce another of my daughters, Beth."

'She could write these things on her own blog,' said Tiger rudely.

"She hasn't got a blog yet Tige," I answered, "but she's planning to have one. One that will display her fine quilts. She'll weave into it some of the funny things that come out of the mouths of her babes."

'Now that would be something,' he proposed, 'a quilt of funny things.'

"No Tige," I began, "the quilts aren't of funny things, that'll be..." I stopped short when I realized he was just wasting my time. "Never mind," I said before pasting the list from Beth.

100 Things - Beth

1. My name is Beth
2. I am 29 years old...
3. My 1st, middle and last name all consist of 4 letters
4. My birthday is the day after Christmas
5. I am a Capricorn
6. I have brown hair
7. I have brown eyes
8. My body type is slender
9. Even though I'm listing "100 things about me," I'm a bit timid about letting people know things about me.
10. I'm a people pleaser ... sometimes at my own expense
11. I have 2 children ... 7 & 5 years old
12. I love my daughter and son more than anything is this world!!
13. I have 3 sisters, who I love dearly (2 older, 1 younger)
14. One of my sister's lives in VA w/ her 12 year old daughter
15. I miss them living close to me
16. My 2 other sisters live near by me
17. My parents are still married
18. I love and look up to my mom and dad very much
19. I had a happy childhood
20. I would say I'm I have a "mothering" type personality
21. I have an Associates Degree
22. I wish I could have lived away at a 4 year college
23. I think living away at college would have given me good life experiences
24. I was married 3 months before I was 21 years old
25. I was very happily married for years
26. I have been separated for almost a year
27. My kids are doing great even with their parents separated
28. I'm adjusting to my new life even though some days I'm still sad because it all didn't work out the way I had planned.
29. I'm going to be divorced.
30. I'm in therapy. I think everyone needs a therapist...A neutral person to vent too and get advice from.
31. I can finally say I'm in therapy without being embarrassed.
32. I am on good terms w/ my children's father (soon to be my ex husband). We are friends now.
33. I am still very close to my "ex's" family. They all still love me very much and don't want to loose me.
34. Ironically our families are very friendly w/ each other. Which I'm very happy about.
35. Being a single mom is hard.
36. I miss having someone who is always there, being my partner
37. I use to ride a motorcycle (mini-bike) when I was just a little kid and loved it.
38. I have lived in the same town my whole life accept the 1st 6 months of my life and the 1st year of my marriage.
39. I own my own house.
40. I love to sew
41. I have been sewing for a long as I can remember...maybe since I was about 6 years old.
42. I make beautiful quilts
43. All the beds in my house have quilts on them that I have made and I have given many more as gifts.
44. I'm proud of all the things I make.
45. My most important job is being a stay at home mom
46. Sewing is my other job, I do alterations
47. I love to cross stitch too
48. I love to cook
49. I make a fantastic spaghetti sauce, if I do say so myself
50. I hate mushrooms
51. Walnuts give me terrible cankers the second I eat them
52. I drink coffee a few times a day
53. I don't put sugar in my coffee...I'm sweet enough :)
54. I love to turn the radio up really loud and sing and dance
55. My newest project is painting the downstairs TV room in my house
56. It's a lot more work than I though it would be :)
57. I have 5 nieces and 3 nephews combining both sides of the families.
58. I don't have any pets...well we have 11 sm. fish in a tank (do those really count as pets?)
59. I used to have 2 dogs...Stella and Frank, they were both Great Danes and both died within the last year and a half.
60. My kids miss the dogs terribly!
61. I'm considering getting a cat for my children for Christmas.
62. I'm not a big fan of cats
63. I love my kids more than I hate cats so maybe I can over look the cat issue
64. I would love to get another dog but getting a dog is like having another child
65. Listing 100 things about myself is harder than I thought.
66. My Grandfather died this year and I miss him very much!
67. I can type fast but have no idea how many words I type in a minute.
68. The lease is up on my car so I need to get a new one
69. I can' believe I'm almost 30...Sometimes still feel 17 inside.
70. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm a mom. I look at my kids in amazement.
71. I have started to date
72. Dating is fun and scary at the same time.
73. Getting your heart broken hurts a lot!! I know this one all too well!
74. I'm afraid that I'm scared to love again
75. I love to stay up late at night
76. I can't stay up as late as I'd like to because both of my children are early birds
77. My daughter's school bus comes and picks her up at 6:50 in the morning.
78. My daughter goes to the same school I did when I was her age.
79. When I was a little girl I loved to collect and hunt for frogs.
80. I had a bird as a pet when I was a kid
81. I scratch mosquito bites until they bleed
82. I use to play "olden days" when I was younger. Dressing up like people from the 1800's in dresses that my mother made (little house on the prairie)
83. I love to swim in both the ocean and pools
84. I love the smell of the beach, fresh cut grass and newborn babies
85. I love the smell of my children more
86. I nursed both of my children for 2 years
87. I think it made them smarter kids
88. My children are the most beautiful people, inside and out.
89. I don't like scary movies
90. I prefer white lights on a Christmas trees
91. I always think there is something magical about the 1st snow fall
92. I tend to "over-think" things
93. I have a tomato and cucumber garden in my back yard.
94. Since this is # 94?. I graduated high school in 1994
95. I love to take hot showers
96. I love to laugh so hard it hurts
97. I'm addicted to email's
98. I take tons of pictures of my children and family
99. I'm lucky that some of my best friends are also my family
100. I am proud of the person I am.

100 Things - Chrissie
Topic: 100 Things


A cross stitch work of art by Chrissie ~ ~ from left to right: Beth, Kim, Molly and Chris ~ ~ ~




"Hey Tige," I said to Mr. Tiger, the inner pest who has an indefinite number of personality quirks, "this week is going to a week long series of 100 Things About Me."

'One hundred a day? My my, you must think you're some kind of hot shot,' he growled, adding to his statement, 'even I would have to admit, with my appreciable size ego," he said softly, 'that I wouldn't have the gumption to list 700 things about myself.'

I didn't quibble, but giggled when I corrected his faulty thinking. "No Tige," I said, "It'll be someone different each day and I'm saving my list for last."

'Oh well then,' he sighed with feigned amusement, 'what fun this will be.'

"I thought so too," I said going along with his insincere endorsement while at the same time clicking to the post to remind him. "This is where I commented on my daughter Chrissie's 100 Things list," I said adding another reminder, "See her cross stitch?"

'Oh yeah,' Tiger got out to appease me.

"Today," continued, "I will begin with Chrissie's entry. Tomorrow I will present another from my daughter Beth, and on and on until the week is done."

'But you only have four daughters,' said Tiger as if I had just fallen off the turnip truck.

"I'm including a few sisters and nieces as well," I said, closing our conversation and opening to Chrissie's blog site.

I pasted 100 Things about Chrissie from her September 3rd post.

1. Christine is my first name, but I mostly go by Chrissie or Chris - in the blog world I'm Chris-sea

2. Marie is my 2nd name

3. My Mom's name is Kathleen

4. My mother's middle name is also Marie, or so we thought. She recently discovered that her birth documents lists her middle name as Maria.

5.I wonder if that means my middle name is Maria too?

6. My father's name is/was Robert ; his middle name is/was Frances

7. I'm not sure if he is alive

8. I am almost positive that he choosing to live as a homeless person in Hawaii

9. I suppose if you were choosing to be a homeless person, Hawaii would be the place to do it

10. The last time I physically saw my dad was in 1996

11. We used to be very close

12. We did not have any sort of falling out, he just hasn't gotten in touch

13. I was conceived in Florida

14. My daughter was also conceived in Florida

15. I was born in 1968

16. I was born in March & I am an Aries

17. I was born at Paris Island, during my Dad's marine boot camp - he left for Vietnam shortly thereafter

18. I am mostly Irish

19. My family names on my Dad's side are Bryant & Farrell

20. My family names on my Mom's side are Wentzell & Redman

21. I guess Wentzell would be the only portion of me that is not Irish

22. I grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts - 1/2 way between Boston and Cape Cod.

23. We lived and spent much time at the ocean

24. I think I've spent more time in my Mom's hometown than I did in my own

25. I currently live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

26. The town I live in is literally a "one stop light" town

27. I love both Virginia and Massachusetts, equally

28. My ideal would be to be able to have a home at both places and I have complete faith that one day this will be the case

29.I have strawberry blond hair which is turning more red as I get older

30. Boston is my favorite city

31. San Francisco is my 2nd favorite city

32. I once served pop-corn to Jerry Garcia - I was working at a movie theater in SF and he was seeing Good Morning Vietnam

33. This was my closest brush with fame

34. Except for the fact that I was once a radio DJ and had my own radio show

35. My step fathers name is Ozzy

36. I have three sisters

37. My sisters are the most special thing in my life (with the exception of my daughter, of course)

38. I have three nieces and one nephew (so far)

39. My first niece was born the day after my birthday - she is also an "Aries" like me

40. I gave birth, to Samantha, naturally, in 1993, when I was 25 years old

41. My mother and my sisters were with me and video taped my daughters birth

42. I am a single mom, but am ok with that, although it isn't easy on the pocketbook

43. Unfortunately, I get no child support

44. My daughter will officially be a "teen" in 2 months & 23 days - I find it very hard to believe due to the fact that it feels like yesterday

45. My boyfriends name is Kevin

46. Kevin is a Taurus

47. Taurus is a Bull & Aries is a Ram = a very interesting relationship

48. Both my Mom's husbands were also Taurus

49. My Mom is one of nine children - To me they feel more like my brothers & sisters than my aunts & uncles - I lived amongst them

50. I spent every weekend of my childhood at my grandmothers while my mother waitressed

51. I was the first grandchild and for 9 years the only grandchild

52. I now have 19 cousins & a few 2nd cousins

53. My God mother's name is Sherry

54. My God father's name was Ricky - he died of a drug overdose when I was about 6 years old

55. I have moved residences approximately 40 times since I was 18 years old (20 years)

56. I have never owned my own home

57. I smoke cigarettes

58. I am liberal and consider myself a democrat

59. I am friendly and a "people person"

60. My favorite hobby is my cross-stitch - I am currently working on a project for my daughters new bedroom and for our new house

61. I collect record albums - I have all my Mom's albums from the 60's & 70's and my albums from the 80's - a collection that is literally waist high

62. I need a needle for my turntable so I can listen to said albums

63. My favorite movie is Gone with the Wind

64. My Aries horoscope states that my personality is much like Scarlet O'Hara - I can totally see this

65. I think I lived in another life during Civil War times

66. I have also been told I am very similar to Drew Barrymore - I guess I can see that too

67. I love to read, write and most recently blog

68. Another favorite past-time is watching movies at home - but I don't much go to the theater

69. We have three pets - a 6 month old German Shepherd and two kittens named Thunder & Lightning

70. "The" was the name of my favorite pet. He was named after "The Cat" I had "The" for 15 years - he recently died / or went missing (long story, different day)

71. Becky is my best friend - we grew up together in Massachusetts and she also chose to live here in Virginia

72. I work in Office Administration

73. My favorite vacation spot is Disney - I could go there hundreds of times and never get tired of it

74. I love to drink coffee

75. I desperately miss Dunkin Donuts - which is on practically every corner in Massachusetts - but is not on every corner in Virginia

76. Seafood is my favorite all time food

77. I love casseroles of all types, too

78. I don't like and never eat fruit

79. I drink about a half gallon of milk daily, another one of my favorites

80. I have RH negative blood

81. In 1996 I almost died - the Doctors gave me a 20% chance of survival

82. Colleen was my "next of kin" here in Virginia and she had to relay the bad news to my family

83. I had a very rare strep pneumonia and had to have thoracic surgery - then I caught a secondary infection

84 I was in a coma

84. I had some very surreal experiences while in my coma

85. My hospital bill was $110,000 and I had no health insurance

86. I ended up having to claim bankruptcy

87. I have had numerous psychic & ghostly experiences

88. I have never been married and probably never will be

89. I was once given a cubic zirconium as a diamond engagement ring and was lead to believe it was a real diamond - I didn't find out the truth until I took it to the pawn shop and was told they would give me $10 for the gold

90. No matter how hard I try, I always seem to have "issues" with money - or I should say lack of money

91. I truly believe this is the result of past life Karma

92. I type 79 words per minute

93. I have a terrible fear of spiders

94. As a youngster I was involved in lots of activities: Drum & Bugle Corp, Dance, Drama, Basketball, Softball and was even one of the only girls on the Little League team

95. Once I started high school I was just too cool for activities - which I do regret

96. I partied a lot in my teens & early twenties but have since settled down quite a bit

97. I believe everything happens for a reason

98. I was home schooled during my 8th grade year

99. I love my family more than anything in this world

100. I am Thankful for everything I do have in life