My Story in Cliff Notes
For more detail, you can refer to the "Cradle To The Grave" version.
The basics: Well ok so, I’m wife to Andrew and the mother of 8 babies. Yes, EIGHT. 4 boys and 4 girls. Yes, they are all mine with Andrew, no other baby daddies, no blended family. Yes, I was pregnant with and delivered them all (and they all came out fast and furiously, as if they were on a mission to exit the womb and get started on their lives!) No, I'm not Mormon or Catholic. Can you tell these are the questions I’m asked….OFTEN.
I grew up in California, and I am still a Californian at heart. I have now lived in the Seattle area for 13 years, but I still cannot wrap my head around the concept of wearing L.L. Bean Clothing, hiking, camping, or recycling. I am however now seen wearing tank tops and flip-flops in 65 degree weather. I’m also a Seahawks fan now, it seems you cannot live here without catching the Hawk fever. And YES that makes me a “bandwagon fan.” And I’m OK with that.
I’m a child of the 80’s. That means I like: big hair, what my kids would call “old school” music, MTV (and other such quality TV shows, like “The Real Housewives”, for example.) Although I’m generally late to adopt them, I’m eventually trending whatever fashion fads turn out to look ridiculous in pictures a decade later, such as palazzo pants and bad perms. (#nerd) I’m pretty much always a day late and a dollar short, but I’m working on it!
I’m technically a Virgo and a Firstborn Child. That means by definition, I should have the following traits: Responsibility, organization, leadership, a desire to be in charge, a hard worker, a take-no prisoners straight-shooter, analytical, a rule-follower and a perfectionist. I am baffled beyond belief by this and am quite convinced I was switched at birth and given a fake birthday. Generally speaking, my natural tendencies are in direct opposition to all of the above. Currently I would describe myself as disorganized, I look for the short cuts (let’s turn that around to the positive and call it “efficient”), I only want to do what’s fun, I hate confrontation, and I’m not a fan of rules, only suggestions. But that’s today. In the future, who knows? I might someday become a Virgo and a Firstborn! There is always room for growth and change, and I am always searching for expansion, for openness to new ideas.
What I Know For Sure: (Yep, I stole Oprah’s line.) Not much. Seriously. The older I get, the more I see the need to scrape, claw and grasp at straws to get and remain open-minded. These days I definitely have more questions than answers, and I’m OK with that. It usually provides lots of discussion, which I’m a fan of, because connecting with people is kind of my deal. The one thing I do know for sure is I love my husband and my family with all my heart…a wild, ferocious love that overtakes me entirely, like an obsessed stalker. I’d be lost without them. Besides that? Again I reiterate….not much. Seriously.
Favorites:
Person: My husband Andrew
2nd Favorite People: My Kids
Place: Hawaii. There is no place I’d rather be, anytime. Specifically Kailua Beach.
Food: Pizza & Chocolate. Or maybe a Chocolate Pizza.
Book: “Gift From the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
Movies: “Dead Poets’ Society”, “Office Space”, “Napoleon Dynamite”, “So I Married An Axe Murderer”
Music: 80’s pop, 90’s Hip Hop/R&B
Thankful for:
My Husband, of course.
My children who teach me endlessly more than I could ever teach them.
The countless blessings we enjoy.
My Dearest friends who know and accept me; my “innermost layer” of the onion of people in my life.
Favorite Ways to Spend My Time:
Being with my best friend, who is my husband Andrew. Hanging out with my kids. Playing board games and watching inappropriately funny movies with my family. Summer nights outside chatting and walking to the lake. Winter nights coupled by hot tea, warm blankets and fireside chats. Yoga. Yoga with my daughters. Breakfast dates with my sons. Coffee with friends. Spa days. Volunteering and showing up at my kids’ school. Traveling and experiencing the world with my family.
Hobbies:
I’m could probably make a hobby out of trying to find a hobby. So far I’ve tried: Watching every single movie ever made starring Kevin Bacon; River Dancing; and Making Hats out of Old Vinyl “Wham!” covers. Surprisingly, nothing has stuck yet. ;)
Will I blog with any amount of regularity?
Who knows! My inconsistency is another area for opportunity for growth in my life. Historically, I come up with seemingly life changing ideas that I cannot wait to put into fruition (read “family chore chart”) and I’m 100% flat-out, sold-out, on-fire enforcing it for 2 weeks. By the end of the month, it’s fallen off the wall, been stepped on, and torn, with a chocolate-covered protein bar smudged on it. And I’ve totally lost steam. The undone chores mounting up around the house confirm that we must call “time of death” on the latest Pintrest-inspired chart. If all else fails, I can always try to make a chart of the Kevin Bacon movies I’ve seen and not seen. But interestingly, that sounds like quite a Virgo thing to do!