10 things you never knew you wanted to know about me…

 

1. I’ve never broken a bone or needed stitches.
2. I’m obsessed with watching Dancing with the Stars, and always dream of ballroom dancing with my future husband on our wedding day. Not likely, I know, but still a dream.
3. I never read books. I have a bookshelf full of them, but don’t have the desire to crack one open and bury my head in it. This sometimes makes me sad.
4. My hair falls out. All the time. It doesn’t matter if I’m brushing it or putting it in a pony tail. Either way, I watch it fall to the ground.
5. I can’t stand the smell of bar soap. There’s something about it that makes my senses go crazy, so I force SS to use something different.
6. When I type the word knowledge without making a mistake, I pat myself on the back. This word gets me every time.
7. I don’t watch The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. I think it’s stupid to assume you’re going to find your soul mate on a TV show where others are just as desperate to find someone.
8. I brush my teeth in the shower, so that the mirror above my sink doesn’t get those gross white splatters.
9. My sisters cats make my eyes itch so bad, that sometimes when I leave her house, my eyes are itchy, watery, and puffy.
10. I missed four very important years of RJ’s life (5-9yrs), but he still thinks I’m the best Mom ever!

Getting to Know Me

What jobs have you had?

Towards the end of my Junior year of high school, my parents thought it best if I started to show some responsibility, and told me I needed to get a job. One of my guy friends in high school, worked at the local drugstore (Thrifty’s), and suggested that I go in and flirt with the store manager. He was certain I would get hired. So I went in, he asked me to pick up a case of beer and carry it to the front door. When I did, he hired me on the spot. Was the easiest job interview I ever had to do. I ended up working there for two years before up and moving to Texas.

When I lived in Texas, I worked for a few different drugstores (Eckerds, Walgreens) since that’s what my experience was. I wasn’t about to start over in Fast Food. No way. The Ex allowed me to stop working when we got pregnant, and I didn’t have to work again until we moved back to Cali. My stay-at-home-and-raise-kids-gig, was awesome.

When The Ex and I moved back to California, I needed to go back to work. Since I was most comfortable with the drugstore scene, that’s where I went. In fact, I went back to the same store I worked at in high school. They immediately transferred me to a different store closer to my house, and made me an Assistant Manager. We eventually merged with Rite Aid, and that transition was a tough one. Changing EVERYTHING to say Rite Aid was no easy chore. Rearrangements happened almost overnight. It was actually weeks, but it seemed like overnight. I worked there for a few years until I got a position at the rival high school from where The Ex was teaching.

Working at the high school was strange. Parents have unrealistic expectations about what THEIR role is vs. a teachers role, in the upbringing of a child. And most parents, shouldn’t be parents. There. I said it. The job was easy. Way too easy for me. But, I spent six years doing it because the money was good. For what I did. Plus, The Ex worked at the rival high school so we would go to ALL the events together and sit on opposite sides. The rivalry was great between us. It was fun. We never let it get out of hand. We knew control when it came to that.

Know what my favorite thing about working at that high school was? The Auto Shop teacher.  He ended up changing my life. ;-)

When I left the high school, I was lucky enough to stumble onto the job I have now. It’s an amazing job that tests my limits every single day. As much as I bitch about some of the people, I still love my job.

A few years ago, I was offered a job with the Richard Petty Driving Experience team. They flew me to Phoenix, I spent the weekend working at the track with the cars, and flew home on Sunday. Was a great gig. Just not for me. I didn’t want to make my hobby, my job, so I quit.

Getting to Know Me

What was your first paid job? 

My mom was the Director of Personnel for one of the school districts not too far from where we lived, so when it became necessary for me to have a summer job (after summer school, of course), she worked her magic and got me a position as a teachers aid working with special needs children under the age of six. I was 15, getting into trouble at school, and very impressionable.

There were eleven kids in this day care, and I was partially responsible for all of them from 8am – 2:00pm Monday through Friday. (From 2:30p – 5p I would work in my moms office doing misc. stuff for all her coworkers. I guess that was my second paying job.) We spent a lot of time doing projects focusing on motor skills and patience, but there were other fun activities we did like swimming, playing on fire trucks, and running at the park.

It was hard work. And I didn’t let anyone tell me different. I had a sense of accomplishment knowing I made a difference in the lives of these children every day. I’d get home from work every day at 6pm, and I would be asleep by 7:30p. My parents LOVED it.

So, if you think taking care of three kids by yourself is hard, try taking care of eleven with special needs. Then tell me your job is hard.

Getting to Know Me

What activities did you participate in growing up?

When I was in elementary school, I can remember my love for basketball starting to grow. When I started the 7th grade, I begged my mom and stepdad to allow me to play for the school team. (I went to a Catholic school with 27 kids in my graduating class. Wasn’t like I was on the Varsity team in high school.) Unfortunately, my parents pulled me off the team shortly after I had joined because they were unhappy with my grades. :-( 

When I started high school, I didn’t know anyone. I was a scared little 13 year old brat, who had come from a small school, and I knew nobody. My parents figured it would be less scary for me if they allowed me to play for the Freshman team. So, I attended tryouts the summer before my Freshman year. They had the three levels (Freshman, Junior Varsity, and Varsity) all playing together that summer, but I didn’t know that until the first day of school when I saw some of my new friends, and they were going into Senior classes. I just figured I had some pretty hard competition when it came to tryouts. And since I had tried so hard, and paid such close attention to the Varsity players (not knowing they were Varsity players), I was granted a position on the Freshman team.

That same year, I was part of the high school choir. We traveled to other schools and did competitions. We’d take field trips to retirement homes and sing to old people that couldn’t hear us. Often times I would be wandering across campus to my next class, and pass another choir member singing a song we were supposed to be learning. THOSE are the times I miss about high school. 

Once I started my Sophomore year, basketball and choir took a backseat to the new social life I had created. I was ditching classes, my grades slipped, and my parents pulled me out of both. Sucky times.

My grades had fallen so low, that climbing back up, was even harder than the initial work I had to put into it. And since I didn’t want to work harder, I just skated through and kept my grades just above failing. I remember my dad being furious I was bringing home a D- in Science. His favorite subject, and I was just about to fail it.

Junior year was exactly the same. My social life was waaaaay more important than studying and passing classes, so again, there was no basketball or choir that year for me. Boys were the center of my universe, so it’s boys that became my extra curricular activity.

The summer before my Senior year, I was frustrated. I missed playing basketball, but wasn’t in a position where I could just jump onto the Varsity team. So, I went back and joined the choir again.

That saved my life.

I forced myself to keep my grades up, and I forced myself away from the social life disaster I had created. I sang again, and danced again, and made new friends that didn’t ditch classes. My parents were shocked I graduated, but with enough summer school classes, I did it. Barely.

Basketball. My least favorite sport to watch (besides hockey), but my favorite sport to play.

Wee Bit about Me

I’m linking up for the first time. It seemed fun.

1. have you ever fainted? no. I’m certain i come close once in church, but it never happened.
2. what is your favorite casino game? slots. I’m not a gambler. don’t get any thrill at all. slots are perfect for me. no thinking involved.
3. do you have a good sense of direction? I can follow directions well, if that’s what you’re asking. if you’re asking if I can tell when I’m going north/south/east/west, then the answer would be no. not. at. all. my knowledge of that is in fact, in the negative.  :-(
4. laptop or desktop? I prefer desktop. laptop is what I have though.
5. what is your go-to hair style when having a bad hair day? thrown up in a ponytail.
6. do you read the newspaper on a daily basis? no, but I read through 3 different local news apps when laying in bed at night. does that count?
7. do you have a favorite celebrity chef? nope. I don’t even know the names of any except Emeril. Cooking just isn’t my thing so I don’t watch.
8. what tv show would you like to make a guest appearance on? NCIS or Bones. I’m in love with Mark Harmon and David Boreanaz.
9. do you have satellite radio in your car? Yep. XM courtesy of JK.  *Muah*
10. what was the last movie that made you cry? Hmm. Good question. Why can’t I think of the answer? Probably 50 First Dates. I know that Black Swan made me want to cry. haha

Enough from me today. I’m waiting for JK to call me so we can go to dinner. It’s 8:15p and I’m getting hungry.