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January 24, 2007
5 Things Meme
I was tagged by that Chick over there for this meme.
Since I have so many new readers lately I will bring you all up to speed about me, myself and I.
Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with* 5 facts about yourself. Then choose 5 people you want to tag and list their names. Then leave a comment on their blog letting them know they've been tagged.
1. I met my husband in an MSN chatroom in August of 2003. I set eyes on him for the first time in Nov. 2003. In Jan. 2004 I packed up my kids and what I could get into the back of my Explorer and moved us from a tiny farm in rural Georgia to the big city and a townhouse that is Northern Virginia. We married 19 July 2004. In Jan. 2005 we bought a small farm in Central Virginia. My husband commutes daily to No.Va/metro D.C.
2. I was previously married for 14 years before filing for divorce. I have two daughters from that marriage: Colby will be 20 in May and Gracie turned 9 this past Decemeber. Steve has a daughter from a previous marriage: J, age 11, who does not live with us but is here weekly, alternate weekends, and 6 weeks of the summer, plus odd and end school breaks and holidays. At the age of 39, Feb 2006, we had a baby boy.
3. I live in an old Virginia four square farmhouse that is approaching 99 years old. We love it. I knew when I set eyes on it that this was my home. I was sick the entire time we negotiated contracts. Real Estate in this part of Va. is not for ametuers. This is hard-nosed, fast sell, you better have the money to pay for what you want country. Ask anyone in or near No.Va. I have been slowly doing the small projects of fixing up this house myself with the help of Steve when he is not working in his stressful geek job. The upstairs is freshly painted and the children are all settled into their own rooms. It took 11 gallons of Kilz to prime and seal the walls before painting. Not to mention patching, drywall, custom creating a set of closet doors, rebuilding the interior of 1 closet and completing a bathroom. I did all of this in the last couple months of my pregnancy. I wish I had the time and energy to do things now like I did then. We 95% completed a kitchen remodel during Steve's vacation last summer. We work well together. We installed new countertops and crown molding. I also did my own undercabinet lighting. :-) This spring between getting my gardens in and opening the pool I hope to start stripping and sanding the floors upstairs. Some fool painted them with chocolate enamel brown paint. The staircases front and back were also painted in this fashion. The woman who did this is on my shitlist FOREVER.
4. In the years between the birth of my children -1993 - 1995, I gave birth to another bouncing baby boy. I was a surrogate for a wonderful woman who has raised a beautiful family. We are very close friends. We keep in touch. I see her children when she comes to Virginia about once a year. It is one of the greatest landmarks of my life to see her with him. He is not my child. He was a frozen embryo. I was a vessel through which a miracle was performed by the hand of God. I love him but not like my own children. It is very hard to explain my feelings without sounding cold. I love him dearly. He is not flesh of my flesh. He is not my child. He was born in her heart long before he was born of my body. He is her son. There are no secrets. He knows exactly how, who, what, when and where of the circumstance of his birth and he is very cool with it all -often thanking me for giving him a chance to have life and peace with God. He is precious to me in every way.
5. I love pajamas and gowns. I spend as much time as possible each and every day in my pj's. I love cold, wet days with a fire burning and the tv on low in the background. I love to read, crochet, cross stitch, sew, garden, cook, craft, etc. There isn't much I can't do when I set my mind to it. I am a published author. Nearly a dozen years ago I published a local history of the 1861 - 1865 period in my home county back in Georgia. I can walk into the Library of Congress right now and request this book and they will bring it to me. MY dream is to have a PhD in history. At the rate I am having children I may never get the chance to go back to school and finish that dream. For several years I drove a school bus. Of all the jobs I have held (other than Momma) this job paid the least but was the most rewarding and satisfying of them all. Be good to your child's school bus drive. Make an effort to get to know him/her. You can't imaging the difference a school bus driver makes in the life of your child. Why? The school bus driver is the first person your child sees in the morning for school and the last in the afternoon. A school bus driver is (should be) an ambassedor for your public school system. if you are a school bus driver and you don't take great interest in your students you are missing out on one of the best gifts life has to offer. If you do, congrats! You Rock!
Wow, that was long winded!
Now I have to tag five people.
Since so many people have already completed this meme how about all of you nice visitors who look radiantly pretty this morning tell us something about yourself we don't know. You can even sign in as Anonymous. Come on. Play along. who's gonna be first?
*I hate the word blog.
I will be posting a new recipe later today.
It is snowing as I sit and look out my window. The fire is crackling. The coffee is hot. The Walton's are on tv. What a fabulous morning I am having. Although I need a nap. Steven had a very rough night inwhich he did NOT sleep more than 30 minutes at a time. I did everything and had no idea what was wrong. This morning he is sneezing giant gobs of snot. We made it 9 months before he ever got a cold and now he has one every other week it seems. He is building one heck of an immune system but good grief, enough already with this snot and not sleeping!
Posted by Angie at January 24, 2007 08:42 AM
Comments
You were a surrogate? Amazing! What a selfless person you are!
Um. I told a lot about me already, but here's one. I can touch my tongue to my nose.
Posted by: That Chick Over There at January 24, 2007 09:51 AM
I met my husband on line too. American Singles.com
I always wanted to be a surrogate but never knew how to do it. How did you get involved in that process?
Your 11 month old (I'm getting caught up) - so cute!!! Walking? He's a genius.
Posted by: CPA Mom at January 24, 2007 11:16 AM
Wow! Your 5 things -- what a great post. How awesome that you are a surrogate. That is a such a great gift you gave to the momma. Congrats on being a published author -- I, too, would like to go back to school (I want a Master's Degree in English), but with kids, that may never happen. Oh, and the bus driver thing -- I feel the same way. My Kindergartner gives his bus driver Christmas gifts, apples, etc. just like he would his teacher.
So....something about me... I love coffee. On the weekends, I'll drink an entire pot by myself.
Posted by: Ang at January 24, 2007 11:41 AM
Wow what a wonderful post... and thanks for sharing. I had picked up on a lot of this as I 'lurked' for a long time ;-)
I really like your comment about 'bus drivers'....
Something about me: I have 2 daughters... 28 and 14 (yes God does have a sence of humor) and one foster son that is currently serving our Country in Iraq. My oldest daughter has one daughter 3 and one son 2... and our foster son has 2 little boys. I love being a GranGran... My husband is wonderful.... and I work for a grassroots Non-Profit that is based on workforce development, literacy and education.
I'm a fairly long time blogger that has been introduced to YouTube... and I spend a good bit of time there..... http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=whatsnext -- take a look at my latest video... it's about my work.
Have a great day and hug those precious little ones (no matter how old they get)
Posted by: Ann at January 24, 2007 10:30 PM
Angie, it isn't morning and I am not radiant or pretty today.....LOL. I enjoyed reading this; most of it I already knew, but needed a refresher. I don't think I have any secrets left after writing on my blog for 2 years, but maybe you didn't know I wanted to be an architect.
Posted by: kenju at January 24, 2007 11:51 PM
Bless your heart for calling me radiant, but right now I'm more wild-haired and pasty. Heh.
Your five things are so interesting! How very cool you were a surrogate mom--and a bus driver, too.
I haven't had enough caffeine yet (I'm like Ang with the coffee) to come up with five things about me. Hmmm...I taught speech, interpersonal comm., and English lit and comp in college. I wanted to be an artist and then a nurse and wound up in something completely different. And secretly, I still think about having another baby (even though it's getting close to biologically impossible!).
Posted by: LisaL at January 25, 2007 07:34 AM
I've been reading your blog long enough to know a few of those things about you, but it was fun to read about the things I didn't know. If I could, I'd spend all day in my PJs too!
I met my husband in an online game called "Everquest." It was one of the strangest things that's ever happened to me, but I'm so thankful it did. I would have never met him otherwise.
Posted by: Kyara at January 25, 2007 07:46 AM
I love pajamas too! In fact, I have three overflowing drawers of pajamas because I can never resist comfy, warm pajamas!
Did you really use Kilz when you were pregnant? How did you tolerate the smell? That stuff is terrible.
Posted by: halloweenlover at January 25, 2007 07:17 PM