25 Random things about ME :)

 OK....here are 25 random things about me... maybe you knew some of these and maybe you will learn something new!

1. My favorite place to visit in the whole wide world is Vancouver, Canada.   My mom is a Canadian citizen and I absolutely love Canada!  The best vacation I've ever had was when John & I went to Canada in 2005.
2. I love to go to live "professional" sporting events (Football, Baseball, Basketball)
3. I call my mom every day on my way to work in the mornings and every day on the way home from work.  My parents live across the street and down a couple houses from me and I feel so blessed that they are so close!
4. I used to live in the Azores (Portugal) - on a little island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean - Terceira Island - 1990-1992.  I absolutely loved it there and would love to go back and visit someday.
5. My father-in-law is my hero! He was a Tuskeegee Airman in WWII - and is a retired  Chief Master Sgt. in the Air Force. He is so cool!!!
6. My very best friend Julie and I have known each other since Julie was in diapers. I think of her more as a sister than just my BFF!
7. I love being a grandma.  I have 3 grandchildren - Xavier, Lily, and Naveah.
8. I am adopted
9. I got into a bad car accident and hit a telephone pole head on and had to have back surgery in 1998
10. I am SO happy that my son is a senior this year at St. Joseph High School! I graduated from St. Joes back in 1988.
11. I love my job. I work with people who have developmental disabilities, and I work for a wonderful organization.  I have worked for VTC Enterprises for the past 10 years.
12. I have broken my arm three times - two times was because I got thrown off of a horse
13. I have been trying for like 2 1/2 YEARS to learn how to do the Dougie dance and let's just say that is a big ol FAIL.  Someone please teach me how to Dougie!
14. I love Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains in the fall.
15. I have two step-sons, Jon and Jordan, and  forget that "step" thing - those are my boys!
16. I love burritos. Like I'm addicted to burritos. Really. I have a burrito problem.
17. I went skydiving which is something I NEVER EVER thought I would do. I loved it! I want to go again.
18. I do not like seafood. Like, AT ALL.. no kind, no way, no how.
19. I'm extremely proud of my daughter who is 23, married, a homeowner, goes to school full time, has two children, and is Special Ed Teacher at Cabrillo High School. 5 more classes and she will have her master's degree.  See why I'm so proud?
20. I had to live with four teenagers in the house and I only went totally psycho about three times (Thank God for Ativan!!)
21. I had to serve on Federal Jury Duty in Los Angeles a few years ago on a huge high profile case. I was there for 6 weeks.
22. I used to scuba dive back in the early 1990's.  Sometimes I think I would like to get back into diving but then I think about Jaws and I just forget it.
23. I totally get along with my ex husband and his wife.  They come visit and stay at our house. It's great for the kids, and we all are really good friends.  I wish everyone could be like that with their ex's, it makes life so much easier and happier!
24. I love to write and have started writing a book but really need to stop being lazy and just finish it already!
25. I love to walk on the Avila Beach pier at night or go to Shell Beach and just watch the ocean

GETTING BACK TO BLOGGING....

People have been asking me how come I haven't been blogging lately. Well, to tell you the truth, life just got a little crazy. I'll try to catch you up in a quick second or two, and then I'll do better about blogging from now on!

EXCHANGE STUDENT UPDATE:   I know you all want to know how that is going.   It's been an adjustment.  I am used to having very social people around me and a kid that stays in his room 24/7 and doesn't talk to me is really hard to get used to. I was taking it personal but I have come to realize it's nothing personal, it's really just a cultural thing and he is perfectly happy in his room with his computer watching Chinese videos.  I wish he would come out more and I'm totally working on it.  My goal is to start small, like somehow getting him to come out of that room for 30 minutes each evening to talk or watch tv. I'll keep you posted how that plan goes....

The silk very feminine looking pajamas had disappeared for a while and I was absolutely thrilled.  However, they have somehow made their return and he has been wearing them for the entire weekend.  And yes, he went outside to play basketball in them, short shorts, v-neck shirt, and all. I want them to burn. No really, I do. I'm so not kidding.

On the positive side of things, he does seem to like my cooking.  He absolutely loves beef but also seems to enjoy everything else I make too. Either that or he is starving by the time dinner rolls around. I swear that boy can eat half of his weight in food. 

So making Young's lunch reminded me that I don't enjoy making lunches, so I found something to save me... Uncrustables.  You know, the little frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without any crust...you can throw them in a lunchbag and walaa there is lunch.  I even found reduced sugar ones on wheat bread.  I could kiss whoever invented those little things and I have to eternally thank Laura Badenell for saving my sanity by telling me to go buy some.

Nothing else too exciting to report really. Oh ya, wait.  I made my goal weight at weight watchers a couple months ago.. and this past Friday I went to weigh in and I was 10 lbs under my goal weight! So awesome!  I took about the last 6 weeks off of going to the gym, not for any reason except I was freakin lazy... but I'm feeling the need to go back now.  I really want to lose 5 more pounds.  I don't "need" to and I don't know why I want to, but I just do. So it's back to swimming and zumba very soon. See, if I say "soon" then I don't actually have to commit to going. I have excercise issues you know (like I hate exercise, really really really hate it).

Hope everyone has a great week and I'll be posting again soon!