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There are a lot of places in the world that I would enjoy visiting. However there is only one that is my dream destination. This place would have to be the exotic island of Fiji. The reason I would go there over anywhere else is because of its remote local, amazing beaches, and just the opportunity to enjoy in some of the South Pacific culture. I have never ventured to that region of the world but I have been captivated by what Ive seen and heard about it. I want to wake up in the morning and look out at the beautiful Pacific Ocean and enjoy the rest of the day by particicpating in one of the many activites that are the to do things there. Hopefully one day soon Ill get to say Ive been to my dream locale.

Most people don’t know that I did karate for 17 years and am a 2nd degree black belt.  I worked my toosh off for it and it is still one of my most proud moments.  Being the youngest student, to being stuck on the belt before black for three years while people passed me, to enduring a grueling 10 hour black belt grading is something that I will never ever forget and makes me…a ninja.  Most people don’t know what it means to be a black belt.  It’s more than just leather wrapped around your waist to keep your pants up, its something worked for, earned and a characteristic of that person.  The focus that person has developed, the discipline and the physical fitness needed to earn it.

My best physical feature would be my height.  Being six foot tall really helped me look a lot thinner than I was and now that I still have the baby weight from 2 babies if I were short with this weight still on my I would be morbidly obese.  Another on my favorite features is my natural blonde hair.  I have never died it and am proud of it and that is the only way some people know my daughters are mine, because of the blonde hair.  A characteristic that’s great is my joy.  Most of the time it’s just there, but sometimes I have to work hard at it, but all the time I try to be joyful, excited and happy.  Wether if I’m singing Jingle Bells in August, making fun of a song or dancing like a wild lady I try to always be a smile most people don’t see every day.

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I am a mom.  A stay at home mom.  A mom to two children under 2 years old.  I have very few friends and not a lot of money to use on gas or go out and do things.  Having said all this my most look forward to time is time with other Adults.  Whether its a bi-weekly staff meeting where the kids are looked after and I get to do “adult” stuff or if it’s a late night run to the grocery store by myself.  Dates are great and are always a fun time with just me and my husband.  Basically any time where I’m not chasing after, playing with, crying with little people.  Where I’m not responsible for the poopy diaper, the poop in the bath-tub, the tantrums or splayed out toys.  Any time that I don’t have to do this is a well looked forward to time.

This weekend was a busy one!  It all started Thursday December first, I suppose the first of the Christmas season!  We had a huge appreciation party to thank all the volunteers for helping at the church.  It was a big formal event.  Then Friday was just errand day.  Saturday we took the two year old to Home depot for the free building project they host the first Saturday of every month.  She made a cute snowman napkin holder.  Saturday night I went to a women’s christmas party where we played games and ate lots of cream puffs.  Then Sunday we went to church as usual and wrapped some gifts later that evening.

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If I could change one thing about the world it would be the fact that people are hungry.  I think it’s stupid that one single person has billions of dollars when there is a hungry person right around the corner that is starving or someone that possibly died.  No us “regular” people are a little useless in helping with this situation around the world, but someone with a little extra money can definitely help.  As I said before it’s stupid that anyone is going hungry and not having enough food to nourish their bodies when either a neighbor and someone else in their country can share food, buy them food, or give them money for food.  People are people and everyone deserves food.

I look forward on a regular basis to making the drive up to our sons to spend a weekend with our only grandchild, a two-year-old boy named Andrew.  It is a 235 mile drive and it takes us about 4-5 hours.   We are older and have to get out of the car to move around frequently.  We usually leave early in the morning and make our first stop for a light breakfast.  We sometimes take a picnic lunch to eat along the highway at the rest stop areas if the weather permits.  When we arrive we usually just get the opportunity to take over Andrew’s care and fun for the weekend.  Andrew is still nursing and sleeps with Mommy and Daddy so he is still considered too little to be this far away from home if he were to come stay with us.  We look forward to the day when he can come to stay for a few days without his parents.  We feel that Grandparents and grandchildren need the one on one and parents need a break occasionally.  Since he is not permitted to come here to stay alone, our children are very generous with sharing him when we visit and when they come here.  He gets to see his other grandparents every day as they live five minutes away and baby sit while mommy works.

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This past weekend we had the time of our lives!  We traveled 235 miles by car to our only grandchild’s second birthday.  We had a five-day celebration.  We arrived late on the first day and ordered pizza for dinner.  The next day, which was Andrew’s actual birthday, his parents both took off work and his parents and we took Andrew to the “Bouncy House” to play for hours.  I am not sure who had the most fun, but we know who came out with the most bruises and aches.  That evening we had a special dinner with his other grandparents, my husband and I, Andrew and his parents.  His mom had ordered a special Mater cake from a cake baker.  Mater is Andrew’s favorite truck from the Disney Pixar Cars group.  The next day while his parents worked, Grandpa and I took him to a playground at Jekyll Island, GA and out to lunch before home for a nap.  On Saturday, Andrew’s parents hosted a special party for his little friends at a place called Beau’s Barnyard.  There were animals to feed, bottles for baby animals, hot dogs, ice cream, cupcakes and goodie bags.  The next morning we headed for home, as we had a long drive.  What a great time and week.

If I could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics it would be to reinitiate consideration back into the human race.  It seems in the last several years we have all gotten so lost in ourselves that there is no consideration for anyone any longer no matter what the situation.  When waiting in line at the movies or grocery store, there is no consideration for anyone who might need to get ahead for one reason or another.  Let’s not even discuss the lack of consideration with the drivers on our roads these days and it just gets worse as the speed limits are raised and roads are widened.  Children no longer have the consideration for their elders that used to be just a part of life and expected.  Our world as we once knew it is not the same and lack of consideration is a very large part of the problem.

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The kind of music that I like the best is the older type of rock and roll with a special interest in slow love songs that actually tell a story.  I started to watch Bandstand when I was three years old because my babysitter had teenage girls who got home from school right at 3:00 PM as the show started.  Also included in some of that favorite music from back then is some country that I remember well from my father’s collection of Johnny Cash and Tony Bennett.  The girls brought me up on this music until I was old enough to go to school for all day and had to move to another area.  They taught me to dance and sing when I was between three and six years old and I know the words and the dances still today.  I will never forget that music and listen to it exclusively in the car and in our home.The type of music I like the least is the new rock.  We refer to it as “head banging” music.  A lot of the lyrics are vulgar and provide no entertainment to our age group.  The rap music is for a different generation altogether.