My Real Life

Today is my birthday.

Today I’m 41.

I think it’s going to be a good year.

I decided that, today, I would try to come up with 3 (since my birthday is on the 3rd) things you don’t yet know about me.

Considering I’ve been writing this blog for three and a half years, I don’t know how easy it will be, but I’m going to try.

So, here we go:

1.  My two favorite classes in college were “Children’s Literature” and “The Old Testament.”

I took “Children’s Literature” one summer when I stayed on campus to make up some extra credits because I was doing a double-teachers certification program, both Elementary and Secondary Social Studies, and that meant extra classes and if I wanted to graduate in four years, it meant some summer classes.

So, I stayed in Ohio one summer, on campus, and took two classes…”Children’s Literature” and another one that I don’t remember.

It was a great class.

I spent my summer reading books like “Harriet the Spy” and “The Westing Game” which had already been favorites of mine as a kid.

I babysat for a family who lived near campus every day from 8-3, then I’d come back to the dorm and read until class, go to class, talk about the books, go eat dinner, go back to my room and read some more.

I know it’s not most college kids idea of a great summer, but it really was one of my favorite summers…ever.

“The Old Testament” was a class that was as straightforward as the name.

Now, not being a particularly religious girl, you may be surprised to hear that this was my favorite class, but it was.

Being a minister’s daughter, I know my Bible inside and out, so there were no new stories for me to hear from this class, but the discussion surrounding the readings were really fascinating.

It was another way of looking at the Bible and I was hooked.

I remember sitting in the laundry room with my roommate, DeeDee, highlighting the Bible for my homework, and getting different insight into the stories that it told.

I did not enjoy the class “The New Testament” nearly as much.

2.  I’m addicted to two reality shows.

I don’t really love reality television and don’t watch much of it.

I do watch “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” but that’s about it.

I used to watch “Big Brother” but I got bored with it, as it just seemed like same stuff, different day.

However, I cannot stop watching “Hardcore Pawn” and “Oddities.”

“Hardcore Pawn” is a show about a pawn shop in Detroit.

I have always loved anything dealing with money with regards to saving money, making money, and selling things.

I worked in retail through high school and college and I loved it.

So, I’m a huge fan of “Hardcore Pawn” because it’s all about people coming in with their nonsense and selling it.

For the same reason, I love “Oddities.”

I recently discovered “Oddities.”  It’s about a store named “Obscura” in New York City that specializes in rare objects.

People come in and sell strange things and buy strange things, and the people on the show are just interesting people.

I have the DVR scheduled to record all new episodes of both of these shows, and when I can, I just sit and catch up on the episodes.

One day, I’d love to hit both of these stores…just ’cause.

3.  I want to be a foster home to children who need one.

This is my own desire that I have never actually discussed with Real Man, so this may come as a surprise to him when he reads it, but since he knows me so well, I have a feeling it won’t really be any sort of surprise at all.

Unfortunately, I know myself well enough to know that I don’t believe my heart could take it.

I had thought, years ago, about becoming one of the families that raise Seeing Eye puppies, but when I did the research, they were very clear on the fact that you are just getting to keep the puppy for a short period of time and then they would be leaving you.

It broke my heart.

And if I felt that way about having to give up a dog, I know how I feel about children in general, and I know that it would be impossible for me to let these children go, once their time with us was at an end.

I have a hard enough time letting my students go at the end of the year.

I think it takes a special kind of person to be a foster parent, and I truly wish I had it in me.

Also, I’m not sure how fair it would be to that child or to my children since there are already four children living in this house.

I fear that, with five children, no one would get the attention they deserve or need.

It’s part of the reason why I got my tubes tied after having Tiny.

But still…

I wish I could be that person because there are so very, very many children in need of good foster homes and I know there are so very, very many bad foster homes out there.

Good ones, too.  But, there are the bad ones and it just breaks my heart into a million pieces when I hear stories about the children who are placed in those homes.

I haven’t shut the door on this.

Maybe when the monkeys are grown and out of the house.

I don’t know.

—–

So, there you go.

Three things that you may not have known about me before today.

I hope you really didn’t know them and I hope that you found them at least a little interesting.

So, happy birthday to me, and I hope that you will celebrate my birthday by doing something special for yourself.

As for me, after work, I’ll be enjoying my Mom’s super spicy sauce with meatballs, sausage and spaghetti for dinner and not lifting a finger to prepare it.

Ahhh…