I apologize in advance if this rambles... I figured if I'm gonna be real about who I am, it has to be the first thing that comes out (unedited)... so here it goes:
1. i am a research junky.... i use google at least 50 times a day - literally, and sometimes that number is closer to 100)... everything from education, child rearing, how-to's about cooking, supplies, weather, history, word meanings, how to spell, real-estate i can't afford and will probably never afford and in places i will probably never live, books to read, and my favorite- beauty products (I may as well be a beauty editor or researcher for Allure/Glamour with the amount of time and testing I've done!)
2. hi my name is sara and i am a product junkie. being married and on a budget has helped harness this addiction to find the latest and greatest products to make me look/feel 16 again... now i am a "budget product junkie"... probably why my sisters enjoy showering at my house, because my shower and bathroom cabinets are always full of a variety of products (some high-end, some drugstore brand... but all have been thoroughly researched before they hit my shelves ;-)
3. i have come to realize that my masters degree in education might have been a waste... the friday after graduation i got laid-off and have yet to have a legit "teaching" job... but i'm okay with that because with or without a degree i enjoy tutoring one on one much more, and since the day my daughter was born i will be her teacher every moment of every day i am home with her
4. i have a million creative ideas and not-so-creative ideas about how to organize (i have an inner monica), make life easier, invent soemthing, write something, do something, be something, inspire someone.... i have yet to find a way to harness these ideas and actually make it happen
5. i am a type A personality with OCD tendancies... i was that group member in college (especially grad school) that would dominate a group project because i believe if you want it done right, do it yourself) i am learning to let go a little, but it feels against my nature
6. some of my best friends are polar opposites of me
7. people that inspire me- Jesus (cliche maybe, but everyday i strive to be a better christian- somedays are more successful than others); my gramps (if you met my grandmother, you would understand that this 94 yr old man has more patience than ANYONE i've ever met!); single mothers (until you've tried it for 2 weeks, you really can't begin to appreciate what they go through or the strength and determination they have!)
8. my husband also is one of my biggest inspirations... he has this ability to tell the brutal honest truth all the time (like he doesn't know how to candy coat things), but this makes him "real" and everybody could use a real person in their life
9. yes i went to school to be a teacher, and yes i have the worst spelling.... its embarassing at times but thank you inventor of spell check!
10. i have never been a fan of reading for pleasure (21 consecutive years of school and "mandatory reading" will do that)- until my gf made me read Twilight against my will.... since then I have found reading to be a great escape
11. to continue from #10, I have boxes and cases of books that I refuse to get rid of, even if i never plan on actually reading them... i collect alot of "self-help" or educational books on everything from how to be a better you, pregnancy, breastfeeding, yoga, marriage, etc.... i like to think of them as my "life's little references when you're in a bind" books
12. i am passive aggressive and not proud of this, i'm a work in progress
13. i am terrified of flying over water, driving over bridges (ESPECIALLY over water), and losing loved ones
14. my favorite time of day is in the morning when time stands still for just a bit... i nurse jayme in bed with ryan and i and then we are all safe, sound and snuggling in bed together as a family... its truly the best feeling ever
15. i love breastfeeding... i love that i provide life substance to my daughter... i love that i can eat like a college frat boy and not gain a pound... i love that for once in my life i am able to wear a DD!
16. i used to be proud of my buff arms and "not-so-white girl-derrière", now i am proud of my post pregnancy body that held up through nine months of carrying my daughter
17. i love that i was able to put mind over matter and deliver my daughter naturally... i am glad i spent nine months preparing physically and mentally
18. i wish i wouldn't have been talked out of my major/career choice by a lame teacher... that is possibly my biggest life regret
19. i like to day-dream while i stare at my baby girl fast asleep... i like to think about who she will become and how i will impact her life
20. i love that my husband wants to go to church with me and raise our daughter in a christian home/environment...
21. i love being a stay-at-home mom... i just feel guilty that i don't bring in any money to help us afford to live the life we want to live
22. i have a weird facsination with reptiles, spiders, and all things "gross"... however, a kid with a snotty nose makes me want to gag and avoid like the plague
23. i have always wanted to travel to Europe; however, my fear of flying over water makes me want to stay put
24. i am afraid of the unknown... like paranoid... i am always planning 2 steps ahead (i.e. when i'm driving how to avoid a potential collision, natural diasters, etc.)
25. i am addicted to chocolate (i'm not prejudice, i'll eat it all)
26. i am addicted to bargain shopping (why pay full price at Nordies when you can get it at the Rack?)
27. this may be tmi .... i am addicted to bikini waxing (i will give up having my hair done to afford my wax visit)
28. i love the background noise when i am getting a facial... the sound of the esthetician preparing each step is soothing to me... this was my "happy place" that got me through back labor
29. i am not a fan of driving (i'd rather be the passenger)
30. i like the idea of cooking, i just don't like that i have to handwash all the dishes that are involved... so i am a lazy wife in the kitchen (i'm not proud of this either)
31. i watched my friend die when i was in 8th grade and will never forget the smells, sights, sounds of every day leading up to that final good-bye
32. i am afraid of dying at a young age... more so afraid of leaving my little girl behind without her mother
33. i am terrified of the sight of guns, but feel empowered when shooting one
34. i was a ballerina for over a decade... yet i am the biggest klutz... seriously don't know the last time i went a week without bruised shins, elbows, or knees
35. jobs i wish i could do- event planner, author, beauty editor, research analyst, physical therapist, pediatric nurse
36. i have never watched star wars, lord of the rings, or harry potter
37. i am terrified of raising my little girl in what the world has become and is becoming
38. i love all things beachy
39. i love the color blue... however the color royal blue frightens me as it reminds me of my grams dress she was wearing when i saw her open casket
40. i love dressing up my little girl in all things frilly and girly, yet i have become that mom that thinks it okay to go without makeup and roots 3 inches grown out in public
41. i have no desire to be wealthy and live in a home that is too big for my family... only the desire to one day own a home and be able to pay off my insane student loans
42. some people get baby-fever, i get golden retriever fever.... one day... when we own a home and have a yard... hopefully
43. i love every reese witherspoon movie... legally blonde is one of my all time favorite movies to just veg to
44. i wear spf 50 even when its raining out
45. i love being the oldest and having a friendship with my siblings even as adults
46. my parents never-ending divorce has made my marriage stronger
47. i love the smell of the ocean, a clean baby, clean sheets, and a day spa
48. two of my mantras in life "positive mind produces positive results"... and when in doubt, "fake it till you make it reality"
49. things that make my skin crawl- cracked rough feet scraping sheets on a bed, the sound of nails dragging the headliner in a car, the sound of nails scratching over any clothing (especially denim), the sound of people biting their nails, spit, kids with snotty noses (like the green kind)- how i managed teaching kindergarten and preschool i will never know!
50. my life's ambition is to inspire at least one person before i die (hopefully of old age in my bed, "notebook" style)
... in a 50 bullet point nutshell- this is me :-)
I can't believe how 5 months has flown by! Actually I can... as I sit here procrastinating on folding my umpteenth load of laundry, I feel as though my days all blur together. I'm still not sure where the 18 hours just went since I dropped Ben (Stacey's BF) off at the airport this morning... Somehow I ran out of time and have yet to take that nap I've been craving ALLLLLL day! Enough about my pity party of "where'd the me time go?!" ... My little Jayme bug is officially 5 months new to the world! I hope and pray everyday that I am a decent parent who will provide the right substance and nurturing for her to absorb like a sponge. It is truly amazing to watch her grow (sometimes I swear right before my eyes!) and learn every moment of every day. I know I sound like a cliche sap of a proud mom, but until you experience parenthood for yourself, you can't imagine how proud my little girl makes me! She has such a sassy personality, and I swear she has learned how to work the baby blues God blessed her with... especially with her daddy... she has him wrapped around her finger (as I knew she would, even though Ryan swore he wouldn't be "that bad"). I feel so blessed and can't imagine a day without her in my life!
