Twenty-Five Random Things About Me

I was over at one of my favorite blogs The Melindaville Blog and I just got a kick out of her “Twenty-Five Random Things About Melindaville” that I wanted to do one too! I could relate to so many things she had on her list…so here’s mine:

1. When I was only 2 1/2 years old I ran away from home. I remember it very clearly. I was wearing a diaper, had shoes on already, and I was wearing a turtle neck shirt. That’s all. Anyway, I wanted to find my dad who I loved but no longer lived with me. (My parents divorced when I was about two years old). SO, do you remember way back in the day those zipper up round hat boxes with the single handle? Well, I unzipped it, stuck my teddy bear in there, a couple of diapers and other things I loved, and walked out the door, wearing only a diaper, shirt and shoes. I walked and walked and actually got onto the freeway (in Long Beach California!) and just kept walking. I was picked up by a woman and taken to the police station. I could have been kidnapped! I’m so glad she turned me in.
2. My mother was and still is till this day a heroin addict and prostitute.
3. I very rarely went to school before the age of 9, and then my dad won custody of my sister and I.
4. I am dyslexic
5. When I was 11 I refused to hold my dad’s hand or hug him in public because I feared others would think he was my boyfriend.
6. I once had a dream that I was in heaven talking with God, walking in a gorgeous garden, and all the sudden I saw myself sleeping as I hovered above and realized I wasn’t in my body. I was 13 at the time.
7. When I was six I stole money from my mother to get my ears pierced. I can’t believe they did it without a parent’s permission.
8. I read out loud semi-confidently when I was 25 years old.
9. I absolutely adore a plump, ripe, fresh fig.
10. I have a phone phobia (except with my kids and husband), and I always make the kids answer any calls.
11. I’m a documentary and movie whore….I will do anything for a good flick!
12. I’m a horrible speller.
13. I used to attempt to go to school from K-3rd grade, but would always get sent home either for having no shoes on, or lice in my hair. I exacted my revenge for not letting me participate by heading into the girls bathroom and making wet paper towel bubbles, filling them with soap and smacking them onto the ceiling of the bathroom.
14. When I was five, I stole a whole collection of barbies from a neighbor, because I was pissed off that her mother actually bought them for her AND played with her.
15. My mom taught me the fine art of switching price tags in a store, and I was well on my way to becoming a refined grifter if my dad never rescued me.
16. I always wanted to be a doctor and research scientist so I could come up with a way to hydrate and give proper nourishment to those who are suffering with malnutrition in other countries. Bloated bellies and shoving porridge down a persons throat doesn’t provide what they truly need to thrive.
17. Horses love me. I don’t know why, but they just usually come to me and start licking me and smelling me. Unfortunately I’m allergic to horses, but I just can’t stay away!
18. I get really distracted by people who blink too much.
19. I hate the sound of mixing tuna and mayonnaise
20. I love NPR news but I can’t stand Carl Kasell’s spit sounds when he talks.
21. Crickets find me fascinating. I don’t know why, but when I feel like I’m being watched, all I have to do is look down and there is a cricket looking up at me. They aren’t even afraid when I come near them. Mice do the same thing…I never understood the attraction.
22. I have a love affair with the rain. I love everything about a rainy day…the smell, the wind, the gray skies. There is something so special about how it falls and nourishes everything around us. It figures that I would move to the one place that has 300 days of no rain.
23. I am always fascinated by the uniqueness of people.
24. I don’t like to eat food off of a plate that isn’t white.
25. After my dad won custody of my sister and I, and we lived with him, it took a while to wipe the criminal out of my blood; while in plain clothing one day at the age of 10, I got a coffee can and solicited all the neighbors on the block for money for girl scouts. I have never been a girl scout. I thought it was a good idea at the time, and I collected quite a bit of money. My dad found out and literally kicked my butt all the way home after making me go to each house and return the money and apologize. That set me on the straight and narrow from then to this day.

Well, that’s my list. I just couldn’t resist.

Bald Beauty of the Day

At Home in the High Desert

We have been in New Mexico for a little more than a month now, and our family is adjusting very well. We found a permanent home in a town called Rio Rancho, and well…I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that I am enjoying the flat desert. I guess when viewing the landscape from far away, everything looks flat until you begin to drive through the terrain. There are many hills and lots of vegetation here. There is beauty here just as there is beauty in seeing the mountains.

I have not had access to the internet for a while now, and I was starting to go nuts! This past Friday the cable guy came and hooked us up. We are now in a small four bedroom house that is in need of a lot of tender loving care. We made the decision to rent this house because the landlord was willing to allow us to do the work necessary to make it safe for Simmi. She is highly sensitive to latex rubber and is allergic to dust mites, so carpet poses a big problem for her skin. The first order of business was to rip all the carpet up, then to clean up the place and paint. It has been a slow process but we are getting a lot done. My kids have been a such a big help and I don’t know if I could have done as much as I have done to this point with out them. They have watched over Simmi as I ran around like a chicken without a head trying to get things done.

It hasn’t been easy for them. They have lost everything they held dear and moved very far away from their dad and friends. When we first got to NM they had a week left of school before the holiday break, but because their school didn’t send their transcripts, we couldn’t register them. It worked out well though, because if we would have been able register them in the school near the temporary house, we would have had to pull them out of there and transfer them to the Rio Rancho school district. We found our new home the end of December but with the landlord going to see relatives in another state, we couldn’t sign the lease for another week. THEN when we signed the lease we had electricity but no water or gas. It’s very hard to work in a house that has no heat or water. We moved in on January 14th with no furniture. I was partially holding my breath half the time wondering if we were going to have to sleep on the concrete. But, as it turns out, I found another very endearing quality about NM…the people here are very generous. People donated beds, a living room set and a table and chairs! All of it in very good condition. Our first night in the house we slept on beds and NOT on concrete. Noah started school this past Thursday and Shoshie started school on Friday. It was an easy adjustment for Noah, but Shoshie found the size of her school a little overwhelming. Simmi is doing wonderful and I am happy to say that she is now eczema free. The lack of carpets cleared up the last of her rashy skin. Unfortunately, because the house is still not finished, the only room that is safe for her to be in right now is the kitchen. I call it “the safe zone.” She definitely doesn’t like being confined to the small kitchen, but it is the only way to keep her clean until the rest of the house is done. Tomorrow I will be finishing the painting and then she will be free to roam our little abode freely.

I am getting stronger every day, and it is so wonderful to feel normal again. In one months time all the pain that had been constant for the last year has left me. I wouldn’t be able to do all that I am doing right now if I was still racked with pain. I am bursting with energy and greet each new day like a child on Christmas morn. In the next few weeks I’ll post pictures of our new home with before and after photos.

Thanks for reading!

My Kids Want a Dog

I have always been a “dog person” but I really didn’t have a choice in the matter because I am one of those lucky people that has multiple allergies. You name it and I am probably allergic to it; and among this laundry list of allergies is a severe allergy to cats. While I have always secretly dreamed of sharing my home with a feline, I do have the option of having a dog. But what kind? Over the years I have had many different kinds dogs, from mutts to pure breeds…and I’m not sure what I would choose if I decided to once more go ahead and make a commitment to share my home with a dog.

My kids bring up the idea in different ways through out the week and they are relentless in their quest to make mom “see the light.” They talk about the days when we had our beautiful Bichon and how sweet and good natured he was. They reminisce about some of his most endearing qualities and remind me of just how much I loved him. He was a pure delight, always lifting our spirits when we were down and making us laugh with his quirky little habits. But the more they talk about him, the more I could never replace him with another Bichon. He was just too special to me and it breaks my heart to have to tell them no. Maybe I am warming up once again to the idea of having another dog, but again…what kind? What kind of dog do you share your home with when you lived with and loved the most special dog in the world? I feel that all dogs pale in comparison to him and in a way, think that maybe I would just spend my time comparing the new pup and feeling disappointed if he didn’t measure up to the legend that I have created in my mind about Chuka.