Well, here it is...my last day of maternity leave. I'll try to get on here from time to time to post some more deep and interesting (hmm...) thoughts but no promises when I'll be working full time and being a Mom full time as well. Today's blog is just a collection of random facts and thoughts.
1. My fingernails are my best feature.
They have always grown quickly, are strong, and best of all they naturally grow into a nice oval shape so I don't even have to file them. I have had to keep them short since I had McKenna so I don't scratch or poke her but that is fine. It really doesn't bother me.
2. I am someone who actually enjoys being pregnant.
Love me or hate me for it. When I was pregnant with McKenna it was a pretty enjoyable experience, with the exception of a few typical pregnancy aches and pains, heartburn and swelling. I had absolutely no morning sickness throughout and at my very last OB appointment I had put on 36 pounds. Not too bad. You never know, the next time I get KO it may be very different. I'm hoping that's not the case though.
3. Things in my life never tend to go smoothly.
You can bet on it, whenever something happens in my life there is never a straight path through to the end. Whatever random roadblock or hurdle that can possibly be there will be there. This applies to all aspects of my life-professional and personal. A good example of this is the fact that although my dissolution was finalized from my ex-husband over three years ago, we still own a house together. I wish there was some way that he could or would buy me out. It is the only albatross that still is hanging around my neck from that particular time in my life.
4. I have never in my life been to Florida.
I think that I have traveled pretty extensively in my 33 years on this Earth. I have been to Canada numerous times, Mexico, the Bahamas, France (twice), Costa Rica, Belize, and many different states in the United States. However, Florida is not one of them. Even with all the international travel that I've done I've never once had a layover/departure/landing in Florida. I have told family members and friends this fact and they look at me like I'm crazy. I've just never had the opportunity to go there. I'm not a Disney fan (gasp!) so I don't have any burning desire to go to Disney World. I'm sure I'll make it to Florida at some point in my life, just haven't yet.
5. If I could go anywhere in the world I would go to Tahiti.
Gorgeous beaches, little huts on stilts right over the water that you can stay in, and they speak French. Need I say more? However, going to Tahiti is not cheap and the flight is horribly long. Not sure when or if I will ever have the chance to go there. More realistically I would love to go to Seattle and Vancouver or maybe up to Maine. I really need to get my passport re-done (it is still under my previously married name). That can be a goal of mine for the summer.
6. I am addicted to trashy reality TV.
Real Housewives of Atlanta, Bridalplasty, Big Brother, Teen Mom 2, Jersey Shore, I could go on and on. Even though I've heard that a lot of "reality" TV is in actuality scripted, I still enjoy it. It is entertaining to see that some people have lives that are more of a train wreck than my own (not that mine is all that bad, but still).
7. One of the things I miss most is having time to read.
From a very young age, I have always had my nose stuck in a book or magazine. Ask pretty much anyone who knows me. Since having McKenna I haven't had much time to indulge in my favorite activity and I'm sure I'll have even less time once I get back to work this coming week. I used to plow through a book a week or sometimes even more. Hopefully over the summer I'll have some more time to read, especially since I'm working at the MCC again (woo hoo golf shop). I'm looking forward to that.
8. At one point in time I totally stopped drinking pop/soda.
Several years ago I did a weight loss challenge with my Mom, Aunt, and my cousin's now ex-wife. I kept to a very strict 1200 calorie/day diet and worked out almost every day of the week. I was a huge pop/soda drinker before the weight loss challenge and I managed to wean myself off it gradually by switching to carbonated flavored water, then flat flavored water, then just regular water. I was really good for a long time and in the last couple of years have started drinking pop/soda again. I don't overdo it (maybe 1 can a day of Coke or if we go to a restaurant I drink it there) but I know I'd save a lot of calories if I could kick the habit again. In addition to renewing my passport, maybe this could be another goal to meet by the end of the summer.
9. I worry about my dog dying.
My ex-husband and I got Dakota in May 2001 when he lived in Mansfield. She was only 6 or 8 weeks old when we got her and with the exception of May-June 2001 when she was still in Mansfield at the house where she was born (we had to wait until I was done with student teaching and then I had her live with me at my parents house) she has been with me ever since. I know it might sound weird but she has been with me through a lot. She was there when my Dad was sick, when he died, through the crumbling of my first marriage and subsequent divorce. She has also been a real trooper about me getting re-married, having to move after living in my previous house for almost 7 years, and she has been wonderful with McKenna. Not bad for a dog that will be 10 years old in March. I love her very much and I will miss her when she is gone. We don't plan on getting another dog after she dies (at least not anytime soon after that). Maybe when McKenna is a bit older and can help take care of a dog. There will never be another dog like Dakota though. She is truly a special white beast "fur child" to me.
10. I have a cut-off date for having kids.
Originally when I got married I was 23. I would have liked to start having children around 27 or 28, but if you know me (or even if you don't) nothing in my life ever seems to go according to plan (see Random Thing number 3 above). Therefore, I had McKenna exactly one day after my 33rd birthday. We have no plans to have another child right away; maybe in another 2 or 3 years when McKenna is a bit more independent. If everything goes well and we don't have issues TTC that would put me at 35 or 36 when we have our next child. We have talked about having three children total, and if we did want to do that I don't want to have any more kids past the age of 38. No particular reason, it's not because I worry that it would be dangerous or anything like that, it's just a personal choice. I don't want to be 39 or 40 years old and still having kids. I know that being older and having kids is way more commonplace now, but it's just not for me. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that if we had a child at 40 he or she wouldn't graduate until we were 58 years old. I attribute this cut off date to having had very young parents (my Mom will just be turning 52 this June and I turned 33 in November; you do the math. My Dad would have been 52 this coming August but died from liver cancer when he was 48). It always seemed like a really great thing to have your kids grown and out of the house when you were in your mid-forties. Obviously that won't happen with McKenna, seeing as we'll be 51 or so when she graduates from high school, but it's still pretty young. Way better than being 58.
10 random things is good enough for me for now. Maybe you knew some of these things about me and maybe you didn't. Hopefully some of them have provided you with a new or interesting way to see me.
Until next time, I remain,
Jenuinely Yours
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