Right Way Ring and the Birthday~

The ring again, this time on the hand the right way~ with the wedding band closest to the heart. I love it, never guessed to expect it.... keep watching it sparkle.

So, it's my birthday and today I am 46. Imagine. I can't, I feel younger- much younger- in attitude, like I never quite grew up completely. In my mind I'm 10 years behind, and should be 36.... but I'm not. Tis ok as I expect to live a very, very long time- I still have lots to do with my life.

I like lists for birthdays, so here is my list of 46 bits of miscellaneous information about me: (it's ok to be self-centered on birthdays- like a gyroscope or centrifuge centering yourself helps to find the balance, and is needed at least once a year....)

1. I love my husband ~ he is creative, handsome, kind, smart, funny, interesting and makes me think...among other things.

2. I love my kid, and I trust him to find his way in the world. Growing up is hard to do.

3. I like doggs more than cats, but I have learned to love Turello (Squirt)

4. I sometimes feel guilty for not spending enough time with the doggs.

5. I love to drive, I just *go* someplace when I am travelling.

6. As much as I love to drive, I have learned to let the manz drive- and surprisingly I don't get sick.

7. I hate talking on the phone except to Mother, Melissa, and my sisters.

8. I am lucky enough to have had a best friend for years, a friend that has seen me through marriage, divorce, bad relationships, moving, falling in love and marrying again. Even though I've had many meltdowns, she remains loyal : )

9. My favorite drinks are: coffee, sweet tea with lemon, hot tea, water, diet tonic water (which is icky to the rest of the world), whiskey, dark 'bread' beer and manz-made blender drinks. Sometimes a coke-in-a-can.

10. I eat to much... sometimes because I am stressed, thirsty, bored- but mostly just because I love food and it tastes so damned good!

11. Except I dislike: jello, green foamy punch, chitlins, cracklins and cheetos. Everything else is pretty much fair game. (the only exception being Barbie's Cranberry wine salad, which is jello based but tasty none-the-less)

12. I fight with my weight in a passive-aggressive manner. In my mind, I look a certain way- but the scale says otherwise. I would like to be thinner- like 60 lbs thinner- giving it another go this year but I'm not going to let it make me crazy. When I diet I dream about food...

13. I believe in ghosts.

14. I never thought I'd ever have a relationship again, let alone be married. The manz is a constant blessing every day.

15. I never spell the word 'surprise' right- I spell it 'suprize'... because I think it deserves to have a prize in it.

16. I love being in school again.... I'm going to miss it when I graduate in May.

17. I worry about student loans, even though I pretend I don't... I trust luck and talent to find a way to pay them off someday... and the education is worth it. All will be well.

18. I remember my dreams and tell them to someone (usually the long suffering manz) every day.

19. Sometimes I talk in my sleep.

20. I would be lost without my sketchbook- I have somewhere around 39 or 40 of them now, take it with me everywhere I go. I wonder what will happen to them when I am gone... (if I live as long as I plan to, and continue at the rate of about 3 per year, that is 54 x 3 or 162.... which means I'll be leaving approximately 200 sketchbooks behind...)

21. My digital camera is a favorite toy- it goes with me everywhere.

22. I love the internet, computers, netflix, email, blogs, all my web pages...

23. I have way to many passwords and numbers in my head.

24. I like getting paid once a month because I am not good with money. That way I pay all the bills first off and am thus forced to budget the rest. I don't live extravagantly, I just don't pay attention.

25. I really want that elephant (the rhino will do) from White Lake.

26. I can't stand my hair when it is short- I am growing it out....

27. I dream about Daddy lots- mostly just going out to dinner with him and mom. In my dreams his heaven is a restaurant with good service.

28. I like my sisters. (I love them too!) but what I mean is that I think they are fantastic cool women who are smart, funny and interesting. Our lives make good stories.

29. I love facebook because it has helped me to discover lost friends and family, to reconnect with people from school and to finally get over high-school angst.

30. I can't go a day without making things. If I don't make something every day, something is very wrong.

31. I love teaching, but I hate telling people how to behave. If I didn't have to deal with behavior in school, my job would be perfect. As it is, it is almost perfect.

32. Every time I go to the doctor, they measure me at a different height (yes, I take off my shoes). There is a 3" variable, and I try not to slouch, and it is inconsistent (I'm not growing or shrinking, it just flexes up and down every time)

33. If I wasn't an art teacher, I would make a good: doctor, forensic pathologist, long-haul truck driver, armchair detective, illustrator, book-store owner, museum curator, actress

34. If I wasn't an art teacher, I would make a lousy: maid, flight attendant, super model, vet, spell-checker, policeman, accountant, investment banker, salesperson, driver's ed trainer

35. I love my mother- she taught me how to be an artist, how to *see* the world instead of just looking at it. To live life as an experience, a story, not just a daily grind.

36. The most risky thing I do is to explore abandoned places. Usually rural houses and old schools, and yes- I'm always careful. I don't know why I am so fascinated with these places, but I love them, visually, their stories, even the way they smell.

37. My other favorite smells are: polyurethane, paint, leather, horses, lavender, ginger, bergamont, 'outside', tea, coffee and the manz pillow.

38. The smell of a new car always makes me sick.

39. Spiritual, not religious. I have a pagan heart.

40. I like old things better than new things. I think objects have personality and spirit, and some things are just meant to belong to some people.

41. I am an Oscar that tried to be a Felix. (Sometimes my Felix self pops out and I 'red something up'.... that restores order and makes it all clear)

42. If I know an animal dies in a movie, I won't watch the movie. I don't watch the Kentucky derby anymore either.

43. I love my life.

44. If I could travel to anywhere, I would choose to drive from here to California, then back up to Maine. That would be the best, and I could visit people and places along the way....

45. My favorite city is New Orleans, followed by Savannah and San Fransisco.

46. I wouldn't trade being me for anything- my ever after is turning out pretty darned happy!