All about ME?!?

I keep seeing these blogs where people list all sorts of stuff about them. I really like the idea of getting to know things about others, but I'm not sure that I've got all that much to say about myself. However, because I am supposed to be cleaning off my desk today, and do not have any time listed for my WIP, I need to do some sort of writing today. It might as well be this. I've decided to try to list the things that I am. This should be fun...

I am a WIFE. I've been married to the best man in the world (sorry, people, but that's a fact!!) for a few years now. I was once married to a not-so-great person, but I like this one a WHOLE LOT MORE!!

I am a MOM. I have six beautiful children that I have devoted a major portion of my life to raising. I missed out on a lot of the baby stuff with the older ones, and don't want to miss out on another second with any of them.

I am a SISTER. I have a brother that lives in New Orleans. We grew up in the same house and share a mom. I also have assorted other siblings that I didn't meet until a few years ago. They belong to my biological father. I suppose they are technically my family, but I don't really know them. I also have a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law, thanks to my husband.

I am an AUNT. My brother has a beautiful daughter that is 5 years old. She's really a spoiled rotten brat, and I love encouraging that trait! Of course, she listens to ME, but that's a secret that I'll never share with my darling little brother. I am also now the proud aunt of COLIN, my nephew from my husband's brother. I don't really know his folks all that well, but I am really excited that he's joined our family!!

I am a GRANDDAUGHTER. My Mama lives in Oklahoma now. She lived in Texas for the first 33 years of my life. My Papa passed away 10 years ago, and my mom passed away 5 years ago. Now, I try to take care of Mama, but it's hard to do long-distance. Hopefully, she'll move in with us soon. That would make things easier!

I am a CHRISTIAN. I was brought up in a Christian church, but left for quite a while. I was an agnostic, then an atheist. Now, I'm back at church, and happy about it. I don't really agree with many religions, as they are so man-made. However, I enjoy the Bible, love to study it, and try to live by its tenets. I fail miserably most of the time, but I still keep trying.

I am a COOK. Well, this only applies at my house, and on Sunday mornings. I cook for about 100 people at my church every Sunday morning. It is more fun than I can tell you. I prefer making things that keep well, like breakfast casseroles, or biscuits and gravy, or quiches. My family helps out, and it is really a labor of love for us.

I am a WRITER. Ok, not really. I want to be a writer though, so I'm taking the name! I have always loved to write. Many times, when in a conflict, I find it easier to write a letter than have a conversation. My dream was to be a war journalist. Obviously, I didn't do that. Now, I'm working on a book that is based on part of my life. It is a fictional account of a journey a woman takes after losing her mom. Of course, there is lots of stuff to the story, and I don't want to give it away, but it's been really fun to write so far.

I am a READER. If I had to pick a 'dream job' now, it would be one of those people that gets paid to read books. I think I could make a lot of money at this, as I read about a book a day. I read everything that I can get my hands on, in just about any genre. I love romances, chick-lit, time-travel, biographies, mysteries, suspense, self-help, parenting... geez, did I leave anything out? I also read newspapers, magazines, product labels, cereal boxes, billboards. If I'm not reading, it's not because I don't want to be reading.

I am a CHERRY, and a CHERRYBOMB. I belong to Jennifer Crusie's fan group, the Cherries. Check out the Yahoo list. It's so much fun to read what they have to say. Really, the Cherries DO know everything. From there, I also became a CherryBomb. I skipped in to Crusie's dueling blog wih Bob Mayer, He Wrote/She Wrote. It hooked me from the very first post. Check it out in my links. You'll want to be a Cherry too!!

I am a VETERAN. I spent 10 years in the Navy as a Cryptologist. I loved it. I joined because someone in my immediate family needed to do it, and I knew it wouldn't be my brother. My great-grams had 13 kids. 10 boys, 3 girls. One of the boys died when he was young. The other 9 all grew up and joined the military. The 3 girls all married military men. Out of all of the 12 smaller families, most had at least 1 kid that joined the service or married a military person. I was brought up knowing that the only reason we lived in such an incredible country was because somebody had to make the sacrifice and defend the country. If nobody did it, we would fall to another country. It may sound trite, but it's so very true. Well, if everyone counts on everyone else, nobody ever joins. I wanted to be one of the ones helping to keep our country safe, not just one of the ones that complained about how wrong everything is. I still defend the right of every person in this country to have and voice their own opinions. I just also hope that they respect the decision of the men and women in uniform that fight and die every day so that they can keep having and voicing those opinions.

I am a DREAMER. I have such big 'plans' for my life, but really, they're just dreams. However, I dare anyone to try tell me they're stupid. I dream of living in Florence. I dream of writing a fabulous book that really touches people. I dream of owning my very own Bed-and-Breakfast. Most of all, I dream of the day, 30 years from now, when I'm sitting in a chair in front of a Christmas tree, sipping my coffee, holding hands with Shane, and watching scads of grandchildren open their presents, then sitting down to an incredibly fabulous meal that will be the highlight of the day for all of my wonderful children and their spouses. Yeah, that's the BIG dream. I know how stressful family gatherings are, but one day, that will happen. Maybe I'll even blog about it!