Hmmmmm I was Tagged!

Well, it looks like I have been tagged in the latest round of tagging. I thought that I might get away with this one since I went for a couple of weeks without being tagged, but I see that Jessica (Faereygirl) at Faery Wings & Stamping Things tagged me yesterday. Since I’m sure most everyone has been tagged already, I’m not going to pass the tag along. But what I will do is tell you seven seven things about myself (that I’ve not already told), and try to answer some of the questions I’ve had recently (we’ll kill 2 birds with 1 stone).

1. I’m a very loyal and supportive friend. I always believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt until they prove to me otherwise. I expect loyalty from my friends and once they break that trust, it is very hard for me to let that go. I want friends that I can confide in, laugh with and share my fears and triumphs with.

2. Many of you have asked recently if I stand to stamp. YES I do. I cannot stamp sitting down. I do have a drafting chair in my studio that goes low enough for me to sit at my computer desk and then high enough for me to sit at my counter when I’m working on tedious mundane tasks. But for the most part, I only use the chair to sit and type. If I try and stamp sitting down it normally ends in a major mess (ask Krazystamper, she saw me this past weekend when I tried to sit and stamp). I like to be above what I’m working one – maybe it’s the trifocal thing!

3. I do not have a fridge in my studio. I’m pretty sure what someone was referring to was my stack of ribbon drawers under my counter. I love ribbon and can’t resist buying any that is on sale. I also love Jody Morrows ribbon shares and can’t wait to see what she is offering next. My studio is actually my mudroom that was designed for stamping when it was built. I have a fridge in the garage that holds those all-important drinks and then my kitchen is just through the other door and that fridge is close by too. Actually now that I think about it, I have 2 refrigerators within five steps in either direction. How cool is that! This also encompasses another request I had to share techniques for ribbon and fiber placements. I will have to think on this one and make it an entirely separate post.

4. I love to read! There is always a pile of books on my night stand. One that is in process and the next ones I’m going to read. I will read anything that relates to women, families, love, romance and history. I particularly like ongoing sagas. Anne Rice was one of my favorites before she changed her writing style and I have everything that she has ever written. I now like to read Luanne Rice and cruise the bookstore looking for her most recent release. Fern Michaels is another favorite and I am currently rereading all of the Texas series books. (You know, Texas Rich, Texas Gold, Texas Fury about the Coleman Family). From there I will go to the Vegas series and then the Kentucky series. My bookshelves are lined with the likes of Maeve Binchy, Colleen McCollough, Nora Roberts, Anne Rice, Luanne Rice and anything else I see that peeks my interest. That’s not to say that I also have every one of Oprah’s Book Club books from the first go around. I never get rid of books and I don’t get them from the library (I guess I should since I also have a book going.) My favorite time to read is 11:00 p.m. when I head off to bed. I read until I fall to sleep. And now that I’m driving Kate around, the book is always in my purse. Sometimes I have some long waits.

5. In my former life, I was a legal secretary. I started working in a law office in 1978 when I married my husband. Little did I know then that I would spend the next 15 years working in the legal field. I finally quit full-time work when my youngest daughter was in kindergarten and my oldest was in third grade. I worked part-time here and there over the last 13 years, but have currently stayed home and stamped for the last two years. Can’t beat that!

6. I used to be organized! I can’t say that any more and quite frankly, I attribute that to the lack of concentration brought on with my age (menopause is the proper term I believe). When my girls were younger, I did the Girl Scout Troop Leader thing, was President of PTO for a few years and stayed very active with the school. I am amazed that I could do all that running, juggle three or four things all at the same time, and still keep the house clean, garden and cook dinner every night. Now I can’t find my car keys half the time.

7. Finally, I have a First Degree Blackbelt in taekwondo. Yep I sure do. My oldest daughter wanted to take taekwondo and I would sit around with the other mothers while the kids were in class. I was 40 years old, terribly out of shape, extremely over weight and knew that I could probably use the exercise myself, but I was very intimated by the teenage kids in class. We mothers got together and asked the instructor if he would offer a class just for us one time a week. He agreed and it was so much fun. After my first belt testing I was ready to move onto more workouts each week and eventually started working at the school at night. It wasn’t long before I was sparring with the teenage boys and going to tournaments. I loved it!!! Right before my black belt testing, I blew my knee trying to get that extra inch out of a jump spin kick. Needless to say, I was unable to workout or compete for about 3 months. I did rehabilitation and attended World Championships in Little Rock, Arkansas. I did not compete in the black belt ring (I was still a recommended Black Belt) and didn’t feel I was ready for it. But I did compete in my age division, blew the form, but did finish first in sparring. What a major coup! I sparred five matches that day, won them all and came home with a first place trophy! I no longer take TKD and no longer workout on the wave bag that is in my garage, it’s there if I really get angry so that I can go out and throw a few kicks and punches. I have often felt that I would like to go back to class and continue with my training. I miss the balance and peace that it gave me.