I Am ...

In a few months I'll be starting a new gig as a reviewer at viewpoints.com, and they seem to have a certain style of introducing themselves. It's a way to introduce yourself to others, and tell everyone who you are, instead of telling everyone who you are not. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I wouldn't be able to come up with many things that I was, as I'm not normally a loss for words, and as usual, I'm not here either.

First and foremost, I am a mother and a wife, a sister and a daughter. At one point I aspired to be Mrs. Cleaver, but no longer, as I am far, far from that. Doing an online quiz, it told me the TV mom I was most like was Roseanne. So be it. I am lucky enough to have my sister's family live five houses away from mine, and to have my parents live seven minutes away, although I still don't see them nearly enough.

I am a storyteller. After having so many stories locked up inside of me for so long, I finally found a way to tell them, being a writer. I'm the person in the conversation that is always saying, "That reminds me of the time ... " Everything I write, whether it's a review, recap, interview, or other web content, is a story with a beginning, middle, and end. I am also a good listener of other people's stories, leading me into being a good friend.

I am a martial artist. Despite the fact I failed gym class in my junior year of high school because of non-participation, I am now a martial artist. No one that knew me back then can imagine how I could go from that to this. I am also a black belt, and nothing makes me more proud, knowing the hard work I put into this, other than being an instructor. The first time I taught a student a technique, and they remembered it, was a moment I will never forget. Being that the majority of the students I teach are kids, it's an extension of being a mom.

I am a lover of everything that has to do with entertainment, whether it be movies, music, or television, leading to my interest in writing about it whenever I can. I like entertainment that makes me feel, think, and sometimes laugh, and that is why I try to structure my own storytelling in the same manner. I have been writing about reality TV for 2-1/2 years, and movies for the past year. My mom never understood when I was little, why I preferred to stay inside and watch Mike Douglas, rather than go outside and play. I'm still the same way.

I am a pet owner and animal lover. I have had dogs nearly all my life. The dog we had when I was growing up was a beagle/poodle/terrier mix named Chipper that lived to a ripe old age of 17, and if you ask either my sister or me, we will tell you he was the smartest dog in the whole world. When my husband and I got married, we took over the care of his family's dog Maggie, an English Setter mix. She was the best dog when people were home with her, but when alone, she had a bit of separation anxiety. She was also Houdini, as she could get out of a shut, padlocked crate, or a shut, bungee-corded crate, on her own. We now have two Airedale mixes that are sister and brother that we got from rescue when they were young puppies. Their mother had been abused. Big Mac and Indi*Anna* are 65 and 60 pound lap dogs, but protect our home and family ferociously, appearing much more mean than they actually are.

I am a person who loves travel, although we seem to always travel to the same places. I grew up visiting my grandparents in Florida every year, and now we take our kids to visit their grandparents, my in-laws, in Florida each year. In some ways, it's like a second home. Years ago my sister and I surprised our husbands with a trip to New Orleans, and the following year they surprised us by going back. We went a few more times after that, and it's truly one of my favorite places to be. One year our parents suprised our families with a trip to Acapulco, and it was truly the trip of a lifetime. Last year, we all decided to do it again, and somehow managed to top the first time we went. My husband and I used to travel to Hayward, Wisconsin, as a young couple, but haven't been back in several years.

Along with everything else, I'm also a connector and thinker. It may sound odd, but I don't do anything without thinking about it forever, to be sure it's the right thing to do, and I have to connect all the dots first. I like when things connect for me, and don't like to leave loose ends. My martial arts instructor told me years ago I was a circular person, and not linear, and that makes much more sense to me. Every thing is in one big circle, and I'm not happy until I get to the beginning of my circle again.

In some ways, each of these things that I am, is in my circle.