Sick of me yet? Who are you??? Part 4

What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

1. My bachelors degree. I am the only person on my mother's side of the family to have earned a bachelors. I wish she could have been there to see it, but it is still one of my proudest moments. 

2. R. Even though things didn't work out with his dad and I, bringing him into this world is of my greatest accomplishments and my greatest gifts. Even though I like to pretend that he has only inherited the good traits from my side of the family ;)

3. Our marriage. After I split with R's dad, I really didn't think I would ever be able to trust a man again. The fact that I was able to find such an amazing man and allow myself to open up to him, to trust him - that is a huge accomplishment. The fact that I am somehow muddling through being a step-mom to 3 wonderful boys, that to me is also a great accomplishment; but I think I am most proud of our love and the example we set for our children. 

4. M. We knew the odds of us having a girl were not in our favor, so I couldn't feel more blessed by God for bringing her into our lives. Every day she is growing, learning, and amazing us with the things she knows. Sometimes I can't believe I made her! 

5. My weight loss. I know, I know, It's been done 4 times already... and I consider each of those times to be an accomplishment, but this last time has been the most rewarding for me. This is the longest I have kept the weight off in my adult life. I have also challenged myself in new ways, and found a way to really incorporate exercise and healthy living into our daily lives. 

What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

Photography. I love taking pictures of my family, but I wish I was better at capturing moments in a more artistic way. Some people have such a natural eye for it. Me, not so much. 


What do you think your spouse loves most about you?

I'm not really sure how Jay would answer this if you asked him directly, but I think he would say that he loves my love for and commitment to our children the most. I think it's a little different for us because we are a blended family. Even though it should be, I'm not sure that love for step-kids is a guarantee in every situation, so it's a very endearing quality when you know your other half is as attached to your own kids as you are. I know Jay's love for my R is one of the things I love most about him. 

How did you feel the moment you became a parent?

Overwhelmed by love, and scared as hell. When R was born, my situation with his dad was strained at best. He was on the phone with girl he left me for in the birthing room right after the delivery. I can't even describe to you the pain from that time in my life. I was so scared about having to raise this boy on my own, but at the same time I was overtaken with a love unlike anything I had ever felt before in my life. It was a very strange and difficult time for me, but one of the most joyous in my life. 

Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

When I was 4 years old we moved from Queens to Long Island. I hardly remember our old house at all, except for a few instances. I wouldn't say these are necessarily significant, but for some reason they are some of the most vivid. I remember throwing up green in the middle of my parents bed when I was about 3 years old. I remember sneaking downstairs into the super scary basement to play with the Little People McDonald's play set  I'm talking old school Little People, back when they were square and made of wood! 

Another significant & vivid, but unpleasant memory from my childhood is my memory of the night my Uncle Sal passed away. He had been away on business, and had a fatal heart attack during dinner. My dad was also away on a business trip in California, so I was sleeping with my mom in their room. We are both very sound sleepers so we never heard the door... My aunt and 2 older cousins had to ring my grandma's bell and wake her first. Then they all came upstairs to tell my mom the news. It seemed so surreal, opening my eyes and seeing the 3 of them standing in the bedroom doorway in the dark. I don't think I had ever seen my mom like that before. She was shaking and crying, "my baby, my baby"... I remember distinctly that in the middle of all of us hugging and crying, my grandmother never shed one tear in front of us. My mom called up my dad in California, and I remember her saying he had to put the phone down because he couldn't even talk to her. He got the next flight back to NY. When he came home, that was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry. My uncle didn't take the best care of himself. He drank a ton of coffee and chain-smoked Moore menthol's like there was no tomorrow. I would always tell him if he didn't quit smoking he would drop dead at 50. And then he did. I felt guilty about this for a long time. Maybe that's why the memory is still so strong.

2 more days of getting to know me left... This week you're probably learning more than you ever wanted to know about little ol' me!