32

Ok, I give in. My niece Leslie put together an "I" list of 32 statements in honor of her 32nd birthday. So in honor of said birthday, I'll do the same. I'm just thankful that I'm not obligated to create a list of 47!

1. I am very blessed. I come from a great family, married into a great family and have created (in my humble opinion) a great family. Can't ask for much more than that.
2. I like to make lists and I really like to cross items off my multiple lists. I don't really see that as a problem.
3. I like wine way too much, especially a nice, dry red and I like to have a glass or two every evening. It's heart healthy :-)
4. I really like being in my 40's and am happier than I've ever been in my whole life. I'm sort of looking forward to my 50's but want to continue enjoying my 40's a little while longer, thank you very much.
5. I'm pretty much done with the Catholic Church and organized religion in general and I feel guilty about it.
6. I feel guilty about all kinds of things (see origin of guilty feelings in #5)but am trying to work through it. Sure there are lots of reasons to feel guilty but some things are not my responsibility.
7. I believe marrying the right person makes all the difference in the world and I made such a good decision when I married Jeff. I'm still crazy about him after almost 16 years.
8. I would plan trips for myself (and all my friends and family) and travel all over the world if money was not an issue.
9. I want my boys to figure out what they love to do and find a way to make a living doing it.
10. I feel like I stumbled through my 20's and wish someone would have given me good advice and wish that I had been smart enough to listen.
11. I am so thankful that I was blessed with nieces and nephews at a young age because without them I would have been a very different person.
12. I am obsessed with genealogical research and during the summer it keeps me up at night.
13. I feel that I have a novel in me and want to give it a shot, especially since Chris had a dream that I would write a book...and her premonitions often come true!
14. I am pursuing my National Board certification this year and it both scares me and inspires me...often at the same time.
15. I hate the taste, smell and texture of bananas.
16. I am flattered that people think I look like my mom and find it strange that the older I get the more I look like her.
17. I love my new bike and want to go riding with Patti this summer, just not 50 miles in one shot.
18. I want to try meditation but am intimidated about starting a class taught by a Buddhist Monk.
19. I love watching the boys grow and mature and get excited when I see flashes of who they will be as mature adults.
20. I think sometimes I can feel physical pain in my heart when I watch videos of them as babies and little boys. Hearing their little voices tears me up even though they might be in the same room with me at that moment. I miss the little people they used to be.
21. I can't imagine a life without music.
22. I really believe in sun screen and wearing a big hat and hope it pays off with good skin when I'm 80...not that it will really matter then.
23. I love it when I'm in the middle of a great novel and can't wait to curl up with it at night and then wish I could read it again for the first time.
24. I love pedicures and wish I would have discovered them earlier in life.
25. I am positive that I could never live in the mountains because it makes me nervous and claustrophobic. I need to see the horizon.
26. I would love to be 15lbs lighter and have some muscle tone but I don't beat myself up about it like I used to.
27. I will reread and proof this list and after I hit publish will think of a terrific 33rd entry.
28. I probably think I'm better looking, funnier and smarter than I really am, so please don't disrupt my reality.
29. I love that I can have a conversation with my sisters and use a random word or gesture and they will know exactly what I'm talking about.
30. I'm glad that we are not Lace Curtain but rather Shanty Irish...Patti and Sandi know what I'm talking about and are not hanging crepe.
31. I love being a redhead, although that was not the case when I was 13.
32. I pray for grace and wisdom for myself and my family and friends and pray that God shows me my purpose on earth.