A Little about Me

Just when I can't get any farther behind in my blog and the list of draft posts are adding up, I get another challenge to complete. Thankfully this one isn't taking me weeks to complete like my upcoming 7 Links post. So thanks to some prompting by Lisa over at From One Country to Another, here is a little about me and I hope you'll share a little about you too!

1. How long have you been with your husband?

First date: January 18, 2007
Married: August 19, 2009
Still going strong at 4 1/2 years!

2. Can you remember one funny miscommunication because of language barriers?

Please, this happens on a daily basis. When he starts to tell me a story, I tell him that he can't use any pronouns because I always get confused when he tries to tell me that "el dio a ella que no pudo ayudarle con ellas" and this is supposed to mean "he told his aunt that he couldn't help her move the chickens" or something silly like that. I get so frustrated trying to pay attention and ask the right questions and he gets frustrated that I don't know what he's telling me.

3. What state / and or city have you relocated to?

We have lived in four different houses in the same town and now, our fifth house, is our permanent home here in the United States, our Habitat home. When we make our temporary move south, it will be to the state of Tlaxcala and there we'll stay until we figure out what our future holds. If it's going to be a year or longer, we'll make some road trips until the right place calls our name and we'll settle there.

4. Do you and your hubby have any children, How old?

I have two daughters, AshLee (18) and Erika (8) and we have Mia (3) together. He has Michel (9) and Anthony (4) which is why we made the choice for me to fix that reproductive issue, five mouths is plenty!

5. What is one thing that your blogger friends don't know about you?

Not too much I'm sure since I prefer to be a pretty open book. Oh yes, when I was a small child, I remember eating my first taste of meat in Governor Brown's office in Sacramento, California during a sit-in with my mother. One of her friends took us to the cafeteria to eat and they didn't realize we were vegetarians so I ate some breakfast sausage. During this same summer, my mother was arrested while we were doing a road blockade at a nuclear power plant on the coast of California and my little sister Kara got her picture in the newspaper handing a flower to a police officer. I remember a famous singer having his birthday in the jail where the activists were held and we passed a cake through the fence to them, somehow.

6. What are some of your favorite hobbies or past times?

I can live anywhere in the world as long as I have access to my scrapbooking supplies and I can continue to journal my family's history in my many 12" x 12" scrapbooks. I also enjoy cross-stitching when it doesn't make my eyes cross, I love photography, international travel, and I really want to learn how to make stained glass. I actually just bought a beginner's book at Barnes & Noble today!

7. How did you stumble upon the blogging community?

I started blogged in 2003 when I was deployed to Iraq. I wanted a way to share my story with all of my friends and family because I didn't have the internet access and ability to write to multiple people. Upon my return, I continued blogging and as it gained popularity, I would surf for blogs of people in similar situations or interests.

8. Have you learned something new about yourself during this whole process that has changed all of our lives?

I learned that I am braver than 90% of America. I'm not afraid to travel to new places and see new sights and take my children to experience a new world. I never realized how people truly viewed Mexico until I told them that I drive there, travel there every few months, and usually have one or two little girls in tow.

9. Something that you love about Mexico and something that you can't stand or miss living without.

I love the food.
I love the simplicity of life.
I hate the lack of common sense when dealing with companies and their services.
I am going to miss my freedom to get in my car and drive anywhere I want whenever I want for whatever reason I have.

10. Did you know your in-laws before moving and has it been a big adjustment being closer to them?

I haven't moved yet but I traveled to Mexico for the 2nd time (1st time being a cruise in 2005) when Mia was 4 mos old so she could meet her father's family. Since that time, I have traveled down six more times and his family loves me like a daughter, his grandma cries when it's time for us to leave, and his family have welcomed us with open arms, and accepted Erika as if she were his flesh and blood child as well. We won't be living with his mother but we will be living with his sister and her family until we get on our feet and I adore them, for the most part!

11. If you were going back to the states next week, where is the first place you would go, of course after seeing your family?

I wonder what I'm going to miss about being here. I think it wil be returning to my bedroom so I can lie down on my beautiful bed that we won't be hauling to Mexico with us. Then it would be somewhere for ice cream. If there was a Cracker Barrel in my area, that would be my first stop.