I'm it

And by that I mean, someone tagged me! Chantal at Bread Crumbs in the Butter (and everyone else) is doing this meme and hey, I’ll admit to being a joiner.

Ten Years Ago:
In September, 1995, I was just beginning my senior year of college, for the first time living off-campus in a cute little apartment with my friend Cantus. It was an effort for me to ask my parents to let me do this, and I don’t know if by doing it, I was bleeding them dry, but I was also excited to have just started a work-study job that paid – get this -- $5.25/hour! I said in my diary, “But it’s about to go up to $5.75! Hope I can pay my bills!” Oh, the innocence. I “didn’t know from bills” back then! ...I was also dating, long-distance, My College BF (it had been 2 years by this point). He’d graduated a year earlier than me and moved home to Texas. I was whine-ily missing him in the particular diary entry I found for this date. *dry-heave* He wasn't a bad person, it's just that I'm realizing now what I thought was Love was really just a ginormous crush. I had a crush on him my whole freshman year, then he kissed me sophomore year, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. So I stuck with it longer than I should have. ANyway....!

Five Years Ago:
I was engaged to be married to DH, and had just moved myself into what would be our first little apartment home together. I had “split up” with Cantus and cried about it – it was the end of a long era of being roommates and best pals! – but was definitely enjoying having a place ALL to myself. What a treat! I was shopping for bridal dresses (I remember doing this all alone and feeling lonely), and working at the Job I Hated. That was possibly the oddest time of my life – I was living alone for the first time in my life, yet very much together with Soon-To-Be-Husband. I was thrilled and In Love, but Hated my job. It was All Paradox, All the Time.

One Year Ago:
One year ago, actually, I was counting out the last remaining hours of my maternity leave, grieving that 12 weeks -- what seemed like a lifetime of job-free days, at the beginning! -- could fizzle out so soon. I was making sure to sit outside in the cool early fall morning air each day, nuzzling the sweet little folds of AJ's creamy skin, and cooing at him, teaching him the difference between a cardinal’s "peep, peep" and a blue jay’s distant chirp. I was also walking, daily. That was nice. And I was finally comfortable with his feeding and napping schedule. It took me forever to get confident that whatever worked for us, was OK. I had read wayyyy too many books. I was sad, a year ago. Did I say that? I couldn’t imagine how to leave him.

(But we did it, and we managed, and look how far we’ve come.)

Yesterday:
I was at the office from 8-4, working working. And checking things off the list. I had lunch with DH in the lunchroom. Afterwards, I was at home with AJ, who’d had a bit of a rough tummy according to his Wonderful Teacher -– but he seemed just fine and dandy to me. I was making boxed Mac & Cheese (Gerah!) with broccoli and tuna -– a mighty delicious dinner if I do say so myself. Then I was briefing DH on the goings-on, handing AJ over, and sneaking out to choir practice. Then I was singing. Then I was rolling my eyes. Then, thanks be to God, I was home again, watching Lost and folding itty-bitty socks.

Five Songs I Know All The Words To:
The Morning Mambo, by Bear
Insomniac, by Billy Pilgrim
Livin’ on a Prayer, Bon Jovi
Lord of All Hopefulness
Another Suitcase in Another Hall, from Evita

Five Snacks:
Chips and Salsa
Chips and Guacamole
Chips and cheese dip
Chips and bean dip
Chips and I don’t know, what else is there?!… Um… Peach Salsa

Five things I'd do with 100 million dollars:
Lordy. Buy a new house. Well, first, fix up and sell this one. DECORATE new house. Buy husband a new car. (Or three.) Hire an accountant.

Five places I'd run away to:
Paris
Canada
Minnesota
Colorado
Episcopal Church

Five things I would never wear:
A wet suit
A Scuba tank
Gauchos
Leg warmers
army fatigues

Five Favourite TV Shows
Lost
Queer Eye
Amazing Race
Will & Grace
Ally McBeal

Five greatest joys
Husband
AJ
Family
Singing
Great food

Five favourite toys:
? I have no idea.


Current Reads:
Good Wives
Parenting magazine (I’m a sucker, I read it)
A Million Blogs
Real Simple magazine
My cookbooks

Five People I am tagging to do this:
I think a lot of my peeps have already done it. Krissy? Have you? SDW? Feel like a goof-off exercise? Beansy? Indigo Girl? Stacie? How 'bout it?