Me In A Nutshell

I was talking to my daughter, Kristin, a little while ago about my blog about my kids being grown.(2 blogs ago) She said she didn't realize how much of my identity was being her and Joey's mom.

That got me to thinking what I convey as "Becky" when I meet new people. Thinking what I say to people that I meet thru work and other places that don't revolve around being a mom. I hope the first things that people can tell about me are that I'm a good person and that I am a Christian. I mean, those are things that people should sense about me without me telling them, right? If I have to tell someone those things, then maybe something isn't right, maybe my fruit isn't showing. Wow, deep huh? This is not even what I intended this to be about when I turned on the laptop.

Ok, now back to my original thought on this. What are the first things that I tell people I meet? What are things that I say to describe who I am? What does it mean to be me?

I still think the first thing that I tell people is that I'm a mom. It's in my DNA, I can't help it. Being a mom is the most wonderful thing I ever did. I love my my kids more than anything in the world. They are also the ones I feel the most connected to in this world.

I also tell people that I am married, and have been married to Kevin for over 20 years. Wow, that's a LONG time. I've been with him more than half my life. That seems crazy to me. Sometimes it's hard to remember pre-married life.

Next in line is probably a that I am from Memphis. I know that I say a lot that I am glad to be moved away from there, and for many reasons I am. I love where I live now, but that doesn't mean that I forgot my roots. I will ALWAYS be a Memphis girl, I can't get away from it. That too is in my DNA. Growing up in Memphis made me who I am. Almost everyone I love and everything I know is from when I lived in Memphis. Growing up, it was a safe place. It was HOME. Not only that, the best music, BBQ, wrestlingand college basketball team are from Memphis. (GO TIGERS!)

Next is probably that I am obsessed with all music and anything 80's especially 80's music. If I could only have one "media outlet" for the rest of my life, it would be music. I would choose it over television and movies anyday. I would even choose music over my iPhone and Facebook. (just don't ever ask me to do it) :) Every song has a memory attached to it- some good and some bad. Most are good memories though. So much of my life has revolved around music. Before I could even walk very well, my mom started teaching me to dance. I was one jammin little toddler doing the Rollercoaster and Hustle. My daddy and I used to sing together ALL the time. I always believed my dad was the best singer in the world- I still do. His voice was as good as Elvis- which was his favorite music. We would sing Elvis for hours. Then I got older and loved MTV- not this crap that MTV has become. I'm talking about the real MTV that actually played nothing but videos. Almost every song I hear from the 80's takes my mind back to the video. There are also several songs that remind me of certain friends and happy times we've shared. Then I of course sang to and with my kids. We sang ALL the time just like my dad and I did. I can't tell you how many times we turned OFF the radio and just sang. I mean, who would've thought a little boy would want to sing "Away in a Manger" even in the summer. The memories of singing with my kids, or dancing with Joey are priceless. Oh boy, there I go about the kids again. :) Yes, "all" I've been for 24 years is a mommy and I can't escape it, nor do I want to. :)

The fifth thing people usually discover about me is that I homeschooled my kids. I know, there I go about my kids again. :) Did you know that I homeschooled 25% of my life so far? That's really something if you think about it. What an honor to have gotten to spend all that time sowing into the the lives of two amazing kids (and all of their friends) for 25% of my life.... or over 50% of my adult life if you want to look at it that way. I miss that part of my life. I miss spending 24/7 with them and a house full of other young people who were always around. Ok, you're probably tired of hearing about my kids, but like I said before- being a mom is in my DNA!

I guess the next thing that people find out about me is my newfound love for Disney World. Last year was the first time I ever went. Kevin and I took a couples trip. I rediscovered how much I enjoyed riding rollercoasters and other rides. I stopped riding them when the kids were little. Going to Disney World helped me find my sense of adventure again. It gave me excitement that I thought I had lost. DW really is a magical place!!!! And since I have never been with the kids, it is a place all mine. See-a memory or fun time not connected to the kids. (unless you add the part that I would LOVE to go to DW with them, especially now that they're grown. I actually have 2 trips planned there before the end of the year. It's become an obsession for me because it's a happy/no worry place. The days are spent doing nothing but fun stuff. :) Everyone at my work seems as obsessed as I am with DW. Almost everyone has either gone or plan to go within the last year. I've never worked somewhere that SO many people are Disneylovers. I think that only added to my obsession.

There are so many layers of me, but I seriously think those are the first things I convey about me. Those are probably the main things (minus the DW) who make me who I am. Those are the things in my life that I am most proud of- my kids/family, being a Memphian, music and homeschooling.

So, what about you? Do people see your fruit first off without you telling them? Also, what do you want people to know about you? Does the picture of you that you show people represent the "real" you?

Hope you all have a great night, let your light shine, and enjoy the people and things you love most in life.

Until next time.... Peace out friends!