Scrapped! January 22, 2009

I volunteered to be scrapped by Lisa over at Laughing Orca Ranch and she took me up on the offer, so here goes!

(1) I'm an only child. So is my cousin, Valerie! I'm actually 3 weeks older than she is! I grew up in California (in Arcadia, CA) and she grew up near Roseburg, Oregon. However, we visited each other during summers while we were growing up. Then, she moved down here to the desert, raised 4 kids, and we were less than 20 miles apart for 20 years, but we were so busy with our families that we didn't see each other until our children were grown and gone! Small world!

(2) I was trained to be a classical concert pianist, like one of my great- grandmothers! I studied piano from the time I was 6 years old until I went away to college. My piano teacher lived next door to my parents and I'd tiptoe through the rose bushes in her yard to go over for a lesson once a week! Everything else was secondary to my piano lessons! While I'm not fully ambidexterious, I DID have to learn to do many things with my left hand so build up the muscles for my piano playing! I remember ironing and brushing my teeth with my left hand as a child. And, yes, I had a full sized, mahogany grand piano in my living room! I don't have a piano now, so I guess that's why I have 6 blogs and I stay up typing and listening to my playlists! If you want to check out my music blog, please visit Musically Motivated!

(3) While I'm a teacher now, in my former life, I was a legal secretary before that (actually, for 7 years!) My mom and aunt were both teachers and our daughter is a teacher. I worked for the largest law firm in Los Angeles for a year. At that time, I could type over 100 words a minute! I visited the Music Center and other interesting places until a major earthquake sent me back to the desert! I was on the 25th floor of a 40-story building when I heard the steel moan and groan even before it started swaying! OHMYGOSH!

(4) I never drank alcohol until I married my husband! HA! Look at me n0w! In order for me to finish my BA and MA, he worked 60 hours a week for a local wine shop, where he learned all about wines. We took a couple of trips to the Napa Valley, then his sister moved up to Napa about 1996. She now has her own vineyard up there and we visit her about twice a year! Sometimes I can even talk hubby into stopping by to see Joe and his horses at TB Friends! Our son went to UC Davis and I didn't even know about Joe and TB Friends back then!

(5) While I never had my own horse growing up, I have been around horses all my life. My great-uncle was a trainer at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar and I remember HP and DM from 40 years ago! He used to take his horses down to the ocean at DM and let them swim in the ocean! I used to go to Santa Anita with my grandfather and place bets! HA! I always came home with more money than I left with! He used to sit me on his lap and tell me stories of Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Round Table, Count Fleet, and Citation, and I actually remember Native Diver running at Hollywood Park! I vowed that someday I would rescue horses. So far, I have 5! I'm writing down some of my memories about growing up in Arcadia over at my Grandma's Aprons blog.

(6) Another one of my great-uncles was the personal secretary to Anita Baldwin. He left and established a huge cattle ranch outside of Lovelock, Nevada and was a state legislator there for many years. He traveled the world with her to many countries, but never to Russia. The old work house from the Baldwin ranch was just down the block from my parents' home, on Old Ranch Road. I always thought it was haunted! My grandmother later told me that's where my great-uncle lived. The original Baldwin racetrack was only a couple of blocks from my grandparents' home and Santa Anita race track is only about a mile away from my parents' home.

(7) My great-grandfather, on my dad's side was born in Havana, Cuba. The family had lived there since being sent by the King of Spain to help govern Cuba in the 1500's. They were originally from the "Celtic" region of Spain, Asturias. Guess that's why I love Celtic/Spanish music! He left Cuba in 1863 and sailed to New York. The rest of me is English, Swiss, and Alsatian.

(8) I mostly wear jeans and t-shirts from Old Navy, even to school (although sometimes I dress up in my "hippie skirts", which I bought for $9.99 at Walgreens this summer)! I choose to be comfortable rather than fashionable! Because of my back problems, I HAVE to wear walking shoes, so I have a couple of pairs of Reeboks and another walking shoe that I wear. I cannot wear heels! OHMYGOSH! I'd trip and fall and/or topple over! I screamed today in pure pain when one of my little ones stepped on my big toe on my left side! (That's the toe that is STILL numb from the pinched nerve in my back!)

(9) I've actually fallen off a horse twice in my life and both times I crawled right back on! Both were when I was young (8 and then again when I was 16 or 17)...my cousin Valerie and I were riding one of her horses out in the wash, galloping, and mine stepped on something and down I went! The horse was okay! She doesn't remember it, but I DO! I got back on and away we went! Ahhhhhh......those were the days, right?

(10) I taught myself to play the clarinet in high school because I DESPERATELY wanted to be in the marching band with my then-current boyfriend! HA! I could do the fingering just fine, but I had trouble hitting the high notes! Squeek, squawk, squeek. My mother finally made me put it away. DARN! She had taught me to play the violin, and I still have her violin, but my fingers got sore and I'm sure my violin practice sessions drove HER to drink! Squawk, squeek, squeek! I guess my musical ability was passed on to my children! Our son played saxaphone in middle school and high school and our daughter picked up a flute in 5th grade and hasn't put it down yet! She went to UCLA and was first chair flute and piccolo for 5 years and marched in the Rose Parade! Now she's a middle school band teacher!

Now, wasn't that interesting? Anybody who wishes to be scrapped, just shoot me an email and I'll announce it here on my blog! Thanks, Lisa! That was fun!