Week 12

List 10 objects you own that have sentimental value (whether others see it or not).

Oh boy... It's hard to really have to think when you think everything you have is special! Here goes...

1) I have this little juice glass that has a sand art design in it that I have had since I was in Elementary School. I made it at a fair in town somewhere and have always kept it with me. Amazingly, when I moved from my parents' house to our first apartment and then to our second apartment and then to our current home, I have never dropped it or messed it up!

2) Chris bought me a Boyd's Bunny the week before our wedding. We went to dinner (it was Easter Sunday) with my family at the Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster and he bought that for me in the gift shop. It has spawned a collection...

3) My engagement and wedding rings.

4) Wedding mementos - dress, photos, video, etc.

5) Baby mementos of each child and their baby books.

6) My grandmother's jewelry - Granny's pearls, her Aquamarine ring and some others and my Grammy's rosary beads.

7) Cards and letters from my Granny and Gramps - it's nice to see their handwriting.

8) Porcelain tea set that I used to play with when I was little at my grandmother's house.

9) My immediate family's photos... along with cards and letters from Chris, Justin and Maggie that I have saved.

10) Trinkets and treasures that Justin and Maggie have made for me or given me from preschool through the present.

Week 11

Do you live a high-tech or low-tech lifestyle?

I would say that I am somewhere in between. I spend a lot of time on the computer - both at home and at work - and I rely on it to keep me up to speed on lots of things - work, home, family, Girl Scouts, sports teams, etc. I would say that I really need to use my computer every day and feel lost when I don't.

I also use it to organize pictures and spend time each day on Facebook - usually time I should be doing other things, oh well!

As far as other things go, I have a simple cell phone - not one of those "fancy" Blackberry or iPhones and I really do not care for texting. My husband and I are the only ones in the house with phones - the kids do not have any. We do not have a flat screen tv (still have an old-fashioned one) and we only have a VCR and DVD player - no TiVo here or DVR!

I guess compared to when we were first married, technology has definitely become more prevalent (did I spell that right) in my life - we did not have cell phones or a computer or a digital camera for that matter. Now we have all of those things, can take photos and keep them on disks or drives and shop and do research online.

Imagine where we will be in 10 years!

Week 10: Have you ever been in a band or orchestra? Tell a specific experience.

I have never been involved in anything musical in my life. I did do the required music stuff in school and actually wanted to play clarinet or flute at one point, but just never "got" the whole reading of music thing.

So, no - I have never been and don't have a specific experience.

Week 9 prompt: What, if anything, is changing in your life right now?

Right now, the biggest changes in my life are that my daughter, Maggie and my son, Justin, will both be "graduating" from the schools they are in and moving up to the next level. Maggie will be leaving Coolidge Elementary School where she is currently in 4th grade and going to Sherwood Middle School for 5th grade. She is suddenly seeming all grown up to me - that's my baby!

Justin will be leaving Oak Middle School where he is currently in 8th grade (can't even believe that) and will be going to High School! I just cannot believe that in a few short months, I will have a high schooler! He just turned 14 on March 2nd and I often wonder where that "little boy" went - he is now becoming a fine young man.

Another change (and this may be a stretch) is that for the first time in my life, I will be involved in a sport. Now, I did ballet for 10 years when I was a kid from age 6 to 16, but I don't consider that a sport. I will be coaching my daughter's lacrosse team this spring and our first practice is next Friday - God help me is all I can say!

That's it for now... I don't think I can handle any more change!

Week 8 - What is your most indispensable possession and why?

Geez... another tough one! Honestly, I don't know that I have an "indispensable" possession - I have many things that I really couldn't live without (house, car, computer, calendar, etc.) but not one that I would consider "indispensable". I don't know if that is silly or not. However, I do have something that I consider to be "cherished" and that is jewelry that belonged to my great-grandmother - Louise Santos, my grandmother - Mary Grillo (Granny) and my grandmother (Grammy) - Mary Mayes. Now I do have things that my kids have given me or made for me and also precious photos but I thought long and hard on this one and I think the jewelry means SO much to me.

From my great-grandmother I have her wedding ring and some of her other jewelry like her charm bracelet and her mother's ring. From my Granny, I have her pearls (which I wore on my wedding day), her Aquamarine ring that she was given on her 16th birthday, her charm bracelet, her wedding rings and a string of rosary beads. From my Grammy, I have a string of her rosary beads (she said her rosary at least twice a day).

To me, having these things keeps these 3 wonderful women very close to my heart and knowing that I have these keeps their memory alive for me. I miss them all so much and it is a comfort to know that at any time, I can hold/wear/look at these items and know that they were worn and loved by them all.