THANK YOU MARIE FOR MY INTERVIEW!!!!

My Sweet Friend Marie interviewed me. Hmmm very introspective I am. :)

1) I know you as my fellow "Cali" girl and you mentioned that you would love to move back to the Central coast of CA one day. Why is it that you want to move back and do you see yourself living the rest of your lives out here?

As your So Cali Girl sister, yes I love California. I will live the rest of my life there, if I have anything to say about it. I will admit, though, that there are other places that I'd think about moving to. After visiting up the coast I fell in love with it. The Central Coast story is a whole other thing. It's just that my heart and family, and everything I know is there. I'd actually settle anywhere coastal. I love the coast, the water, the sand...the salt air, the breeze. Mmmmm need I go on. :)

I have to...where else can I get a good fish taco and margarita on the same menu?!

2) If you were to take a trip overseas with only your husband for 1 month, where would you travel, what would you want to experience and why?

I love to travel. I don't do nearly enough of it, though. I would take a trip to an Ireland and figure out where my crazy gene pool came from. I have relatives and the mother "SWEARS" we're somehow related to the Kennedy's. LOL..who isn't related to them..lol. That's my mom. Then I'd travel to France and just explore. Then I'd be off to Italy to visit the family there. They have homes throughout northern Italy and I love it there. Mmmm I do want to go to Tuscany, though...I've never been.

I really just would like to explore and enjoy. I'm in my 30's now and life is just so short. I want adventure and love. Europe is so expected for most people to say, but I would get to the heart of me on that kind of a trip. I've been there and explored before...but not as a grown up. It could be so different this time.

3) I know that your family is the most important thing to you. How did the dynamics of your own childhood and family life impact the way you are raising your children today?

I was an only child to a single mom for many years. I was in 3rd grade in Catholic School when my Mom married a nice Jewish man (my dad..he adopted me.) They knew one another for 6 weeks and have been together ever since. It's been 28 years now. Wow. Catholic and Jewish household..lol...not so conventional. We worked though.

I have two younger sisters 26 and 24. I am Mother Christie to them. Yep, that was me. It just had to be that way. I learned early to be the nurturer. Hmmm...not all a good thing. I married young, right after college and got pregnant on the Honeymoon. My baby was a preemie and I grew up sooooo fast! So, 17 surgeries on my baby and two more kids later, plus who knows how many deployments and I've learned.

Life is about living. It's not about being a martyr. YOu have to be able to laugh. You need quality friends and you need patience. I am a patient mommy. We have our moments, but for the most part...life is good. You have to be good to yourself and honest with yourself to be a good parent. If that doesn't work...a good psychiatrist is always good to have!

4) We all gain knowledge through experience. What bits of knowledge do you hope to pass on to your daughters and son about dating, love, marriage and following their dreams?

I want them to know they don't have to grow up so fast! Life will be there when they're ready to settle down. When they finally date I know I'll cry. I never want them to settle or choose people who make them feel badly about themselves.

Being alone is fine! Learning who they are and what they like is the key to finding the right person. I'll encourage them to explore their talents and dream dreams bigger than they can imagine. If they fail in anything, I'll be here.

Let me just say again...no settling, no getting married to escape anything, and listen to your heart. I'll add this, RISK RISK RISK...take a risk! You never know what you might find.

Finally, sometimes a wedding on the beach...with a few family members and your love is the way to go. (NO I didn't do it, but I'd love that.)

5) I know you have a deep love for writing, as do I. What is it about writing that fills you up and do you ever see yourself publishing some of your work?

Writing is the most cathartic thing I can think of doing...ever...period! It's not a choice with me. I have to write. I'm able to tap into my soul and share as much or as little as I need to.

I have been published. We need to share....
XOXO
C