Question Meme

Rules
1. Tell me a random fact about you in the comments section of this post.
2. I will then ask you five questions
3. You propagate the meme when you post your answers in your own blog and invite others to tell you a random fact about themselves.

Here are Ingrid's questions for me:

1- You mentioned that you used to want to be a medical examiner. Tell me more about that; what appealed to you about it.

First of all, I LOVE biology. It was always my favorite class. The human body is amazing and I love to learn about it. When I was in high school I would actually sit down and READ Gray's Anatomy. I even got some college level anatomy coloring books that I loved to work with. I took AP Bio my senior year and that is the only class that I never ditched! Plus, I love mysteries and criminal justice. I've always been pulled to that type of book and show. Patricia Cornwellis my all time favorite author. I wanted to BE her.



Life got in the way and I couldn't go to college right from high school. When I started at age 20 I went into criminal justice. I didn't think I had the money or time to actually go to medical school. But, I did intern with the medical examiner for one summer. It was so fascinating. I am 6 credits shy of a degree in Crime Scene Investigation. I've thought about going back to it, but with the kids it doesn't make sense. It doesn't pay much and the hours suck.



2- You are a rocking babywearer. How did you get into babywearing and how many of your kids have you worn?

I actually got started babywearing when we were on the Babycenter board. Lisa B. showed a picture of a beautiful Sachi MT and I was hooked. Once I tried it I realized that is was SO helpful to have a sling. And you get a lot of attention when you wear a sling (and I sure love the spotlight)! They are so cute that I needed one to go with every outfit. Xander LOVED to be worn. I wore him until I was 7 months pregnant with Jocelyn. She on the other hand doesn't like it so much. She would prefer to be on the floor with the kids. But, she will tolerate it when we're out and about. I WISH I had known about babywearing a lot sooner. I would have loved to have worn the older two. Now it is my mission to make sure that every mom at least KNOWS about babywearing. If they choose to do it, good for them.

3- What is special to you about each one of your children?

Carissa- She is my first born. She'll always be special because she really made me wake up and become and adult. I was 19 when I had her. And immature. Once she came into my life I really straightened up. I am forever grateful to her for that. And she has such a fun spirit. A little frustrating at times, but she loves to have fun. She's very creative and of that, I'm jealous.

Robert- He is my quiet old soul. He is much wiser than his years. He is shy, but super smart. He can drive me crazy because he treats me as an equal (since he thinks he's an adult), but I love to see him soak up new things. He has a memory like a safe. I swear he remembers things that happened years ago!

Xander- My truly free spirit. I just love his zest for life. He is constantly on the go (and usually naked). And he is truly a momma's boy. He gravitates to me like none of the other children do. And he is SO loving. He always wants hugs and kisses. He has a smart mouth on him though (I don't appreciate being told to "shut your piehole"). He picks up on things in movies really quickly! And he loves the Pirates movies. He loves Captain Jack just as much as I do!

Jocelyn- She's just now getting a stronger personality. I love the way she loves her Daddy. She is definitely a Daddy's girl. She will go straight for him the minute he walks into the room. And she has a silly streak too, always trying to get a laugh. I love how easy going she is. She just goes with the flow. She has been the easiest child by far (that may be because we're so worn down by now).

4- Tell me, how is it working for a judge?

That's an interesting question. I would say it depends on the judge. Previously I worked for a judge that had an ego problem. She was very demanding and overbearing. I liked the job, but she was difficult to work for.

My current judge is a dream. I wish she wouldn't retire. She doesn't micromanage, gives praise, backs up her staff and is super easy going.

The work isn't too bad, but I've only worked on the Juvenile bench. The Civil bench is a lot more demanding. Working at Juvenile has its disadvantages, though. We get all of the CPS cases. And they are heartbreaking. To see 1,000 new families get their children taken away every year is hard. Sometimes I wish I didn't know that people did these things to their children. It's so, so sad.

On a day to day basis I get the judge's files ready for court, manage her calendar, type correspondence, orders, rulings, coordinate with attorneys, bailiffs, court staff, handle calls from the public (these provide my entertainment for the day). I actually like the work a lot.

5- If you could take your dream vacation, where would you go?

A trip around the world? Seriously, there are so many placed I'd like to see.

When we retire we plan to take a 14 day cruise from FL to Barcelona. From there we will take a 7 day cruise through the Mediterranean. And then take the 15 day cruise back to the Dominican Republic. I cannot wait! Can you tell I love cruising?

Now, play along. Post a random fact about you in the comments section and I'll ask you 5 questions!