One of my daughters challenged me to make a list of 25 things about myself that others may not know.
Here is my list:
1. I’ve lived in LA, KY, PA, NY, NH, OH, MI, MD, VA, and now back to OH.
2. The only states I have not set foot in are California and Alaska (Yes, I’ve been to Hawaii.)
3. I spent three weeks in Nicaragua to see/find out what our politicians were not telling us! Wonderful eye-opening experience….and I found out that no matter how much I learned, there is a LOT I still don’t know.
4. I tried my hand at skydiving….made a few jumps….exhilarating….quit when I married my husband, who wasn’t really crazy about the idea.
5. Camped a LOT in a Teepee growing up. (Hand made by my parents, modeled after the style of the Oglala Sioux. We even stripped pine trees for the poles….nasty work….great memories though, of growing up and camping and seeing the country)
6. Learned to cross-country ski when I was in my 40s. Great exercise and a lot of fun if you like being outside in winter time.
7. Was once a Methodist minister, but left that to become an Orthodox Jew….never looked back. It was the right move for me.
8. Three awesome kids….I’m not exaggerating.
9. Photography is one of my passions.
10. Avid reader: I love good books; not crazy about cheap, dime-a-dozen paperbacks. I like the feel of a hard cover, to get lost in the story, to feel that I’ve read something of substance when I’m done. Religious writings, great novels, subjects that I was not good at in school but wish I knew more about: fractals and physics, math and numbers, etc
11. I like GREEN: by that i mean I have a compost pile, I recycle, I have an awesome Honda Fit that averages 35 mpg, etc. I HAD a Honda Fit. Sold it when I wasn’t using it so much. Now wishing I had held on to it. 😦
12. Love animals; have always had a pet or two.
13. Love to travel. My husband and I are great travelers together: camping in the upper-peninsula of Michigan, travels to Montreal and Vermont in the winter (brrrr), and short trips to see family and friends when we can.
14. Have a phenomenal grandson, Jacob, an awesome granddaughter, Genevieve, who celebrates her birthday on July 4th! Her dad, my son, was a bicentennial baby. Hmmm. . .do I detect a theme?; And finally, our youngest grandchild thus far, Elijah!
15. Sewing is a very relaxing pastime. Have made some nice clothes and accessories. Hope to do more in the future.
16. I played piano quite well at one point in my life. Now when I play it is purely for my own enjoyment…..no one else would enjoy it….i’m too rusty!
17. My favorite job was probably teaching. I miss my students, and the creativity in the classroom.
18. I married a Nuclear Engineer and Medical Physicist. He’s way too smart.
19. I like a good cup of coffee…..no frills, no extras, no bells and whistles….JUST a good cup of coffee….black and strong.
20. Word games are my addiction. I’ve got to give them up. I spend way too much time with them and there is so much other stuff I could be doing.
21.Facebooking is one of the best ways for me to keep up with my family and friends.
22. Cherry Blossom Festival time is my favorite time of year here in the Metro DC area. Y’all come see for yourselves….absolutely breathtaking. Now we are living in the metro-Cleveland, OH area. . . .but we have cherry blossoms here, too!
23. My husband and I like to go out to Ben and Jerry’s for icecream….always a fun date for us.
24. I have an awesome thimble collection that most people have never seen. As often as we move, they are a lot of trouble to unpack and then pack again….one day I’ll find a good way to display them so that I can leave them out…..there are a LOT of them. If you have any interesting thimbles you want to get rid of, see me! 🙂
25. I love to dance, even though it’s been a long time….and to beat a drum (i have one that is thunderous but seldom used because it may scare the neighbors) and play a handmade Cherokee flute, a bowed psaltry…..etc.
Perpetual Gratitude: A Photographic Diary 
15 Comments
Hi Cecilia. You’ve wandered over to my blog several times, yet I am guilty of not taking the time to do more than a cursory glance at your posts once in awhile. Tonight I traveled through a number of your posts on at least two of your blogs, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I really enjoy your writing style, and thoughtful composition. Your CRASH page is very poignant, as I can recollect similar experiences and emotions, even though I came on the scene about a decade later than you. Keep up the great work, I will be venturing back regularly!
Wow, thanks BigSkyKen! I’m glad you wandered over here and that you liked what you saw. I try to keep it real, and while I often go to the banal or mundane, I trust that the deeper thoughts will emerge in the writing, too. Blogging has become such a big part of my life and I am always open to and welcoming new blogging buddies! So welcome to my world. Enjoy. And I will visit your place, too, from time to time to see what’s up. Have a great day.
Wow, Cecelia, I am so glad you stop by my blog. It gave me a chance to find you and I’m in awe. I would love to hear your story about you becoming an orthodox Jew. I’m signing up! Once again thank you for stopping by.
Thank you Ariana! I love your blog, too, and have likewise signed up! Thanks for stopping by. I will write my story sometime soon I think and add it as a separate page. I hope you check out my other blogs, too, all three linked in the menu above. L’Shana Tova. 🙂
Very nice. Made me think about my list and what is important versus what we chose to do with our time.
Interesting indeed. Thank you for the ping back.
L’Shana Tova v’G’mar Chatimah Tovah.
Ayanna Nahmias
L’Shana Tova v’G’mar Chatimah Tovah! Thank you for stopping by. Much appreciated.
Chana
Thank you so much for linking to my blog, loved your list here, I remember camping when we were growing up too, but not in a teepee. What a rich and varied life you have led, it must give you no end of inspiration to draw from. Thanks again!
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. Glad, too, that you liked my list! I hope you’ll come back. 🙂
I’m moved by your 100 days of gratitude, Cecelia. A generous, thoughtful, inspiring offering.
Thanks suitablefish. I’m glad you like it, and are moved. I needed a place to reflect on gratitude and this seemed to be the way to do it.
You are the only thimble collector I know of. I haven’t bought them for a while, they are so generic these days. I used to belong to the Thimble Collector’s Club, but had to give that up during a season of unemployment. I also love animals, watching birds, a little sewing here and there, word games, and Facebook to keep up with family spread far and wide. You are much more adventurous than I! And you won’t find me playing outside when it is cold. 🙂
I used to belong to Thimble Collector’s Club, too, and also had to give it up during a season of unemployment. In fact, I’m still unemployed so I went back to grad school to get a degree in something I’ve always wanted to do ~ counseling! I visited your site and see that we both enjoy photographing birds and life right outside our doors! Delightful… Thanks for stopping by. I am now following you! 😉
Hi, Cecelia. You linked to one of the quotes on my main blog, so I decided to pop over and see what your site was all about. Looking forward to reading more of it! BTW, I’ll trade you a half CA and a half AK in return for a half HI, it’s the only one of the 50 that I haven’t set foot in.
Thanks for stopping by! The swap sounds like a good deal to me! 🙂 Who knows, maybe one day our paths will cross. Keep traveling and keep enjoying! 🙂
My traveling days pretty much ended when I had to stop driving a tractor trailer for a living. About as far as I travel now is the 50 mile trip to the VA for health care 🙂