1. I was one of the youngest (14yo) lifeguards for a Chicago Fire Department swimming pool. The pool was only 3 feet deep and they paid me $10.00 an hour to baby-sit the local kids while they were in the pool. That was 30 years ago. Best job I ever had!
2. I missed the boat to the dot com era. Straight out of high school, I worked for the Byte Shop. Every night I would carry home a big clunky computer called a Kaypro. I would practice typing on that thing and just couldn’t figure out why people were so excited to use that HUGE machine instead of the smaller typewriter. OK, it was easier for me to correct my typing errors, but who would pay that kind of money for a machine that typed orange letters. I quit my job and moved to Florida, where I trained dogs for many years.
3. I got my first dog from the pound when I lived in Florida. I had other dogs when I was a kid, but Jasmine was my first dog as an adult on my own. Several days after I brought her home, she still didn’t have a name. Then while I was sitting on the curb, in front of the laundry mat, I started humming the song, Oh… Jazz man. And there you go. The making of her female name. Jasmine.
4. I love outdoor stuff. Boating, camping, hiking, and fishing off the pier are some of my favorites. I have never caught that sheep head that hangs around the pylon of the pier at Lake Worth beach, FL. But before my final journey, I will make it a point to go back and try again.
5. I have a love/hate relationship with winter in Illinois.
6. I would much rather be with the palm trees or on an island that’s warm.
7. I love to travel with my kids and Mom. My husband, Jeff, let’s us take off for weeks at a time during his busy season. So, my Mom and I kind of map out a general itinerary, but wing it for the most part. On one of our trips we were gone for 5 weeks.
8. I have never been stung by a bee.
9. I once told my father to stand on a certain hill at the levee because his fishing line wouldn’t get so tangled in the weeds. Turns out that the hill was home to a mob of fire ants. Hummm… Pay backs? lol
10. As a kid, we could ice skate in our backyard. My sister and her friend were skating and my mom made my sister include me. During our skating, we stopped to hang over the fence and watch the new people move in. Boy was I thirsty. I couldn’t go to the house for a drink because my sister and her friend would ditch me, so I licked the fence. Yep! I got stuck to the fence. When people came to help, in a panic they said they were going to spit on my tongue to get me off. I found that to be absolutely disgusting, so I pulled myself free. I’m very lucky that I can speak.
11. I was a girl-scout leader for several years, even though at the time, I didn’t have kids. I still don’t have any girls. Just boys.
12. As I get older, more stuff grosses me out. You should see me change a diaper… C’mon, it’s like watching a comedy show.
13. I managed pet stores for about 7 years and now I’m allergic to everything, especially cats and ferrets.
14. My mom is my best friend.
15. I love to take a bath instead of a shower.  
16. I gave up my ticket to the super bowl in 1999 and the pro bowl in 2001, so my husband could have a REAL football fan with him at then game. Of course, I was in the water or sunbathing during the game. But every year (that we don’t have tickets) we have a great super bowl party at our house. FYI- Super Bowl was yesterday. It was Fantastic.
17. For Christmas, my husband buys me things like cordless drills, tape measures and a sewing machine. One year, he bought me a necklace. I’m hoping that I can leave enough clues for this year, because I really want a new laser level. (Ryobi has a cool one)
18. I now spend most of my summer days on Lake Shafer in Indiana. My boys and I like to go (what we call) island hopping (they’re really sand bars) to catch tiny frogs, little fish and sometimes snail hunting.
19. I’m on a mission to create something for my friends and family.
20. My boys do most of the housework. They have a chores board they follow every week. At 8 and 10 they’re getting pretty good at it.
21. I think all kids should be given an allowance to teach them how money works, not because they do chores. Now raises… that’s a different story. My kids have been getting the same $3.00 a week for the past 3 years. I don’t think we’ll teach them about raises for a long time. We’re even stretching on the savings part because we tell them they have to put 1/3 into their piggy bank for long term savings. That a lot more than the typical 10% saver.
22. I left the mortgage business in 1998 because it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the banks were setting people up to fail. I lost a phenomenal income, but I can sleep at night knowing I didn’t take advantage of a crappy system. I still keep my houselender@_______ email address, just in case there ever comes a day that the mortgage industry will function with a sense of integrity.
23. I hate being on a schedule.
24. I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I think technology has some serious flaws in the way it interferes with human life. I find it quite pathetic to watch teenagers constantly texting, surfing the internet or playing a video game. However, I owe my life to technology. My answer to the problem lies within our household rules. Yet, I find it sad to see the social skills of even our youngest children being squashed.
25. I have a hard time staying on topic.

Now I’m sure many of you might have been looking for more of the business person to come out in the list above, but the business side is really an entity of my spoiled personality. I really have to tell you that I too can’t stick with the 25.

1. I never settle for less then the best. I will wait and wait and wait until I can have the best. The best of course, is based on my own research of what I can live with and what I can not live without. And then I must go after it. Helen Reddy sang a song that I used to sing all the time when I was kid. Go to songfacts with this link and you’ll hear one my favorite female POWER songs http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2226

The butterfly might like this song.

Talk to you again soon,

Renee