30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30

For my daughter who is a Senior in High School and has been accepted to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (among others) where she plans to study pre-med. I love you, Kristen!


By 30, you should have:

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.


2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.


3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.


4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.


5. A youth you’re content to move beyond.


6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.


7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it.


8. An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you.


9. A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.


10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.


11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.


12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.


13. The belief that you deserve it.


14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.


15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By 30, you should know:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.


2. How you feel about having kids.


3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.


4. When to try harder and when to walk away.


5. How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.


6. The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.


7. How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.


8. How to take control of your own birthday.


9. That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.


10. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.


11. What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.


12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.


13. Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.


14. Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.


15. Why they say life begins at 30.

I miss my baby sister...

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY miss my baby sister...

Reposted from my MySpace blog...

I REALLY, REALLY miss my "baby sister" so much. True enough she's not my blood sister, but there is no other person in the world that has shared more love, laughter, hurt, wonder, pain, joy, loss, hope, determination, or trust than I have with her. Other than my husband, Jeff, my children and my parents (and Mellissa - with 2 "L's" is coming close), I have the deepest, strongest emotional attachment to her than any other person. I love her with all my heart and soul and she just brings pure joy (and pride) to my heart.

She lives so far away and I sure don't get to see her as much as I would love to, but time or distance or circumstance has never been able to change the way I feel about her. I just love, love, love her and I miss her sooooooooooo much. Sometimes, it's just worse than others.

Tonight, for some reason, I sit here with tears just rolling down my face because I miss her and want to see her so badly. I want to hug her so tight!

Life is short and relationships that last are few and far between. Our relationship does nothing but get stronger as time goes on.

♥♥Cheri Katherine Azevedo Lott, I respect you... I admire you... I am constantly amazed by you... I miss you... I love you...♥♥

Rose

I have a wonderful husband.

This is a tribute he made for his mother while we wait on the permanent headstone.

Rose Ganus, you raised a wonderful son and I'm very thankful for him.

We love you, Rose.

It's great to be a Tennessee Vol... Isn't it?

It takes a lot to make me angry - I mean REALLY angry. I might have a flashpoint reaction every now and then, but that's usually all it is. I let it go and go on because I am too busy to waste time on anger. However, if you want to push my buttons, there are three very distinct ways to do this... Ignore the "Do Not" portions of the statements below:

(1) Do NOT assume I'm stupid because I am from the South.
(2) Do NOT assume I can't do something because I am a woman.
(3) DO NOT MESS WITH MY FAMILY - ESPECIALLY MY KIDS.

I say that to say this... In the last couple of weeks, things have been said by two of my very close friends that actually made me "pull up" and just say, "Whoa!" One friend made the statement, "Well, people in your area are probably bothered more by Obama's race than they are here (meaning Jackson) because it's a rural area." The only response I made was to say that no, in general, race isn't even an issue for those that I know who didn't support him. I COMPLETELY resented the implication that because we live in a rural area we were somehow backward or uneducated. I am neither. In fact, I have traveled the world. I have boarded a flight alone (because my co-workers missed their flight) headed for a country whose language I didn't speak, proceeded through Customs, hailed a cab, found a 5-star hotel, and convinced them to give ME the room that was reserved for one of the corporate executives of the company. I’M NOT “BACKWARDS” OR STUPID - nor particulary shy or afraid! LOL!

Then today, I read one of my dearest friend’s blogs and I was honestly insulted at how "everyone" was grouped together in a category of those who were less educated, less interesting, less cultured and who knew of no other way to entertain or enjoy themselves other than with football. I was hurt to be included in this group. I am educated. I have had and still have a very interesting life. I have a Van Gogh (The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night) hanging on my wall - granted it's only a hand-painted copy, but... I THOROUGHLY enjoy a good bottle of wine. I love first edition books - in fact, I have bought three in the last month and they are signed by the author. I work in a field that is dominated by men and I have risen to as high up as I actually want to go - at least for now. I have raised two children with very little assistance from their father. I have started my own business. I have given up a lot of ME because of that, but I don't feel like the line from the old song "I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me." I am a woman, a provider, a mother, and recently, a wife again. I am who I am because of all of this. I still enjoy the things I enjoy. Maybe I'm not scheduled to catch a flight to Costa Rica on Monday, but my daughter does have a ballgame Monday night... My husband will still be happy to see me and hug me tightly... My co-workers will be glad I'm at work. I will discuss my latest business venture with my newest client. I will probably enjoy a nice merlot. And, I will continue to WEAR MY ORANGE! =D

I'm sure I'm thinking about this too much and taking the comments to heart when I shouldn't, but I don't like to be pigeonholed. I try so hard NOT to do that to others. I try not to stereotype because I HATE it when it happens to me.

I am a rural, southern woman who DEARLY loves her Tennessee Volunteers, but I am also a smart, successful, confident, independent woman who appreciates what others call the "finer" things in life.

As I sit here and sip my favorite merlot I have only this to say...

GO VOLS! ;-)