If you could....
1) live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Oh my Lord, I have so many places that I don't know how to narrow it down. I LOVE Puerto Rico and I could see me living happily ever after there. Maybe a little Italian village? Midtown Manhattan? A mountain lake house in the southeastern US?
I could be happy any of those places. It probably boils down to where my friends and family are really.

2) change anything about your body, what would it be?

I would say bye-bye to the thyroid disease. It has wreaked so much havoc that I don't even feel like myself most of the time. I think of my life in terms of before and after hypothyroidism. But what can you do but keep on chugging along?

3) go to your perfect job, what would it be?

Eccentric novelist...the reclusive kind who spends lots and lots of time churning out intriguing entertainment for anyone who loves to read. I don't even pretend to care about writing masterpieces. I think its the reclusive lifestyle that interests me more than the writing part.

4) change anything about your partner, what would it be?

Oh My God, I love him. He is "almost" perfect. But if we could lose the snoring so I can get a good nights sleep in my own bed, it would be wonderful.

5) have dinner with a celebrity, who would you choose?

I have been in love with Roger Taylor (Queen) since I was like 15 years old. He is my ideal dinner partner, unquestionably.

6) be invisible for a week, what would you do?

That would be such a fun filled week!! One thing would be to mess around with some folks that aren't on my "favorite's list" as much as possible. Maybe sneak in, and rearrange their furniture, hide their keys, whisper in their ears until they commit themselves to a mental health facility. Oh the fun I could have.....

7) tell someone the absolute truth what would you say?

I would tell my father that the most hurtful part of what he did to me, and to our family was to lie. Or maybe not. Its actually not that important to me anymore. For the most part, I think I have been pretty straightforward about all the things that really matter, so I don't think I could say anything that anybody wouldn't know already.

8) have a talent that you don't have now, what would it be?

I wish I could sing without scaring people. Seriously.

9) see someone who has died just for an hour, just to talk, who would you want to see?

My mother. I still really miss her pretty much every single day. I am always thinking of things I wish I could tell her, or see something that makes me think of her. An hour isn't much time, but oh if I really could have it....



10) be the opposite sex, who would you want to look like?

Heath Ledger, no wait...Johnny Depp...I don't know. Who cares? I have no desire to be a man even for a day. And I would much prefer to look AT Johnny Depp, than to look LIKE him.

11) take one thing back that you've said to someone, what would it be?

This one is difficult. I can't single out a specific thing. I know there were plenty of times that I got frustrated and spoke sharply to my husband or my children.
I wish I had more patience and the ability to stay calm when chaos strikes. I need to think about this one a bit more.

12) pick the time of your death, when would you want it to be?

The literal time? Because really, I don't care. The time of my life would obviously be when I had lived a good long time, and my death was swift and painless.

13) pick an actress to play you in the movie of your life, who is closest to what you really look like and could play your personality well?

When I was younger, maybe Goldie Hawn. Slightly ditzy definitely blonde but with a good heart. I don't think I really look like her though. Maybe a neurotic Meg Ryan?
Although people have said I remind them of Melanie Griffith, so....yeah. Any one of those ladies could probably play me better than I can be myself.

14) change your name to any other, what would it be?

I like old-fashioned classic names like Sarah, Olivia, or Lavinia, maybe Cassandra. Clearly, I also really liked Erica, too. Definitely NOT a cutesy trendy name with a funky spelling. If not Sarah, then maybe a name that is not necessarily a name. Like Absinthe, or Willow, or Zinnia. I would have to think about this some more. But since I am perfectly ok with being Rebecca, I probably won't waste any more time on it.

I will be back

I'm still here. Its just been busy/awful/insane lately. Let me update you briefly on what all has gone on since I last wrote:

Bruce's father has been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, so he is really sick. Bruce has spent a lot of time with him, and I have been to see him whenever I could beyond work. Its not always possible for both of us to be absent from work, and the bottom line is that its HIS father and he is not going to be happy unless he can be there to make sure things are being done properly. Dad needs a lot of care right now...round the clock care. The family has all pitched in and pulled together to try and do the best for him that we can. He is home now, and much happier. And we will continue to make sure he is taken care of. We have interviewed care givers and feel confident that we have found some good help. And that is a wonderful thing right now.

Stephen and Hannia have left Indiana and moved back home. They are staying with us temporarily, and honestly? It has been a God-send. My spirits are lifted just being able to see them, and they have been so much help while Bruce has needed to be with his Dad. Its funny, in a sad kind of way....they moved their furniture into our garage until they can get moved into an apartment (most likely in Durham). Bruce had said, "Oh yeah, the stuff will be just fine there....unless we have a hurricane or something". Well, yeah....1 week later Irene shows up. But their stuff stayed nice and dry, thanks to all the weather-proofing Stephen did.

We got a pretty good hit by Irene here. We lost electricity for over 24 hours (some people here in this county went 5 days without it.). We had roof damage and damage to the barn out back. We are grateful it wasn't worse. Stephen was a HUGE help in getting ready for the storm AND in the clean up afterwards. He had all the limbs and branches cleaned up by the time we got home from Danville, and believe me, that was a really nice thing to come home to.

Erica is still moving to York, most likely around December 1. She is busy writing her dissertation but has managed to visit with us and her Grandfather a couple of times over the past 2 weeks. It has been so nice to see her. I feel like I need to soak up all the time together that I can before she moves "across the pond". We need to get busy trying to get her ready, but there is still time this fall. Things are so much more expensive over there in the UK that I want her to go stocked up with essential clothing, household items like sheets and towels, etc....and rain gear. Apparently she is going to need really good rain gear, too. LOL.

So thats the gist of it. Busy, busy and not much leisure time. But it is what it is and we will be ok. I may not be updating the blog as much as I would like over the next little while. I will do the best that I can but not making any promises. Besides, I keep hearing we have yet another hurricane on track to potentially hit us again. Katia...? Much too close to the name "Katrina", and I am not especially happy about it.