You Know Me

Instagram challenge:  SMILE. Once a girl.  Always a girl.

(p.s. i'll do better posting my own pics, i just didn't want to get hung up looking for The Perfect Picture, which was totally happening.)

As far as the blog challenge, something's happening writing-wise for me.  I'm looking forward to writing again. I almost didn't want to type that out loud. I even blogged TWICE yesterday and made myself waaaait to post. It's like Christmas! It's like my birthday!  It's like when I get you a gift!  I can't wait, I can't wait!!! I haven't felt like that in a long time.  It's good.

So, here's my blog challenge tah-day!

20 Facts About Me

(really?  i get to do this?  just talk about myself?)  As a fellow blogger once put so very well:

I'm An Attention Seeking Poodle.

Well, she is.  But I'm stealing it.


Number One:

I have six kids.  Well, I didn't BIRTH six kids.  I  birthed two, but I *have* six kids now.  As of May 2012. The Boyfriend has four and I have two. We all live together in a shoe.  And I am telling you, these kids are just amazing, given what they've all been through. I am proud of them. Even when I've reached my limit. Even when the drama is Code Red.  Even when I don't know what to say, to do. I am proud of them.  I am proud of us. Sometimes I think I'm a mo' better mom/momager of six than I was of two. That said, I'm not good at this. I'm proud of this.

Number Two:

I love old people.

Number Three:

I think I might be a closet introvert. How does one live 40 years and just figure this out? Okay, semi-introvert. I like people.  I suspect this has a lot to do with my GINORMOUS family and how I never get one single second to myself.  I'm just saying, I can totally hang with my self, like 24/7.

Number Four:

I haven't been camping in yeeeeears.  And I could cry right now, just typing that out.

Number Five:

My birthday is Cinco de Mayo, and I seriously love presents.  You should start planning now.

Number Six:

I love to drive.

Number Seven:

My big toe looks like a turtle head and my little toes look like turtle legs. Every time. I can't not see turtles.

Number Eight:

When I hear hip hop and pop, I am automatically choreographing routines in my head.

Number Nine:

I am far too nice, when I NEED TO GET PISSED.  Like, so much.

Number Ten:

I love looking at the lines on my palms.  I'm so curious and need to know more.

Number Eleven:

I love beards.  I didn't even know.

Number Twelve (this one is for my 14-yr-old):

I have no daughters that look like trashcans trying to look human. The end!

Number Thirteen:

I'm a little psychic.

Number Fourteen:

I can still do toe touches on the trampoline.

Number Fifteen:

I get addicted to things.

Number Sixteen:

I am highly impressionable.  For instance, if someone says they had sushi for lunch.  I will probably have to have sushi.  Like, right now.

Number Seventeen:

I'm a clincher and sleep with a mouth guard.  It's super sexy.

Number Eighteen:

I want to go on a date SO BAD, that I'm about to take myself.

Number Nineteen:

I *choose* to get up at 5:00 every day.  Silence is precious. And the coffee is so much better.

Number Twenty:

I think these kids (mine and his). are my best friends.

Challenge Accepted

I'm starting this new blog challenge to light a fire under these lazy fingers! Apparently I need someone to tell me *exactly* what to do. I'm a follower not a leader. I'm fine with this.

I'm working off of a 30-Day Instagram Challenge (prompts to post a new pic every day) and a 31-Day Blog Challenge (prompts to blog posts every day). See links below:

Instagram Challenge:

http://www.positivelypresent.com/2011/11/zoom-in-on-gratitude-30-day-photo-challenge.html

Blog Challenge:

http://www.lifeasiknowitblog.com/2012/05/31-day-blog-challenge-come-join-in.html

For the Instagram Challenge I am supposed to put a pic of my favorite food. This favorite food stuff is ever-changing, as I am a major foodie.  So here's what it is right now.  Today:

Pico de Gallo, specifically with these:

I will eat the entire bag. And plucking a chip out of the bag *covered* in all the lime spices makes me squeal in happiness. Really. Every time. Whatever.  It's a meal.

For the blog challenge I'm supposed to do an introduction and recent pic.

See that pic up there?  It's of me the other day right before an event we did at work, called "Keep The Spirit of '45 Alive".  I get to be the marketing director (fancy) for Solterra Senior Living at White Mountains.  It's a wonderful place, of which I will talk about a lot on here, because it is a very good chunk of my life.  I love my old people.

Spirit of '45, celebrates the "ordinary" heroes of The Greatest Generation--some of these people that lived through this time are my best friends.  It was a joy to celebrate them, and that we did this past Friday.  We partied like it was 1945, complete with classic car show, The Helldorado Girls (a group of women that circulate parades, charities, etc...basically raise morale everywhere they go, specifically dressed in vintage attire--in this case--military pinup), and a DJ that played all the good stuff from the 40's. We made 100 Shirley Temples and served Spam (with toothpicks!) and other delicious thiiiings from that time (we Googled).  It was a blasty blast, and made our residents very happy. We raided the Helldorado Girls closet and I got to wear this fun getup.  I totally felt pretty.  And I don't always feel pretty.  So there you go.

And now for the intro:

For those of you that don't know me, I'm Sunshine, and I've been through a lot of changes over the last couple of years, which you will totally notice if you go back and read my previous posts and then compare them to now.  I feel you may question whether or not this is the same person.  Well, 'tis.  I promise.

To sum it up:  World Crashed Down. Divorced. Fell in love with my childhood friend.  Moved from Oregon to Arizona. Went from The Three Of Us, to The Eight Of Us. Went from Stay-At-Home-Momma to Full-Time-Working-Momma/Momager.  We all live in a sweet, tiny, crowded house, on an orchard, in the tiny mountain town I (and the fella I fell in love with) grew up in. We are happy. Sad. Imperfect. Beautiful. Mending. Superheroes. Fragile. Loud. Silent. Creative. Good. Crazy. Clever. Real. So Much More. But most of all, we are          figuring         it              out.

See you tomorrow!  Really.