Eleven and me

The cutie pie Melanie from Happy Jax tagged me in this eleven and me. I'm not sure that I'm all that fascinating, but I'll try to play along.

The Rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random facts about you.
3. Answer the questions given to you in the tagger's post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag new people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and let them know they've been tagged.

This is the most current photo of myself. Ugh. I'm usually behind the camera, and don't especially like having my photo taken for many reasons that we don't need to get into


11 random facts about me

1.  My natural hair color is "ash" which my hairdresser informed me, that nobody wants that color!  Really? Thanks for sharing. LOL I have very few gray hairs. Only a couple by my temple that I swear my son gave me his junior year of high school. My hair is colored, mostly to give me variety and to add a little texture to my ultra fine, cat fur hair.

2.  My father was 17 years older than my mother, and when I was little, everyone thought he was my grandfather.

3. I met my husband the summer after my senior year of high school. As luck would have it, we were both going to Oregon State University.

4.  I only knew one of my grandparents, my paternal grandfather who died when I was five. I want to be an incredible grandparent to my grands, and hope they have many fond memories of me when they are older.

5.  I have a vanity plate on my car. It reads Tutux2  In my mind it says Tutu times two, but most folks think it's 2Tux2 LOL  I no sooner got the plate, when I learned #3 was on the way. Now when this one expires, I'll have to get creative to come up with a clever way of being Tutu (Hawaiian for grandmother) to three.

6. My father survived the Bataan Death March during WWII

7. I worked in the school district for 17 years with special education children

8. My favorite dog is a yellow lab. The hubs and I have had two yellow labs, and love them to death. When we had to put the last one down, it was so heartbreaking that the hubs said, he couldn't do that again. Now we just have cats.

9. I love planning parties. Any kind, wedding, showers, birthdays, dinner parties. I love putting it all together, and seeing the plan come together.

10. I have been shooting in manual on my camera for several month's now.  It's been a huge learning curve, with many bad photos, but I feel that in order to get better, I need to make the adjustment.

11. My first name is Mary Gene. Two words, one name. Confusing, I know. When I was little and friends would phone and ask for Mary, my mother would say, "no one by that name lives here" and hang up. I was infuriated!! It worked, my name finally caught on and stuck, and I have to do lots of helping with spelling, and telling what my first name is. I guess it's part of what formed my outspoken personality.

1. Best childhood memory? My favorite childhood memories would be of riding bicycles with friends. The freedom we had and how far we would/could go. It saddens me that our world isn't the same now, and that kids don't have the freedom to go places like I did.

2. Your favorite/go to movie. The one you could watch a million times? I have several movies that I love. THE HELP, THE KINGS SPEECH, GONE WITH THE WIND Too many to list them all.

3. If you were driving right now, what music/song would you be singing along too? I always have the radio set to KINK and whatever they are playing is good. If I'm in my hubs car, I put on the Jimmy Buffet channel and have my own concert.

4. Best photography tip/tutorial, you've ran past lately? I am constantly inspired by the work of others. I had fun trying the bubble water with fruit, although I didn't exactly nail it, and need to retry that. Still hoping to make the light box and try that. The best all around advice, is "FIND THE LIGHT" it works in all aspects of life, I do believe.

5. Favorite saying or inspirational quote? When upset, I can be heard saying, "Shoot a duck" "can't fix stupid" or  "God helps those that help themselves"

6. Who do you look up to the most?  At the moment I've been thinking a lot about a dear woman who has lead an incredible life. She was a missionary kid, put in boarding school at a tender young age, held in a concentration camp, married a man and became missionaries in Africa, and raised a family. This woman rarely complains, is such a truly faithful woman, and has led an amazing life. Hospice has been called in, and I know I must reach out to her one last time, before it's too late. I hope I can tell her how much I respect and admire her.

7. Favorite TV show? I have several. I love the Closer, Project Runway, Blue Bloods, Good Wife.  There are more, but I probably shouldn't admit to all the reality shows I've gotten sucked into..

8. Which store would you choose to max your credit card out at? Buying things for the grands brings me such joy! Lately I've been picking up little frilly things, that I know can't continue. It's so tempting, and I need to show a tiny bit of restraint!

9. Coffee or tea?  COFFEE I'm addicted, I admit it. You don't want to be around me if I don't get my coffee.  Headache, grouchiness, etc. etc. etc.

10. If you could go anywhere in the world, with anyone in the world... where & who? I have been very lucky to have traveled many places. My happy place is Hawaii, but I'm always happy when I'm warm, and there is water. Anywhere like that with my family would be perfect.

11. The last sweet/funny/crazy/cute thing your kiddo/grand-babe said or did?  #2 our little red head is at such a cute stage right now. 18 months old, and likes anything that isn't a toy. It's so cute when he takes a phone and pretends to call someone, or grabs keys and uses a chair as his vehicle..

So that's Tutu, MG, Mary Gene, or whatever you may call me in a nutshell

Now I must tag several other blogs.

Ashley at Not without salt

Anna at My life as a Parker

Megan My stubborn Little Miss

Erika at Redeeming our daughter

Krista One Beautiful Life

Thanks for stopping in, and putting up with all of this trivial craziness.

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