Day 15... A person you admire

So the obvious answer to this question would be my mom.  She is a great mom and a fantastic person.  I do admire her, but I also admire this person.  

Anne Frank.  She is very much an inspiration of human spirit.  I remember reading a play in 7th grade based on Anne Franks life, living in the attic, trying to be a normal teenager yet not being able to.  

Honestly, I don't think much needs to be said about this remarkable person!

~Stephanie~

Day 14....A vacation you would like to take

A vacation that I would like to take would be a once in a lifetime trip to Europe.  I would love to go to Paris.  

 

 Who wouldn't want to go to Paris, visit the Eiffel Tower.  I would like to go, visit tiny little shops, visit that museum.  After Paris, I would go to London. 

In London I would go meet Prince William and his new wife Princess Katherine.  I know wishful thinking!

After seeing Paris, France and London, I would go to Germany.  

For those that do not know, I am probably over 50% German.  On my biological Father's side of the family, I am only a 3 Generation "American".  Which to me is amazing.  My Grand Parents, my Father (and his siblings) and then my cousins and I were born here.  My maiden name-Spath is very German.  I wonder who we are related to, if we are part of some great family.  I tried doing research on a website, but it was a little to hard for me.  Another German fact of my family, my brother Christopher was born on the US military base in Bitburg German.  When he was 18 he had to declare if he wanted to be a German citizen or a US citizen.  Kinda interesting.  

There are many places I would like to go to in United States.  But for me those are way more achievable then going overseas.  I would love to go to San Fransisco, New York, the east coast (maybe Maine) stay in a tiny village, eat seafood all day long!  I want to get back to Florida and go to Disney World again!  I loved Colorado so beautiful there.  I would love to go to Yellowstone National Park.  I had always wanted to go to Chicago, and I was able to last year.  My mom and I are hoping that we will be able to go back soon!  I love to travel.  I love going somewhere new, doing something different!  I would also like to go visit family I haven't seen forever, or family that I have never seen!  Too many wants, not enough time or money right now.  Maybe in 30 years I can!!!!

~Stephanie~ 

Day 13...A guilty pleasure

I have a few guilty pleasure.

I love TV.  Really I do.  I probably do watch too much of it, but there are a lot of shows that I really like.  TV brings to me to a guilty pleasure...Reality TV.  Reality shows like Real World Road Rules  Challenges.  I like Sixteen and Pregnant, Teen Mom, Sister Wives.  My latest reality show, American Idol.  I have loved this season.  I love the people they have had, I love the judges now.  I have never watched a season before, but this season, I have not missed one episode.

My gossip magazines.  Every week, I buy one or two.  I try and not buy them (waste of money) but most weeks I do.  

Facebook.  Facebook is a way for me to spend some mindless time doing nothing.  I get to be nosy in people's lives, see what they are doing  .  But is it really being nosy if they put it out there?  I think not.  

So these are a few of my guilty pleasures. 

~Stephanie~

Smoking.  But he is trying to quit.  Quitting is hard though, and it is something that he has done since he was 18.  So smoking is Ryan's guilty pleasure.  

~Ryan~

Day 11...A photo of you taken recently and Day 12....A song played at your wedding

So Day 10 is being put on hold.  With Christopher living with us, I haven't finished unpacking everything.  All of my photos are in the room he currently occupies.  So on to the next.

 

 

Day 11.  A photo of you taken recently

This was actually just taken on Saturday.  This was the formal for my sorority for the chapter at University of Wisconsin River Falls that I am advising.  

Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding(or was played).

This would be probably easy to do.  We had no music played at our wedding.  Our wedding was very very small, so we had formal reception with music.  If I had to pick a song that I would have wanted played it would be....

 

 

Siblings

So in a few days, my brother is moving out of my house and back into his own apartment.  The month with him has flown by fast.  When he moved in for the time being, I knew it would not be a few days but a few weeks.  Being prepared ahead of time has made this transition easier I believe.  But with Christopher being on the verge of moving again, I sit here thinking of he and I growing up together, literally and figuratively.  

Christopher and I are either 3 or 4 years apart depending on the time of the year.  Chris and I were always together when we were very young.  We shared a room together, took baths together, played together.  A funny story of he and I.  When my mom married my step dad, Chris and I had to share a room together in the house we moved into.  This was no big deal for us at all, because we came from an apartment where we shared a room.  But after a while, it was decided that Chris and our step brother would share a room and I would get my own room.  That lasted maybe a day.  I wanted to be back with Chris, Chris wanted our step-brother out, me back and our step-brother wanted his room back.  LOL.  But then the years came and who wants to be bothered by their little sister.  So it was not cool to play with me anymore and then we have years and years not teenage fighting.  Sorry mom!

After college, Chris and I lived in an apartment together for a couple of years.  Living in an apartment with your brother, not always fun!  But it worked and we survived.  Chris was there when I started to date my now husband.   He saw me grow from a single girl in the city (Can I be like Charlotte form Sex in the City?) single, living a fabulous life but finds her true love.  Anyways, so he was there to see my life change.  I moved out and moved in with Ryan and we were married the next year.  

Christopher is now on another phase of his life.  He is working full time for a company he likes and doing a job he likes!  His new apartment is smaller, but very homey!  I would like to see him go back to school, get a degree in something, find a nice lady friend, get married and start a family.  Chris if you are reading this, it is not too late, get started! LOL.  

Being sibling who grew up together, there are similar things we like and do not like.  But there are things that are similar that has nothing to do with how we were raised, who raised us, the home, etc.  Chris and I have similar foods that we do not like.  He wonders if we are genetically pre-set on what to like and what not too.  Chris and I both hate cherries, coconut and watermelon.  We do not like them, don't make us eat them, don't try! We differ on one big one though.  I hate olives and guess who really likes them, yep Chris.  

So, to close for the night.  I found a quote I liked.

To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other's hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  We live outside the touch of time.  ~Clara Ortega

Good night all!  

~Stephanie~

It has been a while.....sorry

So I was reminded the other day from my mother that it has been too long since my last post.  My last post was right after we moved in and right before.....I got very sick.  I got some cold/flu thing and it was not fun.  I was sick for about 3 weeks, and I am now finally starting to really feel better.  I thought I had escaped being sick this year, but then it hit at the last minute.  So now that I am feeling better I am not going to bed at 8 and I am doing things.  Enough about being sick.  

So while driving home I discovered I have a new favorite thing I get to see every day.  For those of you who don't know MN/WI or the area I live in, I live in the country (sort-a).  Living in River Fall, WI; I live in town, but this is a country town.  We are a small town of 12,560 ( I looked at the sign driving home tonight) but I wonder how many of those people are college kids and how many are year round residents.  If you were to drive maybe 1 mile from my house, you would have left "city" and gotten to country.  Ok, so back to my new favorite thing.  Driving to and from work I drive past A LOT of farms.  And when I say a lot, I mean it.  We are in dairy country here.  So I love looking at all the animals around me on a daily basis.  Horses, chickens, sheep, cows, wild turkeys, etc. etc. etc.  But I have discovered that I love seeing all the...........

Baby cows!  They are so cute!  I saw one running today and it just made me laugh.  So It is the simple things in life that make me smile.  A baby calf running.

So besides moving into our first home and me getting really sick, we have a house quest for the time being.  My brother moved into our home a few weeks ago due to unforseen circumstances.  We are hoping to get him back on his feet and into his own place soon.  He applied for an apartment last week and here is hoping!  He is being a good house guest though.  He is picking up his dishes, putting clean dishes away, vacuuming, etc.  Funny thing is he never did that when he and I lived together in an apartment.  The first week he was here, he cooked dinner, and had it ready the minute I walked in the door (he was off of work that day), I told him I could get use to that.  Man it was nice.  Most of the time I cook dinner when I get home and then clean the dishes.  As I am typing, I am multitasking; cooking dinner and typing my blog!  Because of this circumstance with him, it has opened his eyes, and my families (Ryan and my mom) that family is who you can always count on!  Friends are great, and some friends are like family, but push come to shove family will always be there to help out.  A while ago, Chris had told my mom that I was his best friend, mom responded, you should be nicer to her(me).  LOL.  While besides the hubby (because he is my best friend) Christopher and my mom and my sister Kerry are my best friends.  I have great friends but I know Ryan, my mom, Chris and Kerry will always be there!

I think I will leave on that note.  Appreciate those who are there for you and love them like tomorrow is not a given!  Happy Tuesday all!