I wrote this almost 7 years ago. My sweet little guy had just turned 2 and he will be 9 on Monday. I read some of these things I was oh so passionate about and kind of giggle and maybe grimace a little, too. I have let go of #10 in the biggest way and #12 has completely changed. I’ve grown as a human and as all of these people I show up as in the last 7 years and I am more than ok with that - I empower you to do the same.

A defined definition

Michelle (muh-shell) noun (1983)  1.Mom  2.Wife  3.Daughter  4.Sister  5.Pharmaceutical Sales Representative  6.Lover of all 4 pawed furry beings  7.Analytical  8.Saver  9.Realist  10.Worry-wart 11.Dreamer  12.Competitive

1.Mom:  to a strikingly handsome little boy, Ames, who turned 2 in April.  He lights up every single day of my life and certainly inherited my oversized heart.  I’m not sure what I ever did without him in my life.

2.Wife:  to a wonderful and successful hunk, Adam.  We celebrated our 10 year anniversary in October.  We share so many of the same dreams and passions and though our brains work in almost polar opposite ways, we always end up in the same place.  I couldn’t imagine doing life with anyone else.

3.Daughter:  to the most amazing parents that happen to be two of my very best friends.  There isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do for them.  They have been there for me through every high and low in life and I am beyond grateful for the way I was raised.

4.Sister:  I grew up with one younger brother.  I’ve always had a bit of a protective nature with him and growing up together in the 80s and 90s taught us both about life and set a solid foundation of morals and character for both of us.

5.Pharmaceutical Sales Representative:  Gotta pay the bills.  My job is perceived as pretty glamourous for those on the outside, but it is hard, and really weird.  It’s almost impossible to explain to someone that hasn’t done it.  My employer is Johnson & Johnson and no, I do not have baby powder.  It’s a careful balance between working full-time in and out of the home and is something I am conscious of daily.

6. Lover of all 4 pawed furry beings:  I have a healthy-ish obsession with animals.  We have 3 yorkies, but I would have 300 if I could.  Macy, Kahne, and Gage were our children for many years before Ames came along and they are truly a part of our family.  They are worth more than my car, as they have had about every health ailment you can think of (think torn ACLs, epilepsy, & ear surgery just to name a few).  Little Ames also got his first fish, Finn, for his 2nd birthday.  I do remember to feed him daily. J

7.Over-analyzer:  I. over-think. everything.  It usually takes me some time to come to a decision on things, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. 

8.Saver:  Sale shopping is a huge hobby of mine.  The list is short for items I will pay full price for, but I also stand firm behind the tag line, “you get what you pay for.”   This likely goes hand in hand with #12.  These are in no particular order, btw, I put the more tangible things first.

9.Realist:  I live in reality.  It took me a long time to get there, but if you’ve made it this far, this should make more than a little sense.

10.Worry-wart:  many hours and days have been wasted by worry.  If I could turn it off, I would.  Pretty sure I inherited this from my dear momma.  We make up more scenarios in our head than we would probably like to admit.  It’s a constant work in progress for me, because I know time spent worrying is time that could be much better spent enjoying life.

11.Dreamer:  if I’m ever alone with just my head, you can bet I’m dreaming about something.  The list is a mile long, but also see #9 and remember the size of my heart.  I know that I cannot do it all, but I hate that I cannot do it all. 

12.Competitor:  losing is about dead last on my list of favorite things, well, besides crappy mean people.  I’ve gotten better with age, likely because I have a better grasp on reality.  I’ll have to work on this as Ames starts playing board games.  Growing up, I would drag my dad and brother out to practice the sports I was in every single day and when they weren’t around, I would pitch fastballs at the garage.  That garage later had to later be torn down due to a slight “tilt.”  Oops.