[Geek Notes]

This week’s edition is courtesy of Timber …

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Oh, why did I announce last week I was choosing this one? Just kidding Timber Just a tad brain dead here to get this up on Tuesday … so, because of my response, I decided to save it for Thanksgiving Day …

My favorite childhood memory … I think it would have to be the holiday celebrations with my dad’s side of the family. It was the one time when most of the siblings (four of the five), their children, and the great-grandchildren got together. Usually Easter (all five siblings and most their families), sometimes Thanksgiving, and always at Christmas (four of the five). For years, it was always at my grandparents’ house, which is next door to where my parents now live — I spent weekends at their house, but rarely were any of the great-grandchildren down so I’d have someone to play with (you see, my dad’s the baby and he waited until his 30s to marry and start a family, so age-wise, I fall in with the oldest half of the great-grandchildren).

Thanksgiving usually resulted in the smallest group showing up — my dad and mom (and me until my brother came along), his older sister and her husband, sometimes their daughters and grandson, and a few times one or both of my dad’s older brothers and their wives. Maybe once or twice the oldest sister came.

But my favorite memories were always with my aunt’s grandson — my favorite cousin who’s two years younger than me. Thanksgiving was when my Mama (pronounced mah-maw) would put the bowl out so we could draw names for the Christmas exchange. Me and Justin would always wait until no one was really paying us much attention and we’d dig through the bowl until we found each other’s names One year his parents and him didn’t come, so my aunt ‘rigged’ it so we swapped anyway!

And since today is Thanksgiving, I thought I’d also answer the question I asked all of you in the Third Monday Giveaway … What am I most thankful for this year?

Of course, I’m thankful for the obvious things — God, my family, a roof over my head, food to eat, a pretty secure job in a field where there’s little impact from the economy, wonderful friends, lovable pets. I’m also thankful my car is finally fixed after three trips this month to the dealership (as well as fully repaired from September’s wreck) and that I wasn’t seriously injuried in that accident. I’m thankful I haven’t had any serious health problems. I’m also thankful for the ability to have a side business and for the clients who’ve chosen me to document a moment in their lives this year. I’m thankful that I am able to afford to sink the money I have (from my day job) into said side business so I have the opportunity to grow. I’m thankful to have made the photography related contacts this year and for the ideas that have been inspired that I hope to implement in the next few months. And I’m thankful for the visitors to this site who choose to come back or add me to their blog/feed readers.

So … that said, I hope all of you have/had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I hope to have up some freebie deals for Freebie Friday tomorrow that are good beyond Black Friday … if you see something I should add, leave me a comment or email me at girl [at] 5foot4 [dot] org!

This week’s edition (a couple days late) was actually asked in person a few days ago — but since I wasn’t certain to what extent the person wanted for an answer, I gave the brief generic ’safe’ answer for it. I figured I’d share the full answer here …

The question — “Where do you see yourself in three years?”

The answer I gave at the time — Teaching criminal justice and political science at the juco level full time somewhere in the state of Texas.

The extended answer to explain why I want to see myself there in three years — when I started out on the grad school route five years ago, my plan B for the degree was to teach (plan A was to work in federal law enforcement) if I couldn’t achieve plan A. Well, the further I got in, I realized plan B was the more feasible and more realistic route. So, after finding out that the only way I could teach CJ would be to also gain work experience in the ‘field,’ I finally got a job in an area of CJ (where I am now). I have a little under a year and a half before I meet the work requirement. In the meantime, I’ve started my photography business, so that’s altered plans, and dropped the plan A completely.

So, basically, in three years I want to be teaching full time during the academic year and focusing on photography full-time during the summers (part time the rest of the year).

There’s one other reason I’m determined to be at that point in three years from now — I want a career where I can be there (whenever I marry and have children) for them like my mom was for me and my brother. My mom was a stay at home mom (except for a couple of part time stints over the years) to me and my brother. She was there for nearly everything — from the first’s to school functions and track, cross country, and powerlifting meets. I don’t know that I could ever make photography a full-time career financially, but once I’m to the point where I can start paying myself, I can stick that money back for other reasons that aren’t ‘for’ me.

Meanwhile, I’d like to think I’ll find whoever it is I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with sometime in the next few years and starting a family will not be all that far behind settling down and marrying (although those last two might be closer to five and not three years out from now!).

So — that’s the long answer. Not that I think the person will read here, but at least it’s answered for posterity’s sake

Happy Thursday! Rather, Happy its almost Friday!