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My name is Shelley. I was born and raised in Lockport, New York (western, upstate NY). I am of Dutch, German and French Canadian heritage. I moved to Reno, NV in 1980 right after graduation from Lockport Senior High School. I met and married my hubby in Reno and we lived happily ever after. LOL!! Well, we are living happily but the story doesn't quite end there......it is ongoing.
I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, listener, observer, dreamer, wish maker, friend, lover, supporter, novice photographer, finder of lost things, super hero, star swinger and so much more.
We moved to the Seattle area from Reno, Nevada in 2004. We lived in Reno for almost 25 years! It was a difficult decision to make, but my husband got a job offer from the State of Washington that he couldn't refuse so he retired from the State of Nevada as a Communications Engineer and, well, here we are!
I wish I could say that I love it here, but that's not the case. There are aspects of Washington that I do enjoy, but after three years, I'm still so incredibly homesick for Reno. I miss my life, my friends, my home...and so much more in Reno. I would move back there in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. I don't know how to really explain it, but I just don't feel that I belong here. However, our life is now here and I'm still trying to adjust ~ after almost 4 years! ~ and make the best of it. I have met some wonderful people and have made some wonderful friends so it's not all bad. We have, however, made the decision to return to Reno in about 2 years when my hubby retires from the state. We have big plans.
This is my OLD city:
This is my NEW city:
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My husband is my soul mate ~ I know that sounds so cheesy, but it's true. He's older than me (by far) but I have the old soul and he has the young soul ~ that's one of the reasons I think we are so good together. He's retired from the Navy where he spent almost 20 years and he's now working on his third retirement from the State of Washington. This man knows me better than I know myself. He knows all my faults and weaknesses yet still loves me for the person I am ~ even though I drive him crazy sometimes. We can read each other's thoughts (it's scary!) and we often finish each other's sentences. Yeah, I know....it's sickening, but what can I say. He thinks I'm the most beautiful woman in the world and tells me that I get prettier as I get older (awwwww). When I'm sick and puking, he's there rubbing my back, holding my hair and asking me what he can do to make me feel better. I'm very lucky and I know it. He's a good man and I adore him. He is truly my best friend and I would be lost without him. And, he treats me like the princess that I am. Just kidding......sort of. ;O) It's not always rainbows and butterflies, but it's pretty close. Oh!! He has this amazing talent ~ he has the abilty to leave just a teeny tiny bit of toilet paper on the roll so he never has to change it! Isn't that amazing?!?! LOL!!
This is one of my favorite poems:
I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)
I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
And it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is youHere is the deepest secret nobody knows
(Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)
~ E.E. Cummings
I "retired" in 2003 from the power company in Reno where I worked for almost 19 years ~ the last 10 years as a Engineering Technician. I do not, however, fit the typical mold of "engineer". I am so NOT analytical and I am NOT logical. LOL!! Go figure. To get me out of the house after we moved here, I took a temporary, part-time job with Target. I have now been there for almost four years and I really enjoy it! Who knew!?! The department I work for is responsible for all the new sets, displays, decorations, etc. Next time you are at Target, take a look around you. Most of what you see, we have done. The girls I work with are awesome and that's why I stay.
We have two children ~ Brad who is 25 and Ashley who is 20.
Our daughter is amazing. We have more than just a mother/daughter relationship. We are truly great friends. She pretty much tells me everything and some things.....well, I would rather not know. LOL!! We can spend hours together just talking (usually over coffee), shopping, watching movies....whatever. We also use to have "hang out" days every week but, unfortunately, those days are now gone since she has recently moved to California. I miss her terriby but we talk every day. Having her so far away has been extremely difficult for me, but I knew that day would come and come it did. It is made easier by the fact that she's very happy with her life. She's in love and engaged to a wonderful guy named Jared. We love and adore him as well. They have promised to wait to get married until she's done with college, but that remains to be seen. She has a huge heart but she also doesn't put up with any bullshit. She can be very girly but she can also just be one the of "guys". She could care if she gets her hair messed up or if she gets dirty. She has quite the adventuresome spirit and she's definitely not afraid to try new things. She was attending Pierce Community College here in Washington majoring in Science ~ She is transferring to Sacramento State to pursue a degree in Forensics (think CSI). She's a very smart girl and I know she's going to go far. She's just an incredible person. I'm so proud of the woman she is.
This is my gorgeous daughter, Ashley:
Our son is still trying to find his path in life, but he's a wonderful guy who has a good heart and a kind soul. He has Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism) which makes every day things that most people take for granted more difficult for him, but he tries hard at everything. I'm proud of all that he has accomplished and I want only the best for him. He loves football and pro wrestling and can talk to anybody about it for hours. He loves to talk and to meet new people. He's definitely a "people person" and is very outgoing. He loves to watch movies, listen to music, and talk to his friends on the computer. He is very interested in weather phenomenon and is hoping to take some classes in Meteorology. I hope that someday he meets that special girl who will love and adore him for the awesome person he is.
This is my handsome son, Brad (with our dog, Isabell)
This is the view from our back yard. Sometimes, the mountain is there......
And, sometimes, it's not.......
I'm 46 but, in many ways, I still feel like I'm 18. I wonder how it's possible that I can be at the age that at 18 I thought was "so old". LOL!! I have many great memories of my childhood and teen years while growing up in small town Lockport, NY. But many of those years I can no longer remember and it makes me sad that they are lost to me. I also feel like I was born in the wrong era. I think I would have much more enjoyed growing up and living in simpler times.
I love the changing seasons especially when each new one is on the cusp of arriving....there is a certain feeling in the air and that just energizes me.....it moves me and fills me with.......renewal, I guess for lack of a better word. I'm a small town girl (sort of) but there are times when I long for the "big city life". Someday, I'm going to try and live in a big city....someday.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!
I love clothes and I love to shop!! Shoes are my downfall! I love pointy-toed heels, though my feet don't love 'em. I love Converse Chucks and I have a serious addiction to them....I have about 70 pairs. I still have the first pair of red ones I wore in high school. I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, but I also love to dress in classic, elegant styles. I'm a total girly-girl but also a bit of a tomboy. I love cashmere! My biggest weakness is cashmere sweaters. I love to dance like a crazy woman when no one is home. I love going places but hate the traveling part. I love it when my husband sneaks up behind me and kisses me softly on the neck. I love taking pictures. I love it when my little dog snuggles up next to me. I love it when I'm thinking about my Mom and the phone will ring and it will be her. I love to wish on stars. I love playing Monopoly (any board games, really) but hate losing. I love McDonald's french fries. I love down comforters. They call me "Reno" at work. I love elephants. I love putting up Christmas decorations but hate taking them down. I love to be spontaneous ~ just make sure you give me a few days notice! I love it when a stranger smiles at me. I love tulips and daisies. I love go places but hate crowds. I love pizza rolls. I love vanilla coke but hate regular coke. I love to read when I have extra time and I can finish a book in a weekend (when I have a weekend ;O) I love coffee....not just any coffee but good, dark, yummy coffee. I love ice cold beer on a hot day and I love sharing a good bottle of wine with friends.
Did I mention that I LOVE CHRISTMAS!?!?!?
I'm deathly afraid of large bodies of water, especially the ocean. If my feet can't touch the bottom, I freak. If I'm in a boat and I can't see land, I freak. I don't know why....maybe I died on the Titanic in a previous life.
I am very shy and tend to keep to myself and this gets misconstrued and people tend to think I'm stuck-up and that is so not the case. It is very hard for me to introduce myself to someone I don't know, but I'm working on it. I don't, however, feel the need to have a "zillion" friends. I prefer to have a few close friends that I can just totally be myself around and who love me for who I am no matter what. It takes me a long time to develop a close friendship with someone, but once I'm your friend, I'm loyal to a fault. But, don't ever betray me because that will be the end of the friendship.
I am VERY emotional and sentimental ~ and here's a secret most people don't know: my feelings are easily hurt but I won't let you know that they've been hurt. My family means everything to me and I tend to get so wrapped up in them and their happiness that I lose me, but I'm trying to break out of that. I'm trying to learn to focus on me a little more.
I'm an "almost black belt" in Tae Kwon Do. I made it to the senior red level and just never took the final test to become an "official" black belt. I can come up with a million reasons why(okay, maybe not a million;O) ,but I think the honest truth is that my fear of the test prevented me from taking it. Fear keeps me from doing many things.
I am a spiritual person but not religious. I believe that I am an old soul and that I have lived many lives before. Have you seen the movie “Defending Your Life?†It's awesome! It kind of reflects how I feel about life and death. I do believe in angels and I do believe in good and evil. I try to be a good person and always do the right thing and I feel as though I’m generally successful. But, there are times when my faith in mankind is truly tested and I wonder why I bother. I feel, at times, that common courtesy and good will toward man just doesn't exist for the masses anymore. The older I get, the more I find that I just want to cocoon in my own home and not venture any further than my front yard.
I strongly believe in karma ~ the old “what goes around, comes around†adage. It's what gets me through. But there are times when I fantasize about having a “Tony Soprano†in my life who would dole out justice for me when I feel that karma is dragging it's feet. But, alas, it is just fantasy. ;O)
Well, if you took the time to read that, well, first of all, thank you, because that was a lot to read. But, if you did read, then you now know me a little bit and maybe you would like to get to know me better. I’m sure I would like to get to know you better too.
I look up at the night sky as the clouds pass by
What do I see, What do I want to be
I wish I was a star, As they gleam and shimmer
As they are so far, Far away from here....Away from the fear
The stars bring us together.....forever and ever
They bring us light... They bring us sight
Brings me closer to you...A feeling so new
They gleam just like a beam
A beam of love in the night sky above
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Some day, I would love to travel and see these sites: