The Basics of Me. [part 8]

 Growing up, the early years [Part 1]:

*Where did you grow up? Describe it.

I grew up in California--Northern California...to be a little more exact, I grew up in the Bay Area. I did move around a few times...but I mainly stayed in the Bay Area. I did not grow up where I was born though because I had moved from there when I was about one year old. But I loved where I grew up. Although I do not live there now, I will always look back at that place with a happy heart, and it is my childhood home. I hope to take my children there one day. That would be awesome. The house, my childhood home...the one that I consider my childhood home, although I moved from house to house, but always ended in this home is my favorite home. It may not be as big or grand as some of the houses that I lived in, but I knew this house from the inside out and every corner, wall, place in that house has a memory. I tear up when I think of it...if I ever have the chance, I would love to buy that house...just to keep that memory a little longer.

We lived right by the freeway. On the other side of the freeway was Walmart and Food4Less and other stores...Payless, Baskin' Robins, the Diamond Store...in our backyard there were a lot of fruit trees...I loved to climb them...my daddy built me a tree house where I loved spending time with my "baby", my best friend...my Baili. Sometimes my other best friend, Precious would join us. My babies. My dog and cat. I miss them so much. I loved reading up in the treehouse. We had a garden...and I had a love of tomatoes and cucumbers because of it.  I would play catch with my daddy...sometimes we would shoot hoops...and I remember sleeping to the sounds of cars driving on the freeway and waking up to the sound of basketballs dibbling on the ground and occasionally hitting my window from when my daddy and brother would play in the morning. I miss it.

I grew up playing outside...with the neighbors. We had a pretty sick neighborhood. We all didn't go to the same school, but we got a long together. We lived in a court and we would play together and have fun outside...none of this staying inside doing nothing but playing videogames. 

The town where I grew up was small, but big in its own way...not as safe as other places, but I felt safe there.  

The Basics of Me. [part 7]

Your birth and family [Part 7]:

*How did you help around the house?

Growing up my siblings and I always had our chores that we had to do. We would rotate from week to week...the chores included washing the dishes, cleaning up after dinner, vacuuming, sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms-including the shower/bathtub! Although I did all the chores when my time came up, I remember really hating to take out the trash! I would willing do all the chores...my favorite was vacuuming...but I would constantly beg my siblings if they can switch with me to take out the trash! *laughs*

I'm still like that. I hate touching, smelling, doing anything with trash. I don't know why...maybe this is where my germ phobia kicks in. I'm not as bad as I use to be...I mean, I can now take out the trash without having to take an hour shower afterwards to clean up...but I can feel myself holding my breath and holding myself away from the trash as much as possible. *laughs* 

In other ways that I would help around the house was I like to consider myself as the one who keeps everyone on their toes. Along with my dad, we liked to play harmless, but funny pranks on our family members. I liked to make my family laugh...I was always playing music or singing and dancing to whatever I was doing. I like to think that I helped keep the fun in the family, not that my family wasn't fun! Oh, they were, and I think that I had a bomb childhood because I love my family and I think that we were a lot of fun...but I think that helped to brighten up my families days when I would do random things to make them smile. 

This is Me Challenge

The Basics of Me. [part 6]

Your birth and family [Part 6]:

*What are some lesesons you learned from your parents? 

My mom was a nurse. She finished her nursing school while watching my siblings and I. I admire her because not only did she work full-time, go to school full-time but was also a full-time mother to three children ages two, three, and four. She taught me about determination and hard work not only by her words but by her actions. Although she is not a working nurse anymore, she is still using the skills that she made during those years as a nurse to work in the missionary field. She also taught me about faith. She gave up nearly everything to follow her heart and her belief in God.

My dad worked for a company called Alza. He was the person who would man the machines who would make the medicine/drugs for the company, who would then supply it to the stores. Growing up, my dad would be my rock. He taught me patience, loyalty, the importance of reliability and how to have fun.

This is Me Challenge

The Basics of Me. [part 5]

Your birth and family [Part 5]:

*How was your relationship with your siblings and parents?

  

Growing up I was really close to my brother...I would like to describe him as my lil shadow. Typically, I know that older siblings do no like their younger siblings to follow them around...but for me, I didn't mind. I had a huge imagination and my brother would be to help me act out what my imagination was telling me. We had a lot of fun making up "gymnastic routines", climbing up the "mountain" [our stairs] in an hour because it was the "worlds' largest mountain ever!", we loved playing with slinky down the stairs and seeing how far we can "bounce" the slinky to hit someone down stairs! We would have sleepovers in each other rooms...we had a lot of fun...

My sister on the other hand. She was the "tatter-tell"...I was always getting into "trouble" because of my imagination and she would "mother" my brother because he didn't know any better. *laughs* My sister and I fought like non-other! It was crazy! Keep in mind, this was all when we were younger! I would always try to get my brother to "gang-up" on her...because she was the "proper" one who did everything "all lady-like and proper" *laughs*...followed ALL THE RULES, and would tell on me all the time when I didn't. *laughs* Oh my sister...how I love her so! This was all when we were younger, because now, I love her and would do anything for her. But when I was younger...oh wow.

I consider myself a "daddy's girl." I am. I get a long better with my dad and I know that I can tell him anything. It would be my dad who I would always run too; my daddy who would chase away all the "bad monsters" in my room; my daddy who would scare all the unwanted boys away; my daddy who saw my tears, was first to hear the good news, who loved to play jokes with me on other family members...I love my Daddy and yes, I would say that we were...are...really close.

My mom, I love her with everything in me too, but growing up...we didn't really see eye to eye on a lot of things. I fought with her a lot, and yeah. I know her past now and why she acted the way that she did, but oh mandope! When I was younger...it was all bad! *laughs* Now, I know that I can talk to my mom and I miss her when she is gone.

This Is Me Challenge

The Basics of Me. [part 4]

Your birth and family [Part 4]:

*What are your sibling's full names and birth dates?

I have an older sister whose name is Faith. She is 14 months older than I am. And I have a younger brother name Jeremy and he is about 18 months younger than me.