I thought I would take a break from my "rules" of life and write a little bit about myself. After all, life is really about connecting with other people and what better way to connect than to know more about some of the things that make me who I am!
1. Katie, not Katherine. I am a second child so when my brother was born my parents named him James Joesph Sheahan III. My mom told one of her nurses that she was going to call him Joe and the nurse said: "well why wouldn't you just name him Joe then..." As a result when I came into the world 18 months later my parents knew they wouldn't name me Katherine or Kaitlin, instead, they would name me Katie because that is what they would call me.
2. 39 States and 18 Countries. I absolutely love to travel. Most recently my husband and I took our honeymoon to the Baltic sea and went to Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Lithuania. Some of the next big places on our travel list include Alaska, Isla de Pascua (Easter Island), and Myanmar.
3. Care Bears. I have a slight obsession with these bears that care. So much so that when I was a child I started collecting them and ended up hunting down all the original care bears from the early 1980s into the 1990s. If you ask me who my favorite care bear is I will tell you its a secret... because secret bear is by far the best plush bear. His original release had a pull string and a voice box. He will tell you that "you can tell him anything" because "he's your secret friend."
4. Self Published Author. In 1996 I won the young author award for a book I had written and illustrated. 15 years later I had self-published two books. One was called Remembrances, a collection of stories about loved ones who have suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. My mom wrote a short forward about the book: Alzheimer’s Disease is a great equalizer—rich or poor—but usually older—no one is immune from its reach. They say to keep your mind active, to exercise, to eat green leafy vegetables, but my mom did all those things and she still suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. Even scarier, her brother and her father had it (they called it hardening of the arteries then) so it ‘runs in the family.’... In this collection, you will find a true “love letter” written by Mom to me while she was in the Haven, the Alzheimer’s unit of Sunset Nursing Home in Quincy. For more information about Alzheimer's Disease and how you can help them raise funds and awareness visit alz.org.
5. The color Pink. My favorite color, not the pale pink but a hot pink (#FF007F). I am not a girly girl by any means... I play video games, love cars, and collect magic the gathering cards but if loving pink puts me in a "girly girl" category than I am okay with it.
6. Voice lessons. I have played the piano, guitar, flute and my vocal cords. I took voice lessons for over 5 years before I realized I do not enjoy being on stage. It did help me find a true love for music and theater. I love everything from Frank Sinatra to Brittany Spears to Ludacris. I have a record player and prefer the sound of vinyl (this does not mean I am a "hipster").
7. Milk and Cereal. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day but I think its the best meal of the day. I seriously think I could live on cereal for a year. So many different flavors, hot or cold options, hard or soft. The sky is the limit when it comes to cereals, it is by far my favorite food!
8. 25-something fish, 7 cats, 3 dogs, 2 hamsters. I currently have two dogs; Drake (20lb. Chihuahua Jack Russell mix) and Dax (60lb. Golden Retriever). They are a handful but there is literally nothing like the love of a dog. You can follow Drake and Dax on my instagram account, #DrakeandDax!
9. My Grandpa Bill. The coolest 90 year old on the planet. He is always up on twitter, facebook, youtube (yes, he has his own youtube channel)... taking selfies and tweeting about sports. I can only hope that when I am 90 I am still using the latest technology and keeping up on the latest social media. You can follow him on twitter @BillShaw5.
10. Germs freak me out. I wouldn't say I am a germaphobe but when I use public transportation or public restrooms I get really freaked out. Escalators are the worst... I can't touch the escalator railings without instantly freaking out that millions of peoples sneezes are now on my hand. There is something about the fact that you can't see germs but they are everywhere.
Thank you for taking the time to read some of my thoughts. This blog is a glimpse into my life by. My Life Rules (pun intended)!