the reason for my blog title

let me tell you a little about who i am. i am, first, a daughter. my dad is probably one of the funniest people i know. he helped me realize that it's ok to laugh at yourself. sometimes it's the best medicine of all. to be able to see the humor amidst the sad, the ugly, the depressing, or the just plain unimaginable. i must admit that sometimes i laugh harder at the people who find me funny, than they are actually laughing at me. i also have him to thank for my temper. i am not the type of person to brew in my own juices and let it all blow up anymore. i learned a while back that it only hurts me the most and i don't mind hurting someone's feelings, especially if they have a lesson to learn as well. my mom is my hero, my best friend, my anything and everything. not a moment goes by that i can't find some reason to thank her for. she gave me my heart. because of her i am a truly compassionate person. when she loves, it is with all she has. and sometimes even more. she knows that life is short and now is the best time to do it, whatever it may be. she has given me freedom to develop a me that i can live with. she showed me that friends are not what you make of them, but what you let them help make of you. she showed me that it's ok to be wrong, but it's also ok to be right. she showed me how to be a mom that kids can be proud to call their own. she taught me to cook. she taught me to drive. she taught me to pray. she taught me to be independent and self reliant. she taught me to love with every ounce of energy i have. she continues to teach and inspire me everyday. my brother kenneth probably thought i was the devil's advocate when we were kids. i am the oldest, he is the next in line. 2.5 years apart and we were inseparable. we played in the mud, he taught me to throw a football, and he showed me that it's ok for girls to have guy friends. he also taught me that if my friend was a beautiful blue eyed brunette, he was gonna make her his best friend. he did. and that's ok. my brother o.j. (no not simpson) was my first experiment in babysitting. turned into a lucrative business when i was growing up. 9 years younger than me, he taught me that if it needs stitches, don't try to put a bandaid on it cuz you're gonna lose a bandaid. he was the king of busted everything when we were kids and he seemed to smile through it all. i figure he inherited some of my insanity issues to handle it so well. he still smiles through it all. my brother james, 11 years younger than me, was my first experience in the substitute mommy setting. turned out i was pretty good at it. he was smiling from the time he was born. he had the most wonderful sense of humor. he knew he was the funniest thing to laugh at. and he laughed at himself plenty. so did everyone else. he taught me what it's like to survive the most awful and horrendous event of your life. he taught me the true meaning of forgiveness. then i learned how to survive losing him in a car accident at 17. my husband doug, teaches me everyday, that even at my worst, i'm still worth it. for almost 20 years he has been the other half of me. he reminds me that i am funny occassionally, but also that i am occassionally not so funny. and it's ok. he is the light of my day. my son alex is 17 and likes himself almost as much as i like me. he is funny, charismatic, charming and smart. he just forgets it alot. my little girl kirsten is 15 and isn't so little anymore. she is the kind of girl that everyone likes to have as a friend. no matter who they know or what group they are in, they tend to gravitate to her. i was like that once upon a time. she is pretty, smart, and easy going no matter what. my little guy brandon is 9. he was 6 days late and hasn't caught up with time yet. he's in no hurry to do anything except get a lot of money and buy a corvette. and i think he will do it. these 3 kids remind me everyday that even when it's bad, or hard, or just unfaceable, i am not alone. thank God they accept me as i am cuz it's all their fault.

if you know me, then you have a firsthand knowledge of these wonderful people in my life. if you are not listed above, trust me, there's more to come and you will be listed. you know that the best of me is really only because of those with me. this is only a small dose of the best of me. you will hear more about these people and you will get to know them eventually. and because of them, you will get to know.....the best of me.