November 28, 2010

• Sunday Shoutout:Dingdongdingbat

    This week I am shouting out someone who has made a difference in my life.

  Dingdongdingbat aka "Ma"
  

  When I first started Xanga I came across Donkey_Guy_10's site.
  I loved his site and the way people went there to chat throughout the day.
  I noticed that there was a whole family that would comment him
  and they had "adopted him".
  I liked the way they had fun and interacted with one another.
  I told Dingdongdingbat who is the mother in the family (see the family tree HERE)
  that I wanted to be adopted too.
  She wondered who this Seedsower was but in her kindness
  she welcomed me into her family.
  When her children were little and misbehaved she told them about
   "Josie" an older sister that disappeared  because she didn't listen ...
  we pretend that I am "Josie".
  The funny thing is that I always wanted my name to be "Josie" .
  After awhile it went beyond Xanga...
   'Ma' sent me a package from Hawaii,
  Christine(Spaz) sent me cards, John (Al_son)sent me one of his paintings  and
  I got a visit from Laura and (Tude)and Julia (Thankee) .
  I felt like I was a real part of the family.
  We went up to visit them and so on.
  A few years have gone by and we have visited back and forth several times.
  Al_son and Lori(Lorilily) were here this weekend with their son
  to help in the Poinsettia Show prep.
  Doc, Dingdong's husband, sent me a little wooden village that he made,
  honestly I am so blessed to be a part of this family,
  thank you so much Ma,for accepting me.
  I love you.
  

  1 Can you give a brief out line of your life

  I was born on December 14, 1938...wow that makes me old!
  My mom died when I was  2 years old. My Dad remarried and my sister and I were raised by him and my step mom. We didn’t have much growing up but I didn’t really feel poor.
  I love my school years and was active in a lot of sports including ice skating, tennis and volley ball, swimming. I worked on the, school newspaper, twirled the baton and generally had fun.
  I met my husband to be when I was 15. We became engaged while he was still in Vet School
  at Cornell University We were married in 1960.  We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary this past summer.  It was such a  pleasure to have some of our xanga friends attend our celebration.  We  have 5 great kids, whom I am very proud of. We have 10 grands and a great grand daughter.

  After being in practice for many years, my husband retired and we are enjoying life together (most of the time}
  

  2 What are your main interests, hobbies, collections, treasures

  My family is by far my most valuable treasure. I enjoy cooking, entertaining, knitting,
  keeping fit . I do 3 aerobic classes and a zumba class every week.
  I enjoy reading, traveling, and meeting new people.
  I enjoyed bowling for many years and like spectator sports,
  theatre and live performances. Have enjoyed seeing plays on Broadway
  as well as going to the Grand Ole Opry. I love animals
  and have visited zoos from New York to Honolulu…at least 20 different zoos.
  Bird watching is a hobby enjoyed by several of our family members.
  I just bought some yarn and have instructions on how to knit socks.
  This will be a first for me.
  A while ago painting was my favorite pastime but it has years since I last painted..

  
  maybe one of these days I'll be inspired to paint again.
  Below is a picture of a cake that I baked for my friend, Marians birthday. 
  It was a pleasure for me to see how pleased she was that I made it for her...
  Each pansy was made out of frosting and hand painted.
  

  3. What jobs have you had in your life
  My first job was working as an aide in a Children‘s hospital. . Next I worked part time at McCurdy’s department store. Spent a bit of time as a dental assistant...
  found that very boring so started working at Eastman Kodak.
  I loved working there….worked in advertising and did some modeling.
  When my husband began to practice at his own animal hospital, I worked as the bookkeeper.
  It worked out well since I could work at my own pace and still be home with the kids.
  The last several years I have worked one or two days a year as an election inspector.
  That is enough for me to handle.

  4. What brought you to xanga

  Two of my daughters were already on xanga and one of them,Laura(Tude),
  helped me set up an account so I could go to Christine's (Spaz) blog and maybe harass her a bit.
  It took Chris a couple of months to figure out who this strange person
  was who kept making comments on her site…

  5. What is your passion/pet peeve?

  I don’t know that I have a passion…but I do love to cook and entertain my friends. Ienjoy planning a party and fixing a pretty table…. being creative.

  Bad manners and disrespect are 2 of my pet peeves along with people who constantly complain or are critical of others. Why can’t people just be nice to each other?

  6.What inspires you to be a better person?

  Well, I guess the fact that I might end up somewhere that I don't want to be for eternity.  God inspires me.  He is a loving, forgiving God.  He sacrificed his Son for us.
    We should all be so grateful and follow his teaching. 

  7.Tell us your family here on xanga

  So many of our Xanga friends are truly family to me.
  Besides four of my offspring.John, Julie, Christine and Laura we have our wonderful adopted Seedsower, Donkey Guy and his wife Flash along with Dreadpirate (he's not so dreadful at all).  It has been a pleasure getting to know so many others who I feel are part of our family. 
  While I haven't personally met nearly as many as Beth has,
  I've enjoyed getting to know some other xangans,
  and hope to meet even more in person in the future.

  We think our Julie and our Beth resemble each other!
    

  

  8.Favorites:
  What are some of your favorite websites,musicians and artists,movies,books,songs

  There are so many different things I like...movies from The Bells of St. Mary's to There is Something About Mary..some contrast there.  I enjoy watching the Cooking Channel on TV
  but also enjoy Desperate Housewives and reruns of Raymond!
  I don't like to admit it but I sometimes enjoy Two and a Half Men. Please don't tell anyone.
  The music of Abba makes me want to dance.
  Country music is great and I also like classical music.
  We went to a Yo Yo Ma concert this summer that was amazing.  
  I enjoy reading a good mystery  and like most of John Grisham's novels.
    Sometimes I enjoy visiting Your Shot Jigsaw Puzzles
  it's a National Geographic site and has some wonderful pictures. 
  There are about 10 different candy companies and food outlets that I subscribe to.
  So my inbox is always filled with sweets!   

  9.What is something that makes you laugh

  A martini will make me laugh and champagne will make me giggle....

   10.What is something/someplace you have always wanted to do/see?

  I have been very fortunate and have done a bit of traveling.  We have been spending the month of February in Maui for the last several years.  We do love it there and I have little desire to go elsewhere.  I would love to see Italy. There are so many places of interest to see .  I would love to visit Rome and the Vatican.  There is so much beauty all around us.  We only need to look outside, up at the sky, or a lovely rose to appreciate what we do have.
  

  
  'The Family Tree'
   
  Dingdongdingbat  (and Doc) are the mom and dad
  Children are :
   
  Al_son and  his lovely wife Lori

  
  Thankee 
  
  Spaz
  
  
  Tude (with Donkey) 

     Adopted Children are:
  Donkey_Guy_10 and his wife Flash
  
   
  dreadpirate 

  and me .

  Other Relatives are :
  
  Dingdong's sister Auntie Madeline
  

  • 5:07 pm
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