Mother of the future

Who I thought I would be:

A mother of maybe 2, after all there's no way to give kids the attention they really need if you have more than that, right?

I was going to be well schooled, and well traveled.

I would have my Phd. and a husband who would willingly wear a suit.

I would drive a hot car and know how to drive a motorcycle.

We would live in an adorable cottage in Virginia, because I was going to teach at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.

What makes me laugh most about this fantasy is that I thought about only having 2 kids because of the attention they deserved. You can see pretty clearly that the story fairly screams, "Everything is about me!" I don't know when I would have had time to give those tiny little model babies any of my attention. I'm pretty sure I would be busy trying to get tenure and traveling the world.

What I am:

A mother of 5 amazingly real kids. I try to give them the attention they need. I hope they know that they are adored.  I am so happy I am a mother. I love it more the longer I do it. I am so blessed to be doing what I am doing.

I have never stopped learning, but as far as schooling I currently have an associates degree in General. I plan on getting my bachelors degree in General as well and if I could be a Doctor of General Studies you had better believe I would do it. For now I just keep learning. Wow, I've read a lot of parenting, diet, marriage, exercise, gospel, gardening, home care books and too many other topics to list. Yes, and a lot of novels and magazines. Also, the internet has brought me endless immediate knowledge. I love knowledge.

Travel? I've been to Canada. I did get my passport last year. It's not traveled anywhere yet, but it has big plans. It said I could come with. I usually travel with my expert traveling family in the car and I hope to be doing that for a long time to come.

Husband in a suit... not in many, many years. I met Kenneth right after his mission, so he still wore a suit every Sunday. You know how that is, ladies. Guys look hot in a suit. I'm sorry if it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but that does not change the fact that they look hot. Come on, like women don't wear uncomfortable things to look nice? Kenneth says that someday he will wear a suit, but it will be an Armani. Fine by me. May that day come before I'm dead and he's just buying the suit to wear to my funeral.

Hot car. Well, in the middle of the summer, before the a/c kicks in, it is a pretty dang hot car. To look at though, it looks pretty much like every other minivan in the world. I am so grateful to have it though and love how it is comfortable to drive and so powerful and holds all of us.

Kenneth really wants a motorcycle. He would like to drive around the country on a motorcycle. I guess I would like a drive through the mountains every once in a while. But when he says country he means the USA. I'm really looking more for comfort now. I'll take the RV or the plane and the Marriott would be even better.

I live in the DESERT. I know there are people who actually love it, but for me I long for green things and not such extreme seasons. Yet, here I live, not in Virginia and not even someplace with full grown trees.

I am a teacher, not a professor and definitely no one calls me Dr., though I wish they would. I've done more teaching in the last 14 years than I ever thought possible. Wow, when does it stop? Never? I'm okay with that.

When I compare the two lives I feel sad for the first. What a wasted life Dr. Pelo-Awesome would have led. I'm sure she was still a worthwhile person, but a little too superior and into herself for my tastes. I'm so glad that she was laid to rest lovingly in 1994 and reborn as Jennifer Rawlings, mother of 5, wife to non-suit wearing Kenneth and official Phd. to none... yet.