Another Gather Birthday: Linda H.

Today, December 1, 2006, is Linda H from Cleveland Tennessee’s birthday. You are in for a treat, Linda truly is one great lady.

Linda is happily married to her husband for close to 18 years. “He's the driving force in my life. Without him, I wouldn't be half the woman I am. He's wonderful!
We have a yours, mine and ours family. We both had children from previous marriages. So, between us both... we have 4 children 3 sons, 36, 23 & 16 (almost).
One beautiful daughter, 32. They are all great kids and we couldn't love them more. They have given us 3 fabulous grandchildren. 1 girl 16, (Yes, my granddaughter is older than my son by 6 months! Being pregnant at the same time as your daughter is an incredible experience.) and 2 boys, 9 & 8.”
 

Linda hasn’t worked outside the home in about 7 years. Originally, she had stopped working to take car of her mother-in-law who developed “metastatic cancer” of the kidney. After she died, they moved to where they are living now in Tennessee.
 

“Shortly after we moved, I started having a lot of medical problems of my own and wound up having 5 different surgical procedures in 3 surgeries all in a 4 year span. Add to that a year of chemotherapy and you've got a pretty good idea of how much fun I've been having being off work! I've got a few more months to go in my convalescent period for my last major surgery. After that... I'm going to be hard to pin down.”

She goes on to say, “I'm looking forward to going back to work. I'll just need to choose which career path I'm going to go back to; pharmacy technician, banker or medical assistant. I may even go back to college and finish up that biology degree, add an education degree and start teaching. I'll let you know when I know. Ok? ;-) I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up! hahaha!”

Linda tells us that she, “only started writing after I went to college. I had an English professor who brought out the best in me. She made me realize that I COULD do it.
It's not evident from the writing I've done here at Gather, because I haven't done much. While I love 'Gathering', I don't have a lot of time to sit and write like I'd like to. We have one computer and a 15 year old in the house. You do the figuring. *sigh.”
 

So naturally when I asked her what inspired her to write, her response was, “My English professor; Nancy McClellan was her name. She became one of my dearest friends too.”
 

Linda says she doesn’t have a lot of hobbies anymore. “I used to have a lot of them; Painting, sculpting, cross stitching, macramé, jewelry making, reading and running. The only thing I do with any regularity now is reading and riding the computer.”
 
Linda loves to, “walk in the summer rain. NOT the winter rain!! I love going to the beach and digging my toes into the sand along the tide line. I HATE sand in my butt or my mouth!
I love traveling with my husband and my daughter... anywhere. We always have the most fun. When I travel with him, he never fails to find the best things to do wherever we go. Life is an adventure with him.

When my daughter and I travel together - it's an adventure too. Just a different kind.... the laughter never stops. We 'feed' off of each other. One makes a joke and the other adds to it. Then it goes back and forth like that till our sides are splitting. Then we come up for air for a few minutes. Before long, one of us observes something that tickles us and it starts all over again.”
 
Linda is such a joy that I am letting her to all the talking in this celebration.  Here is what she says about the topic of Pet peeves!

“Ah, now there's a subject! Mine are: you might want to get comfy here. This could take a while. Ahem....
Mine are:
1. People who wait at a side- or cross-street until you are almost in front of them. Then they s-l-o-w-l-y pull out in front of you and then do 20 miles per hour. You practically break your ankle stomping on the brakes so as not to plow right into them and THEN you have to follow their slow butts forever... it seems. ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGH!! These people are the worst!

2. People who drive below the speed limit in the left hand lane and refuse to move over for faster traffic. These people are a menace to society.

3. People who drive in the left lane who won't pass the big trucks. They drive neck & neck with it clogging up traffic for miles behind them. They are in the same category as the previous bunch.

*Hmm.. Notice a pattern here? Most of my peeves are about bad drivers. Road rage doesn't BEGIN to describe it! Let's just say it’s a good thing that it's illegal to shoot inconsiderate drivers.

4. Going to the store to buy milk and bread and find myself buying $200 worth of groceries I 'forgot' to put on the list but just HAVE TO HAVE it... or buy it for 'just in case I need it someday' reasons. I make MYSELF crazy!

5. Tightwads..skinflints.. whatever you call someone who's cheap. NOT someone who doesn't have the money. I understand what it's like to be without money and I sympathize. But, those people who HAVE money and will let everyone else foot the bill without pitching in. Can't stand em!

6. Nah.. just kidding. I'll stop there.
  
Linda tells us that, “My life has been a veritable rollercoaster of life-altering events. Some good. Some bad. Never were any of them conventional. I HAD to be different. I've traveled a lot. I've met a LOT of people. (Quite a few were celebrities.) I learned the hard way that not everyone is your friend. I also learned that there are good people out there and that when you find one...try to keep them in your life. It makes for a very rich life. And.. that is what my life has been. Rich. Not always monetarily, but always emotionally because of the good people in my life.”
 

About things she has not yet had a chance to do she adds, “The one thing that I would love to do before I die is go scuba diving with the dolphins and/or manta rays. (Not the stinging kind like poor What's His Name.) I'd also like to travel along the Mediterranean coast and the Caribbean Islands from one end to the other.

And now for birthdays she explains, “ My favorite birthday memory was for my fortieth birthday. My daughter got a cake in the shape of a tombstone. Black and gray icing with the legend.."Rest in Peace Linda's Youth". She also made a video of my life as told by Masterpiece Theatre. She stole my only mumu, put it on, had a pipe in her mouth and used a very bad British accent as she ticked off the years of my life. It was hysterical!! God! I love that child!
 

I can't think of a thing that my life lacks. Most of my wishes have already come true. I've got the most wonderful family! I've got great, life-long friends! I have a warm bed to sleep in every night and I never go there hungry. I have clothes to wear. I have few to no enemies. I've never met a stranger in my life. I think I'm a very lucky girl.”

Wow Linda what a wonderful life you have.  Your daughter is truly one of a kind!  You are so lucky to have each other.
 

The Link for the story which Linda has chosen for us to view is: Feeding A Dog Peanut Butter: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976830100

Happy Birthday Linda, and we wish you many, many more.

Note to the birthday club members.  If you have not yet submitted your birthday dates to me please to so.  I need to prepare well enough in advance. Furthemore, when I send you the questions to do your celebration I need to have them back, at least one day prior to your birthday.

Carol Roach: winterose.gather.com

The birthday Club:

http://thebirthdayclub.gather.com/