Eons: sddreamcatcher's profile

sddreamcatcher

Eons member since: Sep 01, 2006
Age, Gender: 60, Female
Location: San Diego, CA
Hometown: I grew up in a suburban town in New Jersey called Livingston. I went all through school there and my parents remained in that town for a little more than 50 years. Everyone knew my parents, which, growing up, meant, I had to always be on my best behavior
Places I've been: College Graduation Major/Concentration I majored in English in undergraduate school, with a minor in Psychology and education. In graduate school I studied psychology and special education, along with administration. Currently, I hold a teacher's license in three states and a Real Estate License in California. Occupation(s) Currently, I am a Realtor with Century 21 All Real Estate in downtown San Diego, CA My previous occupation was a public high school English teacher, special education teacher, teacher of journalism and the newspaper advisor, a tutor and a Verbal S.A.T. instructor for a private firm.
More about me: When did I develop this independent streek and strong sense of individuality? Growing up in suburban New Jersey, with two very intelligent and well read parents, also very well educated, I guess it started there. They were very demanding parents and insisted their children all become educated as well and become very informed about the world around them, but still, they were a bit over - protective on many levels. SO, we all, my two brothers and I, were brought up with not "if " we were going to college, but "where " were we going, like most of the circle of family friends expected of their children of my age.

In the process of developing our minds, my parents also gave us a fantastically secure foundation within our family. We had a ball together most of the time, lol, with the usual disagreements, but mostly wonderful times we had together. My mother was the originator of the "mystery trip", which generally occurred on a weekend. She packed the car with lunch for a picnic and off all five of us would go in the car to parts unknown to us all until we arrived. Parks, historic places around us , all were destinations of choice and many times not only fun, but down right educational. Vacations were an annual summer event and often up on Cape Cod Massachusetts. Heavens, we started out before dawn for many a year in my childhood, before the expressways and bridges that exist today, making the trip from a 12 hour journey down to 6 hours later in our travels there. That is where I developed a love of the water and swimming. We always stayed a short walk to a local beach up there, and I recall the Bank Street Beach in Harwichport as my very favorite. I remember my brother and I walking down the curved street toward the approaching view of the ocean with our tubes around our waists. As the weather vane atop the beachside motel came into view, my brother and I broke into a run toward the beach and literallyskimmed the sand as we gleefully threw ourselves into the oncoming waves, slightly turning our faces away from the splash of water at the crest of the waves. It was really difficult at the end of each day to lure us out of the water to head for the house and grilling time. Other memorable trips were to Canada and New Hampshire, but my favorite summer vacations were on the Cape.

Before we knew it, we were teenagers in high school, and that blew by so fast, then on to college where I got my BA in English and my brother became and architect. Then,the summer before my senior year in college while working for a department store back home, I met a gorgeous, tall, blond blue-eyed Irish/German young man and the rest was history. We married a year later and were married for over 30 years. We had a wonderful son, also tall, blue-eyed and blond, who brought such light and more love into our lives.

Most of our marriage we lived in New Jersey, my son graduated from high school there as well, and then my husband was promoted to VP National Sales and we moved to Michigan for over 5 years. We traveled all over the United States together, and one trip we went out to Los Angeles and took a side trip down to San Diego. Well, that was it! We decided that was where we wanted to find ourselves and live, so my husband found a position as VP Sales there and we all moved out together. We adored it here, and bought a yacht to cruise out onto the Bay and the Pacific on. All was wonderful for a number of years, until one sad May day, the Lord had other plans for the l ove of my life, and I was suddenly alone. At that point, I was not sure what to do or if I should stay 3000 miles away from the only family I had, but I decided to stay. I got my Real Estate License and started selling homes out here, getting to know lots of people and driving around in a red corvette showing homes or drumming up business. I have my wonderful son here, and I watch my nephew play football on the Internet or lately, on ESPN. I won't lie and say I feel 100% great all the time, but I am most of it in this beautiful place my husband gave to me to enjoy.
Activities: Real Estate, antiquing, boating, shell collecting, reading, writing, gardening, biking, dogs ( especially cocker spaniels like my Deucy Lady), anything on or around the water and I am a happy camper!
Favorite Music: Sixties music, the Stones, Led Zep, Beatles, Doors, Motown, you get the idea. I am also my son's biggest fan when his band is playing out here locally, especially at the House of Blues.
Favorite Quotes: "It is easy in the world to follow the world's opinions and easy in solitude to follow your own, but the great man is he who, in the midst of the crowd, can keep with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude" :Emerson "My life, my rules" : unknown but often quoted by my dearly departed husband.
Favorite People: People who are creative, considerate of others, and who have the courage to stand their ground even if all around disagree, who have lived long enough to understand that we all are here for too brief a time and to love our fellow human beings living with that knowledge.
Favorite Places: Anywhere on Cape Cod, MA, Avalon on Catalina Island and adore it here in Southern California in so many places too numerous to list here. Wineries are a fave stop on the weekends.
Favorite Animals: Cocker Spaniels, but any kind of dog. Seals so often seen out here in the water or lounging in the sand or on the rocks, or just hanging out on buoys in the water.