This Is Me Challenge - Part 1

Here we go ladies and gentlemen! I'm jumping on the Blogging Bandwagon and I'll start with this. :)

Your birth and family:  

*What is your full name and how did you get that name?  Do you have any nicknames?

Stefanie Mae - I was named Stefanie after the actress Stefanie Powers. Mae was my grandmothers middle name passed to my mother and now to me. I've passed it on to one of my furbabies so far but someday if I have a little girl you better believe it will be passed to the next generation.

*What are your parent's names?

My parents are Bill & Deb and they're the best parents in the world. :)

*What is the date of your birth?  Where were you born?  What are some of the circumstances (when your mom went in to labor, how long, her doctor, your dad fainting, etc.) of your birth?

I was born on June 28th of 1986. My mom was 2 weeks late even though I was her 2nd child. My Great Grandma told her this was going happen so I would be born on her birthday but my mom told her she was nuts. She was like a 2nd mother to my mom and sure enough...she was right. Mom called her after I was born and told her that she had a birthday present but she would have to come to the hospital to meet her. They shared some tears on the phone and she came later that day to meet me. She is the one who started the middle name Mae so she is pretty special. I was also stubborn (imagine that) and decided not to breathe when I was born so most of my newborn photos feature some pretty purple or blue limbs until later in the day. 

*What are your sibling's names and ages? 

I have 2 brothers, Mike is 3 years older than me (29) and Nic is 3 years younger than me (23.)

*How was your relationship with your siblings and parents?

We are a VERY close family....some people think we're weird...I'll explain. Growing up I didn't want anything to do with my family. I was always upset with my parents and my brothers and I wanted nothing more than to be on the other side of the wall from each other. We grew up driving on family vacations for 2 weeks or so. We would get in the car and drive for 8 hours a day until we got to our destination. I got to see some pretty amazing things from these trips but 2 weeks in a vehicle with your family would wear on anyone. Anyways....back to being a close family...my family didn't get really close until we moved out (sounds backwards right?) My older brother moved out and bought a house about a block and a half from my parents and 3 years later I bought a house a half a block from my parents. My mom's parents live just 3 blocks away so people always laugh that we're taking over the neighborhood. We're in the middle of a house swap now so my older brother and his new wife will be moving out of the area but my little brother is buying his house and moving out of my parents house. My brothers are my best friends and my parents are my rocks. I don't know what I would do without my family. 

*What are some lessons you learned from you parents?

I learned my go go go lifestyle and inability to say no from BOTH of my parents. I grew up with my dad being involved in tons of thing and ALWAYS being busy. It seems like in the last 5 years the tables have turned and now my mom is the busy one. She is involved in nearly every Czech organization in Nebraska and never slows down. My husband thinks I'm crazy for this lifestyle but it's what I've always seen and lived. 

*How did you help in your home?  

Honestly? I didn't....I was not a very nice kid and did as little as possible to help out. 

  

Growing up, early years: 

*Where did you grow up?  Describe it.

I grew up a half a block from where I live now in Lincoln, NE. We had a nice house in a small development on the Southwest Side of town. We used to be the last house in the area and now the neighborhood extends 30 or more blocks past our house. 

*What was your earliest memory?

I remember leaving kindergarten early because I had the chicken pox. I got in the truck and remember my classmates waving to me as I left. I cried because I loved school and didn't want to have to go. 

*What games did you play as a child?

I was always playing house and school...either way I was always in charge! :) 

*Where did you go to school?

I actually went to 3 different elementary schools. Not because we moved but because the first one was only K-2nd, the second one I went to 3rd grade, and then the third one was built so I went there from 4th-6th.

*Who were your friends?

I always had a lot of acquaintances but only a few close friends. I hated to see anyone excluded so I tried to make friends with everyone. Sometimes this seemed to bite me in the butt. My friends in the neighborhood were my closest friends and I remain friends with them today. Lyndie was the first friend I remember and there are lots of photos of us being goofy and crazy together from age 3 and on. She moved to Grand Island when were in elementary school and we used to get together in the summers and stay with each other. 

*Who were your favorite teachers and why?
My favorite teacher in elementary school was Mrs. Olson. I still keep in touch with her today on Facebook. She inspired me to use my voice (ok...I was already pretty good at that but she inspired me to use it to SING!) 

*What were your chores? 

Again...I was terrible with this and didn't help around the house at all! :( Mom even cleaned my room...sorry mom! 

This was kind of fun to share and there is lots more if you check the list. I won't bore you anymore but check back later for the next part in this series!

Stefanie Husak