Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

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  • Writing Challenge – Day 19

    Writing Challenge – Day 19

    Day 19: Discuss your first love.

    I am torn about this. Does this mean the first person I think I was in love with? Or the first person I know I was in love with?

    I have had several relationships in my life, however I do not believe that any of them were “love”. Only one was was longer than a year, and in many ways I just stayed in a relationship to prove that I could be in a relationship that lasted longer than a year, which sounds awful.

    In this light, my first actual love was my husband. Our coming together was a comedy of errors in many ways.  I actually met Seth’s brother, Chris, first. He came to work in my department at the bank I was working for at the time. We got along famously right away. One of the first things he said to me was “You are so happy. My brother would hate you.” I remember responding that I hoped I never met his brother then.

    I would meet his brother at a concert some months later, but just in passing. Then again, when my sister and I went to see a movie with Chris, his wife Niki (who had become my good friend), and Seth. We went to dinner first, and I thought Seth was charming, funny and I was definitely interested in getting to know him better. This was in January or February of 2007, and we would not be thrown together again until March.

    Niki and I’s birthdays are the 14th and 15th of March, so we held a joint birthday party, and Seth attended. Several weeks later was his birthday, and I was invited to his party where I pretended to be very drunk. I was sitting on the arm of the couch and I said to Seth that I was afraid I might fall. He said “If you fall I will catch you”. So I fell.

    After that I joined an RPG of Star Wars that Seth was DMing with Chris, Niki and occassionally our friend Jerry.  I had no real interest in the game, but wanted to see Seth more. Eventually I would gather the nerve to ask Seth out to a movie, and he told me no. I said okay,  and told Chris that I was not going to ask again so the ball was in Seth’s court. He would call me the next day on Chris’ phone and ask if I was still interested in seeing that movie. I said yes.

    Our first date was May 19, 2007. At the end of the night he kissed my hand, and my heart melted a little. A month later we finally got to have our second date, and he brought me 28 red roses. We stayed up late into the night talking. We talked about everything, and by the end of that night I knew that this was something special. Our first kiss would happen a few days after this, and that just furthered that feeling.

    By spring of 2008 we were moving into an apartment together. Spring of 2009 we were looking for houses to buy. We got engaged in the fall of 2010 and married in October of 2012.

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  • Writing Challenge – Day 18

    Writing Challenge – Day 18

    Day 18: Post 30 facts about yourself.

    1. I was born and raised in Newark, OH.
    2. My maiden name is Bailey.
    3. My maternal grandparents names were Crystalene Lucille and Alvin Leon.
    4. I have two Sisters; Krystie who is 8 years older than me, and Traci who is 10 years younger than me.
    5. I am 36.
    6. My husbands name is Seth.
    7. We have been married for 5 years October 6.
    8. We have been a couple for 10 years May 19.
    9. I have an eleven year old Chihuahua named Zoe.
    10. And an eight year old domestic long haired cat named Samhain (Sam).
    11. I am a high-soprano.
    12. I had two poems published as a teen.
    13. I currently have a 3.75 gpa in college.
    14. I am an English/ Creative Writing Major.
    15. I live in a house that is over a hundred years old (built in 1910)
    16. I am an avid audiobook reader.
    17. I listen to 7 podcasts regularly.
    18. I have been a practicing witch since I was 16.
    19. I consider myself an eclectic cottage art witch.
    20. I am an on/off bellydancer.
    21. I love to dance.
    22. I have 12 piercings and four tattoos.
    23. I used to be a singer for the Country Music Fellowship Organization.
    24. I can sew well, and make viking garb for my husband and I.
    25. We do reenactments as vikings.
    26. I do a variety of art and crafts.
    27. I collect hats.
    28. I own two guitars, but I cannot play them.
    29. I cannot read sheet music.
    30. Halloween is my favorite holiday.

     

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  • Writing Challenge – Day 17

    Day 17: Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you.

    Sun sign: Pisces: February 18 – March 20

    Strengths: Compassionate, artistic, intuitive, gentle, wise, musical

    Weaknesses: Fearful, overly trusting, sad, desire to escape reality, can be a victim or a martyr

    I have always felt that I am a pretty accurate representation of what a Pisces is supposed to be for good or for ill. As I have learned more about astrology I know that I am a pretty good amalgam of my sign mixture: Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon, and Aquarius Rising. The Pisces makes me creative, tending toward escapist, intuitive, and artistic. The Cancer makes me sensitive, homebody, with intuition, and deep ties to family. The Aquarius makes me odd, attracted to the offbeat, curious, creative and unaffected by wealth or status. So, I am ridiculously sensitive, intuitive, creative, a little odd, and interested in everybody and everything. I like to be alone, but love to be out with people. I am honest, and expect honesty from others. In many ways I am a giant juxtaposition of myself. And I am happy to be so. 

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  • Writing Challenge – Day 30

    Writing Challenge – Day 30

    Day 30: Your highs and lows for the month.

    These 30+ days have been full of ups and downs, highs and lows. I had pneumonia which was a solid low, and honestly I still don’t feel fantastic.

    We are trying to get through a refinance, and everything that is involved with that. As part of that we are going through a massive purge, which is both hard and freeing. We seriously have so much stuff. It is ridiculous.

    I am also looking into getting LASIK. My eyes are no longer fond of contacts, and there are some times when glasses just do not work. I am hoping to schedule that for June if all goes well.

    I ended my last class with an A and I am heading into my next class which involves writing a short story, so this should be fun.

    I also had a girls night with my friends aka the Lady Gang where we dressed like flappers and went to a couple of local speakeasy style bars/ gin joints. It was amazing and ridiculously fun. We were even featured on the facebook page of one of the restaurants, The Light of Seven Matchsticks.

    We also got to see a show by one of Columbus’ most prolific and amazing drag queens, Nina West. She was presenting Ohana, which was a show about togetherness and having each others back, and making it through in a time when the world seems like it is falling apart. It was so good, and made me cry a couple of times.

    I am working on coming up with a plan for this blog now that 30 days of writing challenges and introduction is complete. I hope you will stick around to see how/ where this goes.

  • Writing Challenge – Day 16

    Writing Challenge – Day 16

    Day 16: Something that you miss.

    For the majority of my youth my mother and I lived with my maternal grandparents. Grandma passed away when I was in high school, in 1996 I think, and Grandpa passed in 2001. I still miss them both terribly.

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    My Grandmother was a retired teacher. She was fun, open, supportive, and loving. She had trouble sleeping and could somehow rearrange the furniture in the middle of the night without waking any of us up. She saw the best in everyone. She never met a stranger; I remember her once walking up to a random woman in the mall, and the woman and her crying together, because the woman needed someone to talk to. My grandmother was a good christian who attended church at least every Sunday, and taught Sunday school. She was a survivor.

    My Grandfather lied about his age in order to enroll in the Navy early. He was a radioman on several different ships. He had several tattoos, that he was not particularly proud of. He once got drunk and tried to walk back to the ship, so right off the end of a pier. He was funny. He loved Westerns. He taught me how to use power tools, because he thought it would be good for me to know. He wore socks with sandals. He was a shameless flirt.

    They shaped my life in innumerable ways, and I miss them every day.

     

     

  • Writing Challenge – Day 15

    Writing Challenge – Day 15

    Day 15: Bullet point your whole day

    • Wake up at 4:45am
    • Use the bathroom and try to wake up
    • Go downstairs to sit on couch with my husband
    • Do my morning tarot draw
    • Post it on Instagram
    • Kiss my husband goodbye
    • Get my clothes ready
    • Take a shower
    • Get dressed
    • Brush my Teeth
    • Wash my face
    • Put on makeup
    • Dry my hair
    • Gather my stuff for work
    • Feed the pets
    • Drive to work
    • Arrive at work
    • Get to Desk
    • Check Email
    • Work
    • Eat Lunch
    • ASL class at noon
    • Work
    • Pack up stuff
    • Walk to Car
    • Drive to Nail Salon (talk to loan officer briefly on the way)
    • Get nails done
    • Drive home
    • Eat Dinner
    • Work on assignments for school
    • Play on computer a bit
    • Watch an episode of Deadwood
    • Go to bed at 10pm
    Nails
    Beltane orange and gold nails – They just felt right. 
  • Writing Challenge – Day 14

    Writing Challenge – Day 14

    Day 14: Post your movies that you never get tired of watching.

    Movies that I can watch at any time:

    Labyrinth
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    Labyrinth is by far my favorite movie ever. I think it hit for me at just the right age, and was just the right combination of fantasy, music, and Jim Henson. I actually went to see it in the theatre twice last year; the first time was right after David Bowie passed and again later in the summer on a double feature with the Dark Crystal.

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    The Princess Bride is another of my favorite movies. My husband and I can literally sit and quote this entire movie, which is undoubtedly annoying for anyone who is not us.

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    Heathers is one of the funniest, darkest, and most painfully true movies about high school ever made. I once watched it on a loop for three days, and that is how I learned all the words to que sera, sera.

    I love movies, so much, so I could go on forever. I also love The Craft, Anything Tim Burton, Legend, Velvet Goldmine, and so many more.

  • Writing Challenge – Day 13

    Writing Challenge – Day 13

    Day 13: What are you excited about?

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    We are currently working on refinancing our house, and part of that is doing some painting, cleaning, and remodeling. It is silly to be excited about housework, but I really am excited. We are hoping to get a new sink and vanity for our upstairs bathroom, paint our porch floor and ceiling, and paint a lot of our trim. I have decided that the porch floor should be black with sparkles, because I am an adult and it is my house.

    My downstairs bathroom is already day of the dead themed and one of my favorite rooms in the house.

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    Green is an accidental theme in the house. We have three different green rooms; our living room, computer room and downstairs bathroom. I have no idea why this has happened. Apparently we love green walls. See the green dining room below.

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    So, that is what I am excited about. My house, and potential changes.

  • Writing Challenge – Day 12

    Writing Challenge – Day 12

    Day 12: Write about five blessings in your life.

    1. I have an amazing and ridiculously supportive group of family and friends. Really.
    2. I own my home, and while it is not perfect it is my HOME! I love it, flaws and all.
    3. I am gainfully employed with insurance and retirement and such. And while this is not the job I want to have forever it is a good job, and it is supporting me while I pursue my dreams.
    4. I am married to someone who is my equal and my partner in crime. We are equally silly and occasionally immature and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
    5. I have the freedom to be able to return to school, in my thirties, and start working my way to what I would really like to do with my life. How fabulous is that?
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  • Writing Challenge – Day 11

    Writing Challenge – Day 11

    Day 11: Something you always think “What if…” about.

    This is a fun thought. I guess the biggest is what if  I have is: What if I had gone straight to college from high school for Musical Theatre? Originally when I was leaving high school I was auditioning to get into a theatre program, but after my grandfather became ill I made the decision not to go, and instead to stay home and help my grandfather. I would be his chauffeur and runner for two years before he would pass away, and while I would not lose that time with him for anything, I do wonder what I might be doing now if I had gone ahead to college.

    I honestly think that I would have continued in that major for a year or two, and then would have changed to English. I think I might have ended up living in Columbus eventually anyway, but possibly not. I also love Chicago, so I might have ended up living there instead.

    I do not think that I would have been this amazing success and be on Broadway. I am too logical for that. If I had kept moving through the musical theatre major I would probably be teaching theatre at a high school somewhere.

    There are so many possibilities there, but really it doesn’t matter. I feel like I am working to get back to my path, and to become that person I might have been.

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