OH! Look! A Meme!!

So the meme type of question/answer thing is making it's way 'round again. And I jumped at the chance to have Liv ask me a question or 5...Take a gander below. And if you would like me to ask you five questions give a holler in the comment.

1) So sometimes I am kind of a distracted reader... oh, look! a bird! What's with the midterms, etc?
I have been in & out of the halls of higher education for ten years. Including jumping between three majors (education, horticulture, and (now) Behavioral Science) with still no degree to show for it.
I came to the realization that my kids won't be little forever, that it's getting harder and harder to "make it", and I need something for ME when the kids are both in school all day. So I decided to head back to college.
This year marks my second full year and a degree program that suits me perfectly.
The classes I take are called block classes. They are one night a week, for five hours, and only 7 weeks. So I take two classes the first half of the semester, two classes the second half and I am still considered a full-time student. It works perfectly for our crazy lives as it doesn't pull me away from home & the kids constantly. 7 weeks and Poof! class is done.
This past Saturday was my first midterm for this block and Monday evening was my other midterm for my other class.
So that's the 4-1-1 on that :)

2) You've talked about life with a child who has an ASD. How are things going? How has your view of the diagnosis changed over time?
Things are going very well. Some of the sensory processing issues that Connor has had are not as intense and I have noticed a decrease in his anxiety. That, I think, is in large part due to the fact that he is in school all day. I do not provide the amount of structure that he requires. That's just the reality of being home.
My view of the diagnosis has changed in the sense that I don't believe that Connor is ADHD. I believe he may have something else that just has been masked by similar symptoms of ADHD. I also have changed my view in regards to the fact that I see this as a wonderful Ability. His mind is so wide open to so many other things.
Though he is so literal and often rather serious, he has abilities that are just simply amazing. And I feel that this wiring of his makes that possible.

3) You say you think you're an "old soul." I'm not doubting you, but would love to know what's new?
Wow. This is a tough one. I'd say that the stability that I've had in the last 5 years or so is new. The fact that I am grounded and not as afraid of myself anymore. I'm not afraid of the things I want to accomplish, my inner desires for myself, and a general acceptance of myself. I still struggle with it. But I was such a lost soul for awhile. And I'd say being grounded is new.

4) When I first started reading you, you were in the middle of a spree of helping folks everywhere you went to the point that a few of us were a little concerned. Have you managed to find safe and constructive ways to let your inner helper light shine safely?
Well, maybe. I haven't seen as many people (in the flesh) around that need help like I kept seeing there for awhile. It seemed like for a month or so they just kept cropping up - walking directly into my path. And I felt like it was happening for a reason.
But to better answer your question, I try to round up coats and shoes around this time of year for a shelter in the one large city in our state.
I've been giving small monetary contributions (what I can afford) to a couple of meaningful causes.
I've been toying with an idea of starting a recurring shoe/coat/clothing donation at the preschool where I work and have been trying to make a contact with my Soc. teacher who may be able to point me in the direction of resources who would be in need of such donations.
I inquired about a volunteer organization that tutors at-risk children with literacy and am trying to find a way to fit that into our schedules.
I feel that this helping part of me is being utilized everyday in the preschool with these wee ones that look to me to guide and teach.
And lastly, trying to talk to my kids about helping and being a good citizen. Connor came home the other day talking about a boy, T, who is a student in the school that adjoins Connor's for the severely disabled. Connor apparently got to go down to that school and spend a 1/2 hour with the kindergartners and hung out with T. T is in a wheelchair and only has movement of his head and no speaking ability. Connor was so intrigued and empathetic. I've been talking with him about it and asked him if we would like to see T again. To which he happily replied "yes". So that, I feel, is one way to perpetuate the process.

5) What does Mrs. Incredible do for exercise? We know she's flexible, but if she's stretched to the limit we need to get her to lay off the isometric work-outs.
Mrs. Incredible has let excercise fall by the wayside. I was mountain biking on a regular basis. However I quickly got bored of that once I lost the person I was riding with. I didn't lose her in the woods or anything. She just moved on.
This summer, I was very active working in my yard and would consider that exercise. But it didn't last very long.
Again, this is something else that I have been trying to figure out a way to work it into my daily schedule. I feel so much better when I'm active, so I need to get on it.
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And just when you thought there was nothing else left to learn, I found this meme on Maigh's blog and promptly stole it. But she said I could. So it's OK.
If you're interested, go ahead and copy/paste it & bold those which you have done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36.Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life