Friday, February 13, 2009

An Interview

I've done a few interviews in that past, but I have never interviewed anyone as special to me as my friend Misty. Even though we've never met face to face, everyday we "talk" in back and forth emails. We talk about life, family, pigs (guinea and not guinea). We've laughed together and cried together.

Me and hubby came very close to meeting her last April. I called her to tell her we were getting closer to where she lived but had to leave a message on her answering machine. When she didn't call back, we took a different route.

What we didn't know at the time was that out there in Podunk, Missouri, they didn't have Caller ID. I hadn't left my number on the message and she had no way of calling me back. There will almost certainly be another time and I look forward to it more than I can say.

Misty is also my new puppy's Doggy Godmother.

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The Interview

Just in case anyone doesn't know you, tell us a little about your background.

Wow! How far do you want me to go back? Oh, you said "a little about your background"... let's remember, I tend to ramble.

I was raised by my grandparents from the age of two. They are both gone now and will always be the biggest influences of my life. They are responsible for the person I am now.

I will be 34 in June, and will be married for 8 years in August. I have three adult step-children.

My husband and I moved from Ohio to Missouri in June of 2007. We raised sheep and beef cattle in Ohio, but in Missouri, we run a 750 acre beef cattle farm.I work full time as an online financial aid coordinator at a medical college. I am also a virtual assistant for the lawyer I worked for in Ohio (I've worked for lawyers for over 14 years; working for this lawyer for 9 years). Since I don't need sleep or free time... I also work on the weekends as a bookkeeper for a local outdoor equipment dealership/repair shop, and I do some paid blogging.

I have Fibromyalgia and Inherited Chemical Depression - but I won't allow either of those to 'define' me. I attend college online. I'm a wannabe web designer (I wannabe like Sanni) and photographer.I LOVE animals, especially dogs, and my three Border Collies (all rescues) own my heart.

Your first blog is called
Misty's Musings - My Dogs Keep Me Sane Why did you name it that?

No matter what is going on or how stressed I am, my dogs still melt my heart and make me smile. They show me unconditional love. They always think I look great, have the best ideas, and am the smartest person in the world. So, even when I'm stressed, my dogs are able to keep me grounded.

Later you added a second blog called
Misty's Words. How is that one different??

This blog was created to focus more on my creative efforts, because Misty's Musings - My Dogs Keep Me Sane became more of a blog about my day-to-day life on the farm, with the dogs, etc. Misty's Words was created to give me an outlet for my creative writing and photography. However, I find that I still overload Misty's Musings with my photography. It's an addiction, I can't help it - Did I mention I have an obsessive/addictive personality?

You now host the extremely popular weekend meme called Camera Critters. Tell how that came about.

Well... my good friend Barb started this fun and awesome meme called Heads Or Tails. If you haven't played, then something is wrong with you. So, anyway... Barb's creating HoT was an inspiration to me. She worked very hard on the meme, and I learned a lot and tried to help.

So, since I'm a spoiled copycat friend, I wanted my own meme too. (bwahahahaha) I decided to combine my two favorite things.. critters and photography. I had NO idea that others would love critters and photography as much as I, but I have been blessed with a very successful meme and a great group of participants!


It's obvious that you love all kinds of animals. Do you have any stories about them you'd like to share?

You don't want this to turn into a novel, do you?

Yes, I have many stories about animals... some of them are rather humorous. The humorous ones usually involve my being beat up by a farm animal of some sort... i.e. The Pig Story. You'd have to read my blog for the stories - I don't want to 'ramble' or anything.


Another passion of yours is photography. Talk about how that started and where you'd like to take it.

I think I was born with a camera in my hand. However, I never got serious about photography until the digital age. When we moved to Missouri, for some reason, the photography passion grew and grew until it almost consumes me... Now, it is my ultimate dream to be a photographer.

Your relationship with your dad plays a big part in your life. What is something you always wanted him to know, but haven't told him? And why not?

My dad is my best friend now. There were some years when I was younger that were different. What do I want him to know? I just want him to know that he means the absolute world to me, and I may not have realized it as a kid, but I realize now that he made the best decision he could have ever made for me when I was two years old.

Use three words to describe yourself.

Insecure, Sentimental, Loyal

What makes you laugh?

Lots of things... I LOVE to laugh! Bloggers make me laugh with humorous stories (Tammy, Barb, and Bear ALWAYS make me laugh! I love you guys!), my silly and crazy dogs make me laugh, and my wild and wacky friends and family make me laugh. This is a GOOD thing! Laughing is very healthy

Anything you'd like to add?

Blogging has opened a whole new world to me. I've met some of the best friends I could ever meet (and would have never met, due to different geographic locations) through blogging. I have found an outlet for my creative endeavors of photography and writing. I've gained a little bit of confidence in these abilities due to the support and encouragement I receive. I've learned things, I've experienced all emotions, and I've discovered new dreams.

I love blogging.


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I want to thank Misty for allowing me to do this interview. I want to thank her for being one of the best friends I've ever had. (Smile.)

12 comments:

Misty DawnS said...

*sniff* *sniff* No, I'm not crying, I've just got a cold and sumthin in my eye... yeah, that's it.

You know you can't say super sweet and nice things like that to a sap like me and not make me cry. You're such a good friend! (even if you do pick on my 'little' assets hehe) Thanks for all the laughs! Thanks for everything!

Jeni said...

Great interview! Good responses there Misty and you did really did a great job of containing the "rambling." Although, considering I probably could be the queen of rambling, you do, sometimes, a pretty good line with yours. At least when you do ramble, it's never boring. (Memo to self -try to eliminate the boring in the rambles.)
Peace.

Mom Knows Everything said...

Misty is a very special person. Like you I consider her my best friend. I think it was because of her I first met you. I think she's the one who told me about this cool blogger named Skittles. I will forever be grateful for everything Misty has done for me and for always being there for me when I need her. She's definitely an angel sent down to us!

Barb said...

Misty,
Get back to work and stop reading blogs. *Snicker*

Jeni,
OK.. I'll give you first place on rambling, but you are NEVER boring!
*erasing that note to yourself*

Barb said...

Tammy,
Awww thanks! I like you, too! But.. Misty is an angel? Oh yeah.. she is.. she IS an angel. :)

Misty DawnS said...

An angel... nah... I misplaced my halo a LONG time ago. :-P

b13 said...

A very enjoyable read! And I love the critters meme :) Great inter[blogger]view!

bcmomtoo said...

This was great! I loved reading all about Misty. She really is one of a kind, isn't she? One of the sweetest people I've ever 'met'!

Cath said...

A great interview and Misty is a great friend. Thanks for this and nice to meet you Barb/Skittles!

Barb said...

b13,
I love Camera Critters, too!

Anna,
"One of a kind" that's for sure. ;)

Crazycath,
Nice to meet you, too!

Adrienne Zwart said...

Oh, I enjoyed learning more about Misty. Thanks, Skittles.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Skittles: Thanks so much for sharing Misty's story. She grew up where I now live and we have become friends. I love Camera Critters and have posted every week since she invited me to come on board.