Dang it, I'm 14-years-old again. Listening to Celine Dion's music, dreaming of my future life with Ryan. Of course, life doesn't come out according to plan.
You'll understand what I just said in a moment.
1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life? Let me see...I can recall 5 places since I moved to Augusta in 1981. Life prior to that I can't recall where I lived. Hey, I was 2/3 in 1981.
2. Which was your favorite and why? Oh, they all had features I loved. Probably our house in Augusta. My parents say that lot was smaller then the lot of this house but it was vast for me. When we moved in, it was new subdivision and our back yard had trees from our back door all the way to the end of our property. My dad did all the hard work cutting away a majority of that brush so we would have a back yard.
When I was 9, my Girl Scout troop had our slumber party at our house. I was the ONLY person that didn't wake up bitching about a bad night's sleep. 
Don't get me wrong. I love this house. However, I had more happy memories in that house in Augusta. I lived there from 1985-1989. It was my childhood home.
3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why? It's stressful. Well, except when we moved to Bragg in 1989. To my parents, it was stressful. I was excited. I was FINALLY getting my own bedroom. 
We were moving into quarters and the apartment had 4 bedrooms. My parents got a room. I got a room. My brother got a room. My sisters had to share. 
But Nicki was 9 at the time and Beth was 1, so Nicki was basically getting her own room, too, except Beth had a corner of the room.
4. What's more important, location or price? Both. If I ever get a house, I will want to live in a nice neighborhood. However, I'm not going to live in a neighborhood I can't afford.
5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)? You know at the moment, I'm listening to Celine Dion's new album. Not quite 10 years ago, I was living on Ft. Bragg dreaming. I was 14 and on EARLY Sunday mornings, I helped my neighbors with their paper route. One of the neighborhoods they delievered to was Ascot. It was upscale but not gated. It was perfect for me! So, during the paper route, usually I could get Mrs. Reyna to pop in one of my Celine Dion tapes while we were in Ascot. As I was getting the papers from the back seat to the front for Mrs. Reyna, I would listen to Celine and dream of Ryan and me living in Ascot.
As for dream features now, I want a pool and will hire a pool boy. I want a big house. I want sunlight to pour into it. I want a patio. Big year will be nice. And I want the one I love to live in it with me.
Posted by Shawn at April 4, 2003 12:40 AM in Dreams, Friday Five.
1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life?
*Ummm...hmmm...(counts on fingers): from the very beginning, apt's in Santa Barbara, CA; Minneapolis, MN(only for 6 months); Shawnee, OK(for about 3 months. those furnished short term apts);Tempe, AZ...then a house in Mesa,AZ...then married student housing in Stanford, CA(i prefer to call that place hell)...then a house in neighboring Palo Alto, CA...then another house(current one I'm living in) also in Palo Alto. Oh and I lived in an apartment on my own for two years, at Colonial Apartments in Golden Valley,MN.
2. Which was your favorite and why?
*Honestly? Comstock Hall, where I spent 4 years. So many wonderful memories tied up in that place. And I'm not even talking about Garet. The place just felt like home to me. Gave me a kind of consistency and safety I'd never felt before. Plus, I knew everyone and almost everyone liked me so I felt a sense of community. It was home! So was my own apartment.
3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why?
*Stressful if left to the last minute like I always do! I mean, lining up a moving company, packing everything, cleaning and all that stuff...man, it's stressful! Oh and if you have pets, then the stress increases but I know I could never leave Nick and Annie behind, anywhere. They go where I go.
4. What's more important, location or price?
*I guess you have to take into consideration the cost of living. You can get a great house in Minneapolis that will easily run in the millions here in Palo Alto but I earn less there than people do here. Really it all comes down to living in a place that feels like home. for me,you know where that is. If I ever win the lottery, I'm not gonna go buy a sprawling mansion in L.A just because I can. I'd be more likely to buy a less pricey home that has all the charm I am looking for in the only place I consider home.
5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)?
*A dog! seriously. Well, I love front porches, window seats, an island in the kitchen, huge walk-in closet, spa bath(though my mom's house has one now and I never use it!), floor to ceiling windows and a big backyard. I used to think I'd really want a pool but as a cop, I won't have the time or money for maintenance. and in Minneapolis, you can really only use it for 3 short months!! 
I much prefer going to the lakes when I want to play in water.
And we need a hot tub, sauna and horses!! Hehehe muscular stable men... Cowboy take me away!! LMAO!!
Posted by: Dragon at April 4, 2003 11:59 PMNah, I want a big screen TV and a dish that I can get all the baseball games.
