Well - I realized (after the fog induced by obsessive work on our kitchen remodel left my brain) that I've never properly introduced myself here, so here goes.
I am Gini, age 52, an artist (painter - give my website a look if you'd like - sorry for the blatant advertising
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http://web.mac.com/ginilawson/iWeb ), married (my second) to Richard, who is a certified foodie, marketer, and keyboard and rhythm guitar player in a band, and 9 years younger than me (oh heaven help me keep the aging thing at bay a few more years!). I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, went to college at Ohio State University where I studied towards a BFA, but moved to Seattle at the ripe old age of 22, to follow a guy (of course!) No, we didn't end up together, but I stayed in Seattle. I love it - but hate the winters. Someday we'll retire to the south of Spain, but for now we're braving the gray winters. (You'd think, after 30 years of them I'd have grown used to it but I still crave the sun.)
We have, between us, 4 kids - my husband's stepdaughter from his first marriage, 28, his son, 16, and my two boys, 19 and 13. All of our kids are perfect (yeah sure right!) and we're proud as punch of our testosterone-heavy brood.
I have a painting studio nearby, and I not only paint but teach oil painting, both in my studio and at Pratt Fine Arts, a local arts organization, and at a women's club downtown. I love to teach - it keeps me on my toes and inspires me to paint even more. I learn as much from my students as they do from me.
We live in a 100 year-old house near downtown Seattle that we have been re-decorating, and now remodeling for 6 years. The kitchen was horrendous, which you can see on my progress blog on this site, and for some reason, even though he is a serious cook, I could never convince DH to spend the time, energy, and money to remodel. Then, in March, my sister and her partner came for a visit, and after one of my husband's 6-course dinners, and after my sis and her partner had spent hours cleaning up the kitchen, hand-washing all the dishes (something I've done every night for the past 6 years), berated Richard and insisted we remodel, if for no other reason than to install a dishwasher!
He took the bait, and quick as a bunny, before he could change his mind, I had whipped out the designs I'd been working on for years and hired a carpenter (one of DH's band-mates, who had been laid off from his construction job - how convenient!)
When not remodeling our kitchen (I know, I know - I need to take more final pictures and post them on my blog) we cook, frequent our area's lovely farmer's markets, read cookbooks, work in our garden, hang out with our kids, entertain, make art, make music, travel (we're official Spain-ophiles), read, and cook some more! And then we sing karaoke!
We have 3 dogs, plus the one that lives in our MIL apartment with my DH's best friend from high school, who also is the leader of, lead guitarist and lead vocalist in DH's band. Our dogs are Brody (80 pound malamute/rottie mutt) Kitty (pomeranian) and Bunny (ancient maltese - blind, deaf, skinny, and grouchy at times). Dottie, who lives in the MIL, is a basset/great dane mix (don't ask, and don't try to visualize - it hurts your brain).
Before giving up my day job to paint full time I was director of advertising and marketing for a big bank, and prior to that a creative director for an ad agency. DH is an account director for a visual design agency - a job he took after he burned out on public policy, which is what his background is.
I am a breast-cancer survivor (4 years last March! hurray!), and count every day as an incredible gift. Now if only I could learn to appreciate every day a bit more
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Pictures of us and our brood can be found on our home page:
http://homepage.mac.com/rockboss/PhotoAlbum1.html
So that's me, us, and our kitchen. Happy to have found this site and these fabulous people!
Gini
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