Things I love (Toastmasters Speech – 7/21/10)

Things I love (Toastmasters Speech – 7/21/10, 5 minutes)

I’m Wendy and I’m here to tell you about some of the things I love.

I love dark chocolate. I think I get my love of chocolate from my Grandpa. One of my earliest memories is eating WaHoo and biscuits with him. WaHoo was what he called the homemade chocolate syrup my Granny would make for us. He also kept a stash of chocolate candy. There was always a carton of Whoppers at the top of his closet. Us kids would line up with our cupped hands outstretched and ask for “chocolate balls”. We would compare to see who got the biggest, the smallest and the most. One time I got 9! I keep a stash of chocolate too. In kitchen cabinet and my office desk drawer I keep chocolate squares: 72% and 86% cocoa.

I love dogs. Kittens are cute, but I love dogs. The first dog I remember was our black lab, Amy. My mama had great faith in Amy’s babysitting skills. We lived in the country, up a dirt path. When my cousin and I were sent outside to play, Amy went with us. We would walk down the path and pick blackberries - Amy went with us, wander through the garden and pull up carrots, wipe the dirt on our clothes and eat them - Amy was with us, and dig holes in the yard with spoons from Granny’s kitchen. Amy was right there, our partner in crime. My grandpa also had hunting dogs – beagles. They weren’t supposed to be pets, but he would sometimes bring one up to the house for me to play with. My current dog is a mini dachshund. She isn’t much protection and she doesn’t hunt, but she is pretty good at digging holes in the yard.

I love the mountains. My first visit to the mountains was Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. As a child I was terrified of the “Mile High Swinging Bridge”. I went back a few years ago and it isn’t nearly as scary as I remember it. The roads are all paved and there are guard rails on every turn. During high school I lived in Nevada. You can see mountains in every direction. There’s Grindstone, Buckskin, Swales, and Mary’s Mountain. The Ruby Mountains have snow on them year round. Last week, I went camping in the Jarbidge Mountains in Nevada. It is a 3 hour drive from “town” with no paved roads, no guardrails, and no cell phone service. We saw antelope and deer, a fox and different types of wildflowers. If you hike or drive up to the peak, you can see for miles. From one point you can see all the way to Idaho. According to my daughter, THAT is scary.

I love my family. My dad was one of 13 children and last time I counted I had 32 cousins. He died when I was 2 and we moved from North Carolina to Idaho and then to Nevada, so I didn’t get to know that side of the family very well. My mom and sister live in North Carolina between the mountains and the beach. My brother lives in Nevada in the town where I went to high school. I have a niece and grandniece in Colorado, but they leave for Germany soon since my nephew-in-law Sergeant Seely is being stationed there (after 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan). I’ve been married to my husband, John for 19 years. We have 2 girls in high school: Miranda, 16 and Melissa, 14. In some ways we are opposites:
o While I love chocolate – they love vanilla
o While I love dogs – they love cats
o While I love the mountains – they love the beach
o But… I love my family – and they love me.

Things I'd like to do...

In no particular order:

1. snorkeling
2. learn to 2 step / country dancing
3. travel overseas / Europe, etc.
4. go on a cruise
5. serve in a soup kitchen
6. serve on a mission trip US and non-US
7. white water river rafting
8. train service dogs (puppy stage)/ foster rescued dogs
9. hot air balloon ride
9. helicopter ride in the grand canyon
10. deep sea fishing

And more...