People who have Influenced Me!

Music: "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" Chicago

So I started thinking today about what makes us who we are in this life. How people who have come in and out of our lives influence us and add to our personalities. I never really thought about it before I guess but who would I be if I didn't know the people that I know? I wonder if I would be different. This sparked my intrest today after I spoke to a little girl's Mom that I babysit for occasionally. I love this little girl. She is beautiful and I know that she admires me. When she see's me at school her whole face lights up and she just smiles her beautiful smile. I had to cancel my babysitting job for her last week on account of my bite and I felt terrible for doing so but I was not in good spirits that day. When I saw her Mom today she told me that Jessann cried her eyes out because I didn't come over that night. That she went to bed crying and saying how much she missed me and that to call me and tell me to come over because she was going to take care of me and make me all better. This made me feel like crap of course but then I realized how much I mean to this little 4yr old girl. I realized at that moment that everything I do or say influences this child and it scared me for a second. But then I thought, How wonderful, what a privledge to have this child's admiration. She want's to be an actress go figure and she could. She's gorgeous and has a magnetic personality and on top of that she is bossy. You have to be bossy to be an actress right? So who influenced me? Who brought a little something to my life to make me Brandi? Another friend of mine had something on her blog like this and I thought it was very inspiring. So here is the list of all the people that I can remember who have added to my life. This is going to be the longes post ever written!

MY MOM: I sometimes believe that she is a Nazi because she is forever telling me to be strong and blah blah blah but this woman has given me my determination because no matter how much I disagree with her decisions and why she chooses to stay in a situation that is unhealthy she always has the strength to keep going with her life. When I don't feel like doing something or just being lazy she is always in the back of my mind telling me to be responsible, independent,strong, keep going and I thank her for that because it has made me persevere through many a hardtime. Her ability to multitask is amazing. She had 5 children and a life that was not all peaches and cream and she tried her best to give me a happy childhood. I hope that one day the lines of communication between us will open up a little more and I see that she is trying so I can only be patient because I love her.

MY DAD: My Dad has a bad Irish temper and I really sometimes think that I don't like him but I realize that he is sometimes misunderstood. I have to thank my Dad for the dreamer in me because I know for sure that he is the one who passed on this famous trait of mine. Growing up he showed me all sorts of neat things and one of them was a respect for nature and history. He used to put us (my sis Liz) in the back of his old red Ford Truck (The red goose as we called her)and take us out into the country. We sat in that truck with our blond ponytails dressed in our Oshkoshbgosh overalls and ate boiled p-nuts and drank Coke a Cola just like two little Southern girls should. We would stop at old cemeteries, go fishing in ponds, skip stones in the lake, wade in streams, climb trees and just run around with boundless freedom. My Dad is forever trying to learn a new skill wether it be juggling, playing the harmonica, flying a plane, and I am the same way. He is very interested in our family history and he taught me how to research geneaology and learn about my roots. I have alot of my Dad's qualities and I am very thankful to him for that.

My NANA: She loved me unconditionally and taught me how to have Southern elegance and charm. With a voice as sweet as honey she would tell me how wonderful I was to her no matter how many F's I made in Math class or how many horrible outfits I wore in the early 90's. I kinda went through this whole punk rock phase. She always told me I would go far and believed in me 100%. I have to thank her for my love of jazz music, Hilton Head Is., ice cream sandwich's, Mcdonalds Chicken McNuggets, The Bombay Co., Integrity, Class, Charm and all things girlie.

MY PAPA: I don't really remember him much but one memory stands out the most. He had lung cancer and had a big oxygen tank that he had to drag around everywhere. When your 4yrs old it's kind of scary to see someone you love in this condition and not understand the seriousness of the illness. I remember sitting on the front porch with him with a lollipop in my mouth and he said Brandi you can do whatever you want to do in this life. Don't ever let anybody tell you different. He died a few days later but what a memory. I have to thank him for that because I always remember that bit of advice.

MY GRANNY: Oh where to begin with this woman. I have my Grandmothers heart no doubt. The silliest little thing would bring tears to her eyes. When I discovered I could carry a tune at the age of 10 I decided I wanted someone to critique me and tell me if I needed to just keep my mouth shut or continue to sing. I told my Granny I had a secret. I could sing. She said well let's hear it sister. I sang Somewhere over the Rainbow to her and when I was finished she had tears in her eyes and gave me a great big hug. That was just beautiful she said, beautiful. When I was going to community college back home I would stop by her house between classes and have lunch. She always had a hot plate ready for me when I walked through the door and we would talk and talk. She was so spiritual,loving, and nurturing but she knew when to cut your butt too. Of course I rarely got a whipping from my Granny. I was such a sweet angel I never really needed one :)

My GRANDADDY: Hey Bran Dandy! This is what he called me. My Grandad smoked like a Chimney. He woke at 4am everyday, read the newspaper,drank his coffee, and played Solitaire for about 2 hours, watched the news and John Wayne movies, tended to his garden and then would go from grocery store to grocery store to get the best deal. He bought in bulk and always brought home a treat for his granbabies. My Grandaddy had an 8th grade education, was orphaned at age 12 and joined the Navy at 17. He was on the Beaches of Normandy and saw everything. He worked for 50years at a Mercantile plant. If there is one thing I learned from him it's honor,dignity,pride,and the importance of my heritage.

MY AUNT DAlE: You never really know somebody no matter how close you are to them.

MY Brother and Sisters: That nothing beats having a big family. I will always have them in my life for love and support and it was so awesome back in the day to tell some kid at school that I would beat his ass if he bothered my sister again. I used to hate being the oldest but I have grown to love my status. I always get the front seat when I come home.

Jay: No this was not a good situation at all but if there is one thing that it taught me was independence. I grew a backbone from this and learned to take a stand for my life. It also taught me forgiveness and most importantly I became my own person, I broke the cycle. I also learned that sex was way overrated.

Tripp: My first french kiss at the old age of 15. Everyone else had already french kissed by the age of 9 in my generation. I was a late bloomer. He taught me how to french kiss and for that I am grateful.

John: Gave me my first broken heart at 16. He moved away for college. He was such a dork but I had such a crush on him. He played Soccer and I thought he was so cute. Oh well you win some you lose some.

Adam: I learned how naive I was from this boy. He professed his love for me many a time while he was screwing one of my best friends. I was still a virgin and had barely even kissed a boy. I thank him for that because I got smart real quick, at least I thought.

Mandy: Oh I love this girl. She brought out the wild child in me. I drank a whole bottle Boone's Farm Strawberry wine with this girl and got drunk off my ass. I was 17. Like I said, late bloomer. Smoked endless cigarettes in her pickup truck listening to Bone Thugs. I toilet papered and egged people's houses with this girl and just let loose. She taught me how to have fun and just be me.

To Be Continued...................