[*becky*]

(posting early due to time zone difference)

on Monday: you'll post your story of your life and TTC, etc.

on Tuesday: you'll post 20 random/interesting facts to get to know you better

on Wednesday: Will be Q&A time, others will ask you questions and you answer

on Thursday: Is show and tell, show/share pictures that relate to you and your life and tell about them

on Friday: you'll post anything you know about TTC , share your knowledge!

[samspain]

OK, This is the story of my life!! Some of it is a bit out of order!!

I was born in Mullion, Cornwall (UK) on December 4th 1978. I am the first of 3 children and my parents are Shelagh and Ian. My Mum was a navy radar operator and my Dad was an aeronautical engineer, both at the local navy base Culdrose. My sister Laura was born in January 1980, we are 13 months apart!!. We lived in Mullion for 3 years before moving to The Lizard (5 miles away). I had a great childhood, we had lots of family camping holidays and my Mum was a childminder and fosterparents, so we always had a houseful of kids. When I was 8 my parents divorced, but my Mum was great and we didn´t really notice the difference much. Dad always visited whenever he could and I was happy. I loved primary school, and I liked secondary school even more!. When I was 9 (7 months after my parents divorced) my surprise sister was born (you can tell it was obviously an amicable divorce!!). The poor little thing was a boy according to the U/S!!, so Daniel James became Amy Victoria!!, boy did she have a lot of blue baby things!!.
At highschool I was a really good student and a member of the county swim team and athletics group, I was best sportsgirl 3 out of 4 high school years!. When I was 11 my Mum remarried and so I also have twin stepbrothers (28) and a stepsister (25) and another stepbrother (22). From them I have 3 nieces and a nephew aged between 10 years and 4 months. I get on really well with my stepdad and all 3 girls have a dad/daughter relationship with him and our real Dad. My littlest sister calls him Dad and our real Dad Ian as she never really lived with him.

At 16-18 I went to college and studied French, business studies and geography and then at 18 I went to university in Portsmouth. I had the best time ever studying European studies and international trade. Then i went to Spain for a year, I wanted to go to France, but there were no grants left.
Just as well as I met DH there!! He was in his final year of medical school. I was 20!!.
I cam back to UK and graduated, then moved to Spain with DH. I have been working as an english teacher and I studied a masters in international trade and was working as an importation consultant, but now I have taken a down sizing in my career and work part time for the european union as an english language teacher. It pays the same as my old job, but 10 hours a week!!, and no stress!!.
We have bought our house (with 30 years of help from the bank) in Granada and now we are waiting for a visit from the stork (or anyone else capable of delivering babies).

We decided to ttc last November when it would be 5 months from the wedding, (there was a limit to how much they could let out the dress). We´ve had no success, but then after a visit to the GP we realised that we were apart for 4 out of 6 O times (and his "expert" opinion, both partners being in the same country will increase our chances!!). This month we have started temping and charting. DH did himself a SA and says its really good, and when I said he had to do it anonymously as I wanted to be sure!! but its all normal or above normal.
If we have no luck in 3 months time we will start to look at medical help. IVF is relatively easy here, as after you are referred (12 months ttc) there is a maximum wait of 6 months and the health service covers everything from medicines to birth, so we are lucky in that respect.
I have a 4 year old niece who adores DH and I and a 1 year old nephew who is cute too. Then We have my english nephew who is 6 months and totally gorgeous!!.

I don´t have many interests really, I like camping and the countryside, old cars, international food and affairs. I speak french and my Dad has remarried for the 2nd time to a French woman and they live in France. they´ve been married/together for 15 years and I have 3 french step sisters. I love to read, sew and DIY. I also like cooking and baking. We have 2 cats and we did have 7 at one point (6 kittens).
Thats about it for my introduction, if you want to know anything else, then ask away on question day!!

[caseyb]

Wow- you have a REALLY large family! Taht must be fun at holidays.
Thanks for sharing!

[snsgirl336]

What a great story! I feel like I know you a lot better now! THanks so much for sharing this all!!! Lucky you about the IVF! That's awesome! I hope you don't need it, but it's nice to know that it will all be taken care of relatively quickly if you do need it!

[Emilymac]

It's so nice to get to know you! It sounds like you have a very large and wonderfully supportive family. Can't wait to learn more about you this week!

[*becky*]

What a great story!! That is WONDERFUL advice you doctor gave you - who would have thought that being int eh same country helps TTC! LOL!

I can't wait to learn more about you throughout the week!

[samspain]

OK, here are my 20 (not so interesting)facts. This was really hard when I did it on ttc #1, so I´ll try not to repeat!!


1. I have been ttc for 9 months, but only 7 cycles
2. I am a bit of a clean freak, it has to be done MY way, DH annoys me when he helps as I just have to redo it!.
3. I work very part time, 2-2.5 hours Mon-Thurs, but it pays $$$$$, I just hope they keep renewing me I teach Spanish civil servants English.
4. I am very handy, I love to make things (even if it is flat pack!!, DH and I made our kitchen and have laid the patio).
5. I have always wanted to be a Mum. We have talked about ttc since we moved in together 7 years ago.
6. When I was young I wanted to be an astronaut, but then I discovered thatyou have to be good at maths!! and eat dried food, I am soooo picky!
7. I am vegetarian, at first because I hated meat (2 yrs onward), but my parents tried to force me until I was 8 when I understood about meat and explained why. It didn´t stunt my growth, I am 5ft 11!!!.
9. I should have my own cow, I drink gallons of milk, eat cheese, yoghurt etc like theres no tomorrow.
10. I have anamia, I have had it since I was small, but its not through lack of iron, its the inability to absorb it through food, so I have to take tablets the size of a small country every morning!!.
11. I try to be very green, we always take the bus, recycle everything, including cooking oil. We don´t have A/C as it uses loads of energy. (Even though we live 100 km from Africa, and we often get Sahara heat storms). So reusable nappies just fits us!!. I also never use detergents or cleaners that aren´t biodegradable/water friendly.
12. I live in Spain, and I think (apart from the blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skinned and extra 8 inches of height) I fit in quite well!!
13. I was very sporty at school, I was in almost every team and was most athletic girl (Victrix Ludorum) 3 out of 4 years. I swam at county level and now I just swim for fun/to keep fit, but I always end up in the swim team lane!.
14. I can´t ride a bike!!, I´m like Phoebe in friends, I try and try but I have no balance!, I can´t even stand on one leg to tie my shoelace!!
15. I studied french at college and Uni and had a pretty good level, then I met DH and moved to Spain, so the spanish is excellent, but the french is very rusty.
16. I have been married twice (but both to DH!!) once on May 10th in UK, and again Yesterday in Spain. (We went to finalise the paper work and took our two witnesses, and it turns out they don´t just accept the marriage, they redo it there. If I´d have known I would have worn something else other than jeans and sandals , still, there were no photos!!). We just have to wait now, they´ll send it to Madrid and it will take about a year to get our family book. I hope we have a family by then to put in it!!.
17. I would love to go to Australia, I have an aunt and 4 cousins and all their children there, I haven´t seen them in 10 years and the children I´ve never seen. But its so expensive from Europe to Australia.
18. DH and I are going on honeymoon the first fortnight of September, and I think I won the competition to chose where, I choose New York!!. (He wants to go to Argentina). We´ll see.
19. I don´t watch much TV, but I am addicted to friends!, I also like CSI (but not so much recently) and Medium. And BBC comedies, but they don´t put them on in Spain. Spanish TV is so unbelievably terrible, its all mexican/colombian/venezuelan soap operas and TV movies with Cheryl Ladd. Its diabolically bad!!
20. I love shopping, but I get annoyed with the other people who stop/walk out of stores straight in front of me without looking/walk slowly occupying the whole pavement. I am quite impatient, but DH is really patient, so he helps to calm me down!!

That was really hard, 20 things is a lot of facts!!

[snsgirl336]

Those are great Facts Sam! I had to laugh at your being Pheobe from Friends.... I can just picture her trying to ride it! I bet if you try, you can do it!!!

[*becky*]

Those were great and I know its hard to do!

That is awesome that you and DH did your own kitchen and patio! That will come in handy when you're putting together baby furniture!
Congrats on your 2nd wedding!

Mind if I ask what a family book is? I'm not familiar with that.

Thanks so much for sharing, I feel like I know alot about you now!

[~April04~]

TFS! It's always so interesting getting to know ya'll better.

[samspain]

A family book (Libro de familia) is where your amrriage is recorded, so if you ever have to fill in an official form (for just about anything more serious than breathing!!) you have to show it. Also your children are added into it, birthdates, blood group and medical notes. Its like a health record too, its the size and format of a passport but navy blue, not burgundy. So if we have an accident (or any future kids do) it has all our medical/personal data in it.

I don´t know what its like in the US, but in Spain they love bureacracy and officialdom, everything involves photocopies, blood tests, sworn statements etc. In the UK you can do almost everything by phone/post.

[*becky*]

Interesting - that's sounds like a good idea! I hope you're family book has a new baby addition soon!!!

Here are my Wednesday Questions for you:

1. What is your favorite thing to eat?

2. What do you like and dislike about teaching??

[samspain]

1. What is your favorite thing to eat?
I am a bit fussy really. Theres not really alot that I really like. Cereal with dried fruit, any kind of fruit or vegetables. I do really like guacamole and tortilla chips. And mashed potato. Also anything that I don´t have to cook tastes much better!! or even if I don´t have to clean up.

2. What do you like and dislike about teaching??
I love seeing childrens faces when they understand something you´ve explained, and I love how they see and interpret things. I don´t really dislike anything, it gets disheartening when they all understand something, then in the exams they write the first thing they can think of.
Now I am teaching adults, its not as fun, but loads more productive. Also the paid summer holidays are great!!