My Interview Moment

Holli - thanks for the great questions!!!

1.  Work often feels like nothing more than work.  What is your dream job --- the one that would bring you pure happiness and fulfillment?  Why?   What, if anything, are you doing to turn this dream into a reality?

I have two answers to this question, neither of which I'm sure are it, but I think they are.  Over the last year or so, I have decided that my dream job may be being a stay at home mom.  I want marriage and kids and to raise a family, and I want to raise the kids myself (rather than daycare or a nanny); I think I would find it immensely fulfilling.  It's a bit difficult to work proactively to turn this dream into a reality, but I am trying to become as good and interesting and accomplished a person as possible, so that I can find the right guy, and raise great kids.

My other answer is that I would love to own a bakery or a cafe or something along those lines.  I would want it to be a place where people come to hang out, a very neighborhood-y sort of place, and it would open early and close late!  I think I would find this so fulfilling because it would satisfy my need for community and comfort and lots of people and activity in my life, and also indulge my love of baking and sweets and coffee!  I am doing squat to turn this dream into reality, as I don't think it's a realistic option.

2. If you could travel anywhere with anyone (all expenses paid), where would you go and who would you go with?
Recently I have been thinking about how cool it would be to go to Australia and New Zealand, so let's say there.  I would want to go with a gang of my friends, 10 at least, including my Aussie friend Tim so that he could show us around.  I can imagine the trouble/fun we would get into!

3.  What is your proudest moment in life thus far?  

This was the hardest question for me to answer, I thought about it all day yesterday, and still haven't been able to come up with a defining moment.  I think there are two that I can say sort of equal eachother in terms of making me feel proud and that I have been living a good life.  One is when I got my second job at my current employer, it was such a step up in terms of responsibility and compensation, and really the result of previous good work at the association, as well as a series of lucky accidents I suppose.  I was proud to have been asked to fill the position, and I was proud that I was able to negotiate such favorable compensation for myself.  The other moment is really a series of moments I have had, often at IBYC (my favorite annual summer party), but at other times as well when surrounded by friends, who are all having a marvelous time at a party in my old apartment, or dinner at a friend's house, or something along those lines.  I am proud that I have such an amazing group of intelligent, caring, funny, dynamic and interesting people in my life, and that I know I will have them forever!

4. What character trait do you find most appealing in friends?  What trait are you most attracted to in men?

In friends I suppose it's an excellent sense of humor, my best friends are the people who I love to laugh with, and I find that people who are funny are also intelligent, which is another bonus.  I also really value loyalty in friends.  In men, I am drawn to self-confidence.  Men who know who they are and are comfortable with that can be themselves, and if they know themselves, they are more available to get to know me in a very real way.  I am also a sucker for guys who can make me laugh.  Compassion is also a must.

5. Some lessons in life can only be learned the hard way.  What is one such lesson you've learned? 

This is my softball question, right?   The biggest life lesson I have learned so far, that has to be lived to be learned, is money management.  I got myself into a great big $16k pile of credit card debt, and I am close to getting myself out of it.  Once I am out, I will never be in this situation again.  I think I needed to live this to learn it, as I am not an inherently responsible person when it comes to money and finances.  That being said, I think that when my credit card debt is completely paid off, that THAT will be the proudest moment of my life.