1. What is your current occupation? Is this what you chose to be doing at this point in your life? Why or why not? Oh man.. my journal gives me away. I'm a Graphic Artist by day, dealing with web and print content and a Mary Kay consultant in my other free time. If you had asked me 10 years ago, would I be doing this today, I would have said no way, I had been trained in the military to be a secretary. But both were presented to me in a casual way, graphics in 1994 and Mary Kay in 2000, and I fell in love with both. I know the day I get tired of doing graphics and learning new programs is the day I want to go full time Mary Kay. I'm not there yet. I'm still taking the punches with the lay offs and low pay. When I get tired of playing with make-up and wanting to meet women and make them beautiful, I'm ready to retire.

2. If time/talent/money were no object, what would your dream occupation be? A rich lotto player? Honestly? Graphic Artist. Still. With a little more knowledge and power behind me so that I don't get my ideas rejected as much.

3. What did/do your parents do for a living? Has this had any influence on your career choices? My father was the VP of circulation for a newspaper for 18 years, then went into his own business owning an advertising company. My mother did the same, she distributed the newspapers to the stores and the paper-routes. Then went to work for my dad at the ad agency by doing sales. Dad owning the business was able to make me into a graphic artist. He taught me everything I know in print media. (He died before the Net went wild). My sister also went into the advertising business by being my dad's bookkeeper. She now has a BA in Accounting. A little FYI - When my dad died in 1996, 2 days after the funeral, my mother, sister and I were out visiting clients, letting them know that we were still in business and promised to carry out the projects that had been set up by my father before his passing. We spent 3 months working on projects while in the process of trying to sell the company. We ended up realizing we could run it ourselves. Finally this year our business closed it's doors. We all had moved onto other things.

4. Have you ever had to choose between having a career and having a family? Yes and no. When the kids were young I was able to stay home with them till they went to Kindergarten, which is what I wanted. But right now, working a full time job, I'm missing out on seeing them and that sucks, but I know the money I'm making will turn some things around for us, if it's only for a short time.

5. In your opinion, what is the easiest job in the world? What is the hardest? Why? Easiest? ummm, errrr, the person who holds the slow and stop sign on the constructions sites. Hardest? Being Parents. Hands down.