1. My favorite foods are ice cream and mushrooms, but not together. Have you ever tried Cold Stone’s Mud Pie Mojo? It’s the best, second only to my homemade version of it.

2. I almost shed a tear when I sold my ’89 Integra. I went out and took photos with it, several of which I was actually hugging the car. My husband thinks I’m crazy. I really loved that car though. I got it when I was 16 years old, and sold it when I was 33. It reminds me of my high school days.

3. I was completely surprised when Dave proposed to me. He carried the ring in his backpack for 3 weeks as we toured the Greek islands. He surprised me one evening as we were sitting on the balcony of our hotel room over looking the ocean in Mykonos.

4. My favorite vacation was when I spent 4 weeks living in an RV and driving through New Zealand with Dave. We spent the majority of our nights parked on beaches and slept to the sound of ocean waves.

5. I think I have the best job in the whole world. I help people with mental illness and feel like I really make a difference in the quality of their life.

6. I have a mentor to thank for helping me to develop my professional career and couldn’t have done it without her.

7. My favorite childhood memories are: 1) spending holidays with my huge extended family, sometimes up to 50 people at one person’s house; 2) being pulled around in a wagon or tractor by a Miller or Ludwigsen boy; 3) “bonfires” in a pie tin on Berkshire Drive with Michelle, Kirsten and Alison, and 4) cruising through San Francisco in Radha’s Z with the T-tops open, blasting Duran Duran “Wild Boys” with Yvonne and Irena.

8. I haven’t eaten any meat (and yes, that includes all types of seafood) since I was 10 years old.

8a. My sister blames me for “making” her vegetarian. I blame it on my 5th grade
teacher, Mr. Ferguson’s, description of where hot dog meat comes from. Yuck!

9. I have published a book.

10. I hope to go to Thailand and Vietnam sometime soon.

11. I had lunch with my dad at the same Chinese restaurant every Saturday afternoon from the time I was in grade school through my early adulthood. I still go every time I go home to Millbrae.

12. I wished I lived in northern California.

13. I have just as many close guy friends as I do close girl friends.

14. I admire my husband for starting his own business. I don’t have the guts or the determination to do something like that.

15. I’ve learned more about history in the past three years than I have my entire life. I now see things from a whole different perspective.

15a. Pacifica Radio has changed the way I think about everything.

16. I have an amazing sister.

16a. I love that her daughter shares her same personality and looks exactly like her
when she was little. It makes me feel like I’m back in time.

16b. I love that my sister takes after my mom and I take after my dad. It's cool that
we're both so different, yet very similar at the same time.

17. I think my parents are the best in the world, and have always thought so, even through all my teenage years. Every day I think how lucky I am to have them.

18. My favorite place in the entire world is Yosemite. I’ve been so many times I can’t even count. I think one year I went three times, once in the winter and twice in the summer. Every time I go there, I feel like I’m at home.

18a. The first time I went to Yosemite is when I was two months old. My parents were
trying to pull the stroller up onto the bus and dropped me on my head. They
immediately packed the car and drove back home.

18b. The first time I told Dave I loved him was when we were hiking to Upper Yosemite
Falls.

18c. I’ve hiked Half Dome twice.

19. I love going to concerts and still have a tendency to end up on stage.

20. I LOVE 80’s music. It reminds me of my high school friends.

21. I’ve converted to Apple -- I now have an iPhone and an iMac. Its kind of ironic, as my husband is a computer programmer.

22. I never dreamed some of best friends would live all over the U.S. and even out of the country. I wish we could all live within a few miles of each other, how it used to be growing up.

23. My mom is from a in a small town in Sicily. When my parents visited just before I was born, people were still riding donkeys.

24. I hope that one day Dave and I can design and build a custom home that's off the grid.

25. I wish everyone were more open-minded and more accepting of diversity.