Top 10 People

Challenge: list 10 people that influenced your life for better or worse. How did they impact who you are today?

I'm going to only list the better. I have my reasons, but mostly- I'm still doing ok on the "no complaining" challenge!

1) My husband. Please see previous posts on Dear Husband's awesomeness. We married young and I am glad. He constantly pushes me to be a better person, gently hands me paint brushes, and hugs me when I need it. He also makes Pork Ribs that make me go weak in the knees and want to chew on bones like a cave lady.
2) My daughter. I did not have any real idea what motherhood would be like. I had visions of Pottery Barn nurseries dancing in my head. Lil'Bug shattered that in the best way possible. Everyday, I wake up to a laugh and smile. Her hugs are causing global warming. She is amazing.
3) Aunt Deedle. Seriously, without Deedle, I would not be a writer. She inspires me to kick conventions and go run a pink B&B in Galveston.
4) Professor Ming Lu- she is the professor I want to be. Students called her Dragon Lady; she was tough, challenging, and spent extra time with students she felt needed or wanted it. She spent a lot of time with me. It is from her that I have an open policy of revision.
5) Professor Wolf. Pushed me to rethink revision.
6) Student # 6, row 3 of my first Composition class. That homeschool kid that started it all.
7) My sister. I am a wiser, more careful woman because of how fragile she is.
8) My Uncle Don. He was a powerful, intelligent, and stubborn man. There were things he was told he could not do; not only did he do them, but I'm pretty sure he target shot at the people who told him he couldn't.... from his firetruck. *edited to add- Aunt Deedle just informed me that he might have also dropped water balloon bombs from his airplane on those pesky naysayers. See? I told you he was cool!)*
9) That girl I once knew, the one that made me reevaluate myself as a person and an artist.
10) Oprah- Not what you think. Oprah inspires me to work on my novels. Why? Because someday, maybe someday soon, I'll finish them and she will feature them on the Book Club. Then I will have lots of money. Then we can live like JD Salinger on thousands of acres in the woods. I know, a writer should be concerned with integrity and literature and whatnot. I say phooey, write me a check Oprah.