Just for Fun

I encourage you to learn all about me through these fun and mostly useless facts … which are more personal than my biography and undoubtedly a more entertaining read!

Where were you born?
I was born in Des Plaines, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

When is your birthday?
July 23rd - Each and Every Year!

Hair color?
I’m a natural brunette, and I usually wear it long.

Eye color?
Blue-Green

Where do you live?
Colorado - Denver Area

Where did you go to school?
Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona
Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois

Are you married?
My husband Edward and I got married on September 19, 1998. We’ve known each other since 1993. We met during our senior year of high school, when his family moved into the area.

Do you have children?
Yes. Joanna is nine years old, and Isaiah is three years old. Joanna was adopted on National Adoption Day, November 18, 2005. Isaiah was adopted on April 23, 2008.

How many foster kids have you had?
Joanna was foster-to-adopt from the time she moved into our home in February 2005. Since then, we’ve brought lots of newborn babies home from the hospital as foster children - starting with Isaiah in 2006 (he was three days old), three newborns in 2008 and two newborns in 2009. Add all those newborns to the two other infant boys we fostered in 2009, plus Joanna, and in all, we’ve had nine foster kids. We adopted the first two, said goodbye to the next six, and we still have one, a girl. We’ve also done short-term respite care for other foster children of various ages.

Do you have pets?
I have two dogs, Bailey and Tara, both chocolate labs. Bailey was born in 1999, and Tara was born in 2005. They like to play with racquetballs, sleep on my bed and slobber on people.

Do you have siblings?
Yes! I have two sisters and one brother. One of my sisters, who is only 16 months older than me, has been a teacher, a school principal and a stay-at-home mom; she’s married and has two young daughters. My other sister is ten years younger than me; she’s in graduate school studying social work. And my brother, who is three years my junior, is married and has one child, a daughter.

What are your hobbies?
I have always loved reading and writing. I also like to travel; we travel to Illinois a lot to visit family. I really enjoy exploring the mountains by hiking, skiing and camping in the Rockies. I live pretty close to Rocky Mountain National Park and not too far from all the major ski towns in Colorado.

Favorite color?
Navy Blue

Favorite meal?
Linguine and clams - a Hamilton family specialty. The more garlic, the better! Runners up … barbeque ribs (lots of barbeque sauce) and pizza (but only from Chicago).

Favorite breakfast food?
Greasy bacon and eggs!

Favorite candy?
I love Reese’s Pieces. I also like Starburst - mango melon and strawberry banana!

Favorite books and authors?
Favorite author? Moi, of course! Caps for Sale, Make Way for Ducklings and The Pokey Little Puppy are three of my favorite children’s books. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford are among my favorite novels of all time. Poetry by Shel Silverstein inspires me and makes me laugh. I think J.K. Rowling is brilliant, and I was among the millions who anticipated, read and reread all seven Harry Potter books! I also love everything from Grisham, Patterson and Brown.

Favorite movies?
My all-time fave is The Princess Bride. My favorite animated movies are Beauty and the Beast and The Fox and the Hound. I also have to include Top Gun, Napoleon and Samantha (one of Michael Douglas’ first movies, released in 1972), Dave, Babes in Toyland (the 1961 version with Annette Funicello), The American President, Clean Slate, Innerspace, The Parent Trap (Disney’s 1961 original, starring Hayley Mills), Dream a Little Dream and Twilight among my favorites. And I like such classics as Gone with the Wind, The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz.

Favorite TV shows growing up?
Oh, way too many favorites! I watched The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island (both in reruns already when I was a child) as well as shows like Little House on the Prairie and Mork & Mindy. My idols were the heroes from CHiPs and Emergency! I was a child of the ’80s, when American children sat glued to the TV to watch “Saturday Morning Cartoons.” I grew up watching such educational shows as Sesame Street, Captain Kangaroo, The Electric Company and 3-2-1 Contact. And thanks to my Chicago roots, I was a big fan of Bozo’s Circus. I also have fond memories of watching Wheel of Fortune with my family … and I’m still a big Wheel fan today.

Favorite toys growing up?
Among my favorites: Sit ‘N Spin, LEGOs, Barbie, Speak & Spell (the electronic spelling game by Texas Instruments) and Simon (the electronic light-up memory game). As kids, my brother and I would fight over who got to play the Intellivision; some of my favorite games were Donkey Kong, Burger Time and Shark! Shark! I have always loved playing cards; my mom and grandma taught us how to play Kings in the Corner when we were young. I still love Kings in the Corner today - and Joanna is getting really good at it - but I’m also a fan of Blackjack and Texas Hold’em these days. When playing outside as a child, I liked to ride my bike, jump on my Pogo Stick, do cartwheels down the driveway, and play Ghost in the Graveyard.

Favorite childhood sports and activities?
Throughout elementary school, I participated in ballet, gymnastics, Girl Scouts, and summer softball leagues and swimming lessons. In junior high, I was on the volleyball and basketball teams. In high school, I was on the cross-country and track teams, and was good at jumping hurdles. I also took piano lessons for several years and still enjoy playing the piano today.

Fondest childhood memory?
I have always loved spending time with my dad. As a young child, my dad made me a Cherry 7UP with extra cherries after he got home from work every day, and I would try to be interested in the evening news like he was. My father is also the inspiration behind my Johnny and Millie stories. Before bed when we were kids, he would tell us about Johnny’s latest adventures; Millie emerged from Grandpa’s imagination a few years ago when he started sharing these adventure stories with my daughter Joanna.