I have to admit that these days not a lot makes me nervous, but if I had to pick something then I would say people make me nervous. However, not just anyone makes me nervous, a certain type of person and certain behavior make me nervous.
People who are not able to listen to what others have to say, and who shove their beliefs, opinions, etc onto others are not people I want to be around. It’s one thing to express what you’re thinking, but when someone gets belligerent and bullies others, threatens them because they have a different opinion, it’s a problem. Also, people who think verbally attacking other people and who promote aggression and physical abuse make me nervous.
My favorite restaurant is a restaurant called Pasta Cucina Rustica. They make authentic Sicilian food as well as dishes from all over Italy. The food is very fresh and authentic, and reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking. My grandmother used to press out noodles and pasta with her sisters, and I used to help when I was a kid, and I can tell that this restaurant also most of the time makes everything from scratch.
This restaurant also has the best authentic desserts. The staff is very friendly and professional. The overall vibe of the restaurant is good, and I have not yet had a bad experience.
If you could have something named after you, what would it be?
I have never thought about having something named after me. Should I have a purse named after me? It might sound regal to have a purse named the Victoria…….Look at my purse, it’s the latest Victoria. LOL
Or does it make more sense to have a drink named after me? Someone could drink the Victoria and say: Wow Victoria really fucked me up LOL! Tough choice, purse or a drink.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was five years old I wanted to either be an equine veterinarian or a therapist, possibly a psychiatrist. For awhile I was very into helping the vet when he came to the stable to take care of the horses every week, and he even taught me how to give shots and draw blood when I was 12 years old. I was so into wanting to be a veterinarian that when I was a teenager, I even did ride along to get an idea of what it was actually like to be a vet. I thought for sure that I would become a veterinarian…..
Fast forward and I started college. My friend Sunni and I actually got into the same university and we began our journey as pre-vet students. We were lucky to get most of our classes together so we were lab partners in classes. School was great and we were learning a lot of things, and even enjoying class until……this one semester was a bit brutal. I have a tough skin, but when I started to actually realize that I would spend a fair amount of time going out to calls for sick horses at 2:00 am, I started to rethink things. I also had the chance to talk to veterinarians who told me I could forget about actually having time to ride or own a horse once I became a vet because I would never know exactly what my day would be, and I had to consider that……even knowing all of this, I still wanted to be an equine veterinarian.
It wasn’t until Sunni and I were partners in a class where we had to put to sleep animals one right after the other. Of course all of these animals were deathly ill in some way, and we were not putting healthy animals to sleep, but it was still heart wrenching. I had even assisted my own vet in euthanizing various horses that were beyond help and it was ‘“ok” sort of……but this class was the final straw that did me in and I changed my major to psychology.
After that I worked on becoming a therapist, and after 8 years of school, I did become a therapist. Although every time my vet comes out to vaccinate my horses or check in on them for something, I wistfully have a second of wondering if I should have been a vet, but it quickly passes when my vet tells me about her day. And I really do enjoy being a therapist and talking to people and helping them. I gratefully wave goodbye to my vet, give my horses hugs and feel grateful that I have a career that I enjoy, and that I get to spend a lot of time doing what I love, which is riding.
What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?
I have actually wanted a tattoo for a very long time, but I could never decide what I wanted, so I haven’t gotten one. When my friend Laurel and I turned 18, we ran to the tattoo shop to get tattoos. Laurel knew exactly what she wanted so the tattoo artist started with her while I perused tattoos. When Laurel was done, I still wasn’t sure so the tattoo artist told me to come back because…..tattoos are there forever potentially, so you need to know what you want for sure. So I left the tattoo shop feeling disappointed. Laurel’s tattoo was cool though.
I started to think about what kind of tattoo I wanted, and I feel like I probably put too much thought into it. I was talking to my cousin years ago and I told him I wanted a zodiac sign tattooed on my lower back and he immediately said: “Oh no way. That’s a tramp stamp”, and he told me I should get the tattoo on my upper arm because it was the latest thing. This was in the 90’s and this particular cousin already had several tattoos, but I felt that he really did not want his female cousin to get a tattoo, so he gave me grief about it every time I tried to get a tattoo.
A few years later I got married and I was telling my husband I wanted a tattoo, and he said it better be tasteful. I again started thinking about what kind of tattoo I wanted and I still wanted the zodiac sign on my lower back. My husband thought it was a cool idea and I told him my cousin said it’s tasteless and it’s a tramp stamp. My husband told me: “Yes, but you’re MY tramp, and I’m cool with it”, and we both laughed.
So did I get that tattoo? Nope. Not yet. But I’m closer to going to get it, and I so think I will get a nice tramp stamp with my zodiac sign creatively done.
Hmmm….if i had to choose only one word to describe myself that would be fearless. I am not afraid to try anything, well…..except sky diving….that’s off the list, but I am not afraid to try new things. I started my own business,and let me tell you, it was terrifying. But I did it, and 4 years later I am doing quite well. Best decision I ever made.
And I have never been afraid of jumping horses over 5 foot jumps, although these days my husband has requested that I no longer jump that high because I don’t bounce as well as I used to, and I’m a mom so I need to be a little more careful. But I still have horses and show them, and I am fearless when it comes to that.
I am also fearless when it comes to standing up for myself. I don’t back down and allow people to bully me or talk me out of something that I really want to do.
And I am fearless when it comes to traveling. I love to travel and explore new places and countries.
I have to say that I am the most confident person I know, although I surrounded by confident women for sure. I was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by strong women who taught me to believe in myself, and that the best thing to do is to just get out there and try new things.
I grew up riding horses and you have to be confident and be a leader around horses or they will definitely take advantage of you. Most horse people are confident, and they say it like it is. Filters don’t have a place in the horse industry……but that can be said of the majority of sports related industries….coaches, trainers, etc definitely do not tell you what you want to hear, and they do not tell you that you’re great at something unless you are. I think that having someone tell you how to improve yourself is one of the best ways to become confident.
When someone is confident, they are not bothered by insecure people around them, and in fact, confident people are very likely to help less confident people become more confident.
To answer the question, what activities do I lose myself in…..I definitely lose myself while riding either one of my horses. I am usually getting ready for some kind of horse show, and I need to concentrate on what I am doing, so no one else exists but me and my horse. I also tune everyone out while actually competing in a horse shows as well. It’s so relaxing to tune everything out and concentrate on my horse.
When I am reading a good novel I also tend to get lost in the book. I get transported into the story and forget the outside world which is why I love to read.
Sometimes I can get lost in a good movie, but it depends on what it’s about. And I have a couple of tv shows that I tend to got lost in as well. And every now and then I get lost in my own thoughts.
To answer the question: What is the last thing I learned, I would need to rephrase it to: What am I currently learning because I am currently in the middle of a course to get a certificate in nutrition.
The last thing I actually learned was about how not getting enough protein of some kind affects your mental health, and that most people do not eat enough protein or fat because we have been conditioned to think that fat is bad and protein is bad and both make you fat. Of course if you eat a lot of fat and protein you might gain weight, but if you eat the right amount of each you are actually feeding your brain and giving it nourishment so that you can function properly, and not feel anxious or over emotional.
I’m a marriage and family therapist and I attempt to wean my patients off of their medication if possible, and if they want to, because of course I never tell anyone what they should do, and only make suggestions that people can follow or not follow. I am ok with whatever someone wants to do because people need to make choices for themselves.
This is a tough question to answer…..But I see that the question asks for objects and does not ask about people or pets, so I will answer the question about objects.
I think something that I could not live without is my Kindle because then I could download books, and continue to download books so I could read. I do like reading regular books too, but it’s so much easier to just download a book…..instant gratification. Lol.
Something else that I could not live without is either my phone or IPad only because I would want to keep in touch with friends and family and I need it to continue working……unless I would not be working, then maybe just keep my phone to keep in touch with people.
And the third thing I could not live without would be my planner because I write everything down in it, including notes to myself and thoughts. I have interesting ideas written in my planner that I often refer back to and turn into either blog posts or reflections in my journal.
Life and What Not 
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