Who Hudson_Hawk, please come share!

[princessplease]

I loved following your posts in BWW, and now that your big day is coming up (YAY!!!!!!!!!!), I hoped that if you're interested, you could share what makes you, you!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

How exciting! Up until just recently I didn’t even know there was a who’s who board. Which is really sad considering I’ve been around PS for a good long while now.

What makes me me? Well…oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and a bunch of other stuff….has that line been used in whos who before???

I’ll start with my screen name Hudson Hawk. In real life my name is Stephanie. I tend to go by Steph a lot though I was always Stephanie as a kid. It’s strange because usually folks have their nicknames as kids and then go back to their full names as adults. I’m apparently backwards (which is usually the case with most things). Anyway, my screen name comes from the somewhat obscure movie Hudson Hawk with Bruce Willis and Andie McDowell. It’s one of my all time favorites because it incorporates many things I find fascinating: travel, spy games, Italy, art, history, culture, and the history of the RC Church. So I chose Hudson Hawk because it was an obscure and likely unused name. Other than really liking the movie, the name has nothing to do with who I am. I’m not from NY or anywhere remotely related to the Hudson River.

Now on to the life story:

I was born an Army brat on Ft. Ord in Monterey, California on April 4, 1980. My father was posted there for language school after being posted the Panama Canal Zone for several years. We lived in CA for two years before moving to the East Coast. My father was stationed in MA and taught ROTC at a college here. After several years he received a new assignment to go overseas to Korea. At this time my parents decided to separate and get a divorce. I was 4 or 5 at this point. My mom packed us kids up and we moved to Vermont where her family was from and my dad spent the next 3 years overseas. Eventually my mom settled with my older brother and me in Hanover, NH where we stayed until I went to college.

I mentioned a brother. I actually have two, one three years older and one 13 years younger. When I was 13 my mom (age 44 at the time) and her then SO decided to start a family together and they had my little brother. That relationship was doomed due the dad’s bad alcohol and anger problem and they split six months after my little brother was born. So between ages 13 and 18 when I went to college, my life revolved around school and my little brother. My mom, as a single mother raising three kids, one in college at the time, had to work several jobs to make ends meet. I was the live-in babysitter. This was the source of a lot of resentment for a long time, but now that I’m older I can see that she did the best she could and the bond I have with my brother is unlike any I’ve had with anyone else. I feel in some ways like he’s my own child even though he’s not (THANK GOD!!!). So if I ever chime in on the mommy threads, you know why. I’ve had lots and lots of practice with infants and toddlers!

I went to a small school in NH and majored in English and Art History. I minored in History. I then went on to go to grad school for Publishing and Communications. My career up until just recently has been in publishing. I lost my job in December and I’ve worked for an engineering and consulting firm since February. I’m a technical writer/editor and I do a lot of work writing proposals and regulatory documents. It’s not my dream job, but it’s a paycheck!

I live in Warwick, RI, but I work in Boston, MA. Yes, we commute via car every day. It’s rough, but I’ve done it for so long that I don’t even notice the distance/time anymore. My fiancé (soon to be hubbie) TJ and I have two cats, Murphy and Binks, and a dog, D.O.G., but no kids right now. They’re in the five year plan, but we’ve had to hold off a bit because of losing our jobs last year. As Princessplease mentioned, we’re getting married in four days! We’ve had a average-length engagement, about two years or so and we’re so ready for the day to get here. We’re having a very small wedding (45 ppl) at a fantastic restaurant/gallery in Providence, RI called Cav. We’re then heading off to Belize for a week for our honeymoon.

About who I really am….
I love to laugh and I have a totally twisted sense of humor. I’m one of those people who has little-to-no filter. I’ve worked hard to get to a place where I can control myself at the office and in formal situations, but casually I’m OUT THERE! I’m usually the one blurting out inappropriate comments and then realizing what she’s said as soon as it’s left her lips…it’s bad. But I guess its part of my charm. I’ve been told I have a strong personality.

I’m very opinionated and outspoken. I was always the underdog in school (heavy, poor, not the brightest bulb, not athletic), so I try to stick up for the under dog when I can. I’m that person who puts a dollar in the beggar’s cup even though she knows he’s going to buy booze with it. I just “adopted” an orphan from Moldova because he had big ears and looked like the little brother on Malcom in the Middle.

I get along better with guys than girls. Maybe it’s because of that inappropriate sense of humor/filter issue, I don’t know. I have a core group of girl friends, but it’s taken a long time to build those relationships and they’re all sorority sisters. I am a sister of Delta Zeta, though I’m not all about Greek life. Growing up essentially on the campus of Dartmouth College (basis of Animal House) I had a preconceived notion of what a sorority should be like. Things changed a lot between the mid-90s when I was in Hanover and the late 90s/early 2000s when I was in college. I loved the years I spent in DZ though and some of the sisters are really like sisters at this point.

I’m viciously loyal. I hate bullys, braggarts, and people who think they’re superior to everyone else. I will bite if I see you attacking one of my friends or someone weaker than you. I like to “poke the bear” too sometimes.

Um…so basically that’s it. I’m happy to add more details if there are specific things you want to know. I feel like I’ve written a book!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I had no idea Hudson Hawk was a movie, I''m going to have to check that out!

It''s great to read about you, I didn''t realize that you played such a parental role to your little brother, that must have been very difficult for you at the time.

I can''t wait to see pics of your beautiful wedding--it looks like the clouds are going to momentarily part for you and I have no doubt everybody will be enjoying the beautiful day! Good luck!

Maybe we''ll see each other on the TTC thread in the next year or two

 

[Linda W]

Yay!!! You have your very own thread

I can''t wait to see your beautiful wedding pictures sweetheart.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 7/1/2009 1:40:25 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
I had no idea Hudson Hawk was a movie, I''m going to have to check that out!


It''s great to read about you, I didn''t realize that you played such a parental role to your little brother, that must have been very difficult for you at the time.


I can''t wait to see pics of your beautiful wedding--it looks like the clouds are going to momentarily part for you and I have no doubt everybody will be enjoying the beautiful day! Good luck!


Maybe we''ll see each other on the TTC thread in the next year or two

Yes, it''s a movie about a cat burgler who gets into a hysterical mess involving the Vatican, DaVinci, and Sandra Bernhardt. Very very funny.

 

[princessplease]

Thanks for sharing, HH! Super kudos for you to parenting your little brother. I imagine that was difficult at such a young age.

How did you and FI meet? Any pics of the furrbabies??

How far is your commute to work??

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

FI and I met at Starbucks. We were standing in line and the baristas we''re taking forever/completely ignoring the customers, and he made some snide comment. I responded with an equally inappropriate though apparently hysterical comment and I guess it got his attention. He asked if he could join me for coffee and we had our coffee, talked and exchanged email addresses. Things didn''t go very far past email because, well, he was married at the time (though they were separated). Once the papers were filed we started dating and the rest is history.

My commute to work is anywhere from 45 minutes to multiple hours. It''s about an hour and 15 minutes on a good day.

Pics are attached. D.O.G. is about 20 lbs heavier now. He''s an 11 month old chow chow.
Murphy is the red cat. He''s 5 and he''s an Abyssinian
Binks is 3 and he''s the fat grey/white one.
The siamese kindof in the picture with murphy is Marley, my old cat. He now lives with his dad, my ex bf.

 

[sunnyd]

HH, I can''t believe you don''t already have a WW!! What''s your fave meal?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I have a few favorites, lobster, chicken korma and lettuce wraps from the Cheesecake factory

 

[princessplease]

Oh those lettuce wraps!!!!! They''re amazing!!!!!
What do you and FI like to do together for fun? What do you do for fun?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

For fun I like looking at pretty thing, art, landscape, jewelry, gemstones, I also love to read, shop and go to concerts.

Fi and I love to travel together and we adore the water.

 

[princessplease]

What are some of the destinations you''ve traveled to? Which do you like the most, and why? I''m just being nosy here, HH!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Between the two of us:
Canada
Dominican Republic
Grand Cayman
Bahamas
Mexico
Ecuador
St. Kitts
St. Martin
England
Scotland
France
Belgium
Austria
Italy

I think my favorite place was Italy because of the art and history.Not that the other locations don''t have history, but I went to Italy right after taking Art History so it had a big impact on my trip.

 

[Regular Guy]

Hudson,

Great you have a thread here, and to read about you.

For publishing, they''ve said Boston IS city #2 (I went to the Denver Publishing Institute in 1980).

Very best wishes on your very close now upcoming day.

and warmest regards,

 

[mrscushion]

Yay, HH! You have your own thread -- fabulous!

I have to check out the movie -- I love the history of the RC church. So does my mom, so maybe we''ll watch it together.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Just adding a pic of our latest munchkin. We still haven''t decided on a name for him. We''re debating between pipsqueak and moggy...

And no, he''s not in a cage at our house. He currently resides under my bed or my dresser. He''s still a little skittish.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

A poster mentioned having never seen my ering so I''m going to post some pictures here...

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Hand shot

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

That was a bad one

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

and that one didn''t come out. Sheesh!

 

[princessplease]

I LOVE the ring, and I LOVE the little kitty!!!!

Pipsqueak is such a cute name!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Aww HH your pets are so cute!!

Glad to see you have a Who''s Who!

 

[OUpearlgirl]

I''ve always loved your ring! The new kitty is adorable!

What is your idea of a perfect day?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

My idea of a perfect day is sleeping in late, having breakfast somewhere-eggs bennie for me, french toast for DH, taking the MG to Newport for the day. Going to the beach, doing the cliff walk, driving along Bellevue Ave and Ocean Drive. Then having a late lunch of lobster rolls followed by gelato at Cold Fusion. Then we''d drive home, have some private time, get all dressed up and go out to dinner somewhere in Providence or Boston. Then we''d go home and pass out from food comas.