Wendy Ripaldi's profile

A man has only one escape from his old self — to see a different self in the mirror of another's eyes.

I believe life is about relationships and acts of service to others. What we contribute to our families, our personal relationships, and our communities is an intricate part of who we are. It is the very thing that Jesus shows time and again throughout scripture. I want to live my life by this example and to teach my boys this simple truth. Being involved in my community is important to me as well, sometimes the greatest thing we can do is to show acts of kindness and love to those who are our neighbors.

Well let's see...we never know what we are looking for until it finds us and even then it usually is not what we thought, which is pretty amazing. Sometimes we just have to make ourselves avaliable for that very thing and when we truly open up that is when we find exactly what we need. For those of us who like to make things happen (that would be me) that can be pretty hard to do. I am ready to look at the world with renewed appreciation, see the real beauty in anything, and want to truly live like each day is my last. Relationships are the only true wealth we have in life and the only thing that really matters at the end. Each day and each experience is a gift that we never know the true value of, what that real treasure is.

So a little about me: Love these mountains, my small town and the beautiful community I live in. I have two wonderful boys, 16 and 9, they are cool beyond belief! I love books, all kinds of music, and don't watch much television. I prefer to be outside hiking, climbing, or playing with my boys, even if that means freezing my butt off. I like golf, I can hit about 150 yards with a seven iron, not too bad for a girl, lol. I have traveled, lived in lots of places, owned my own business, was real estate broker associate in Florida, have been married, have been divorced, led a life of privilege and a life of nightmares, have stayed awake all night thinking about everything, have seen things of beauty and things that no person should have to see, have been humbled by circumstance, have written many things, have taken risks, have been ignorant to the world, have made mistakes, have failed at many things, have recieved grace and truth, and I look forward to heaven and coming home.

I

Convergence-the approach toward a definite value, as time goes on; or to a definite point, a common view or opinion, or toward a fixed or equilibrium state. I guess you could say that this is where I am at in life. Everything is coming together in such a way that I know that what I lay the foundation for now will have eternal implications. I feel so open and ready for anything. I guess it is almost like I have been asleep and now I am awake and the world is opening up right in front of my eyes. Such a blessing to have a clarity like that.

A few of the things I think about:
the world, my community, cause and effect, my work, improving other people's lives, why gas is so expensive, what it will be like in 20 years, what is the next thing I want to do, where my socks are, physics, God, time travel, the power of the human mind, black holes, music, poetry, chocolate, exotic places, humanitarian acts, writing, children, my family, my friends, loved ones, lost loves, future love, how to improve myself, Paris, what do I want to eat, gnosis, traveling, art, how the atomic bomb works, Marvel comics, will George Lucas make more Star Wars films, why a tomato is considered to be a fruit when it is clearly a vegetable, where am I going in this life, how to be a better mother, what God wants for me, what I am doing here, and who the next president will be.

A few other things I thought were worthy to mention:
I love to cook, I find such a basic pleasure in experimenting in the kitchen. Gardening is one of the most relaxing things in the world and gives such a simple satisfaction. There is nothing like feeling the earth between your hands and watching something you have nutured grow into something truly beautiful. In Florida I had a formal rose garden, among other flowers, plants and trees. It was so beautiful to watch all the different roses bloom and flourish under my hand. I delighted in learning about their care, how they were cultivated and even going to different nurseries to "shop" for unique varieties. I love art and could spend days wandering aimlessly around galleries and museums, so much so that I spent three weeks exploring the museums in Paris, with a specific focus on the Louvre. Puzzles are wonderful, they stretch the mind and imagination. I am fascinated by "magic" or slight of hand, David Blaine is one of my favorite magicians. I love to wander around the countryside exploring, I could drive for hours and never wonder what time it is. I like photography and experimenting with light. I have not missed a meteor shower this year and love to star gaze. I miss my telescope but was happy to see Mars recently with the naked eye. I love children, they seem drawn to me and I find them to be so delightful. I like to write and have had several things published. Someday soon I will write a book, I even have a title for it already. I love stories and can sit for hours listening to people tell them. I love horses and am terrified of them all at once, they are magnificant animals. I am a animal person who has a relationship with a bird, a cat and two dogs, albeit a love/hate relationship at times. I like to rock climb and these mountains yet I am afraid of heights. I only like red wine, you can keep all the others. I am not afraid of frogs, toads, snakes or lizards-I hate spiders with a passion! I drive too fast all the time and it is a wonder I have not killed myself doing it. I do not like lima beans, they are just gross. I like to fish and took fly fishing lessons two years ago although for some reason we never go. I love the outdoors but have never been camping. I am a morning person and a night owl, sometimes I wonder how I manage to live off the amount of sleep I function daily on. I am aggressive and forward, often putting my foot in my mouth because I talk without thinking first of the consequences. I am impulsive and rash, a true risk taker. I will try anything at least once. I like solitude and yet crave excitement. I can sit quietly by myself for days often prompting people to think there must be something wrong, lol. I am loyal to a fault, even if it is to my own detriment. I love the ocean but respect it's awesome life stealing power. I have been told I am a natural born leader but I try not to be because it holds such an awesome responsibilty for the welfare of others and I can not bear to let another person down. I hate laundry and dishes, I was abused and spolied too long on both ends of the spectrum on this. I miss my dishwasher! I depise arrogance in others because it is what I dislike about myself. I have no artistic ability at all but my son is an incredible artist who is not even aware of his gift. I am obsessively neat and incredibly messy all at once. Think spotless kitchen and a filthy vehicle. I have had the same recurring dream since I was a young child. It is a lovely dream with the the most vibrancy about a laughing man with a beautiful smile although I can never see much detail of his face except that he has dark hair. My good grandmother always teased me about him being the love of my life. I believe her to an extent yet I have yet to have met him. I have been a believer since I was 18 years old but never learned maturity or the depth of its implications until the last three years. I want to learn about glassblowing and how to handle pottery in it's original form. I love all kinds of sports but truly prefer to play them instead of watching.