Now with grand ambitions!

Posted bycasey coombsPosted inToo lazy to label.

My sister knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a vet.

She has worked at the same animal hospital for over ten years.

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a gardener, in the symphony, a physical therapist, a dance therapist, an artist,  a ballerina, a writer, a Porche driver, a professional soccer player, a speed skater and beauty queen.

Here I am at 25, a stay at home mom with an idle degree in graphic design. (While the SAHM title is honorable, it’s not exactly rocket science, OOH! Astronaut! I could be an astronaut!)
Whoo! For dreams! goals! and ambitions!

I want to go back to school, scratch that, I will go back to school. And when I go back I’ll become a web designer, a pastry chef, a photographer, an ASL interpreter, and I’ll also get my nursing degree and a degree in social work all while going to medical school on the side. Maybe I’ll even hit law school when all that gets boring. Oh, and there’s all these other people who tell me I should be a writer. Both novels and children’s books.

Oy.

I have this little voice in the back of my head that says “By the time you finish any of those you’ll be so OLD. Besides, you’re a big fat quitter, so quit while you’re ahead.”

SHUT UP VOICE I SAY!

But it’s true, I want to be good at so many things but want to be good at them immediately. The only thing I feel like I’ve ever been good at immediately was baking. Now if everything else in my life could come that easy I sure would appreciate it.

Even little things like Dance Dance Revolution. Do you have any IDEA how frustrating it is to practice a song for over an hour only to have your HUSBAND BEAT YOUR HIGH SCORE ON HIS FIRST TRY?

C’mon universe, GIVE ME SOMETHING!

I so want to be something, to do something with my life. To have mad wicked skills at all sorts of stuff. Musically, athletically, academically, craftily. I’ll keep on trying, and in the mean time…

Will someone else tell please decide what I should be when I grow up?

How did you decide what you wanted to be when you grew up?

And when will I get really good at Guitar Hero?

61 thoughts on “Now with grand ambitions!”

  1. “The only thing I feel like I’ve ever been good at immediately was baking.”

    It sort of looks like you have your answer… not everyone is good at baking. In fact, I suck at it… but if you have natural talent, i so go with it…

    i noticed that “sprinkles” is now selling their cupcake mix at williams-sonoma… seems like they really hit the big time. maybe open your own bakery?? 🙂

    kristin’s last blog post..four things.

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  2. I am 36 and still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I would guess that most people truly don’t. And I think it’s absurd to expect to do one thing for your entire life. I spent 13 years in the corporate world, and never want to go back.
    The point is, I don’t think you need to figure out what you want to do right now. Just keep doing what makes you happy and follow that path…

    LifeAsIKnowIt’s last blog post..I Do Not Like It Here or There; I Do Not Like It Anywhere…

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  4. Hey

    So I think you should do something with baking. Like Martha Stewart ALWAYS has these moms on that started their “mini” pie business in their house. Do something like that, you know your instantly good at baking so make it your plan to make a cook book for baked goods and pastries from scratch that are easy for us stupid people to do and then e-mail Martha and then get on her show and your set cause your American and none of us Canadians can get onto Martha.

    I want to be an advocate for domestic abuse and be a speaker on it and go to high schools and stuff to talk to teens so they know the signs and to get out of any potential relationship that is abusive in anyway so they aren’t nieve and think it was only once.

    And the Wii thingy….. my husband always beats my trash just like that too no matter how hard I try, I say get a game in secret practise and then pull it out and act like its your first time doing it and kick his trash.

    Liam’s last blog post..Joke of the Day

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  6. my nana and i mulled over this question on our radio show a couple weeks back.

    i feel its an ongoing journey on which most thoughtful people spend much time feeling confused.

    you are very talented in so many different areas, it makes it harder to decide!

    here’s the archived show if you want to listen, disregard the URL name: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/callyournana/blog/2007/12/12/Whatever-happened-to-Ethics-Not-to-mention-Manners

    hil

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  9. Ha. Guitar Hero. I decided to check it out a Best Buy the other day, since for the first time ever, there wasn’t a snotty nosed brat playing it already.

    I sucked. I sucked bad. And while I was sucking a 12 year old came over to show me how to play. They owned me. It was sad.

    But, um yeah, life decisions. All I ever wanted to be was a SAHM and right now I have no kids and a job. Let’s trade.

    Megan’s last blog post..Word to the wise…

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  10. Well, being as you asked… I think you should be a writer. Maybe write a cook book for those of us who are lacking in that skill.

    In my case, I went to college to be a med lab tech, worked as a med lab tech for 6 months and then decided I liked the title of MOM better. Now after being a SAHM for the past 10 years, I don’t know what the hell I am going to do (that actually pays me). I’m really kind of hoping something just falls in my lap, like a money tree…..

    Laura’s last blog post..Mad, Mad, Mad

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  16. Don’t worry, I am 28 and in Vet school right now,(is your sister a vet? ) but it took me a while to get off my butt and actually start. You are a fabulous writer, and it seems like a very good cook.(From your brownie recipe I can vouch for you) It will all work out. And besides, you have the luxury of thinking about whatever it is you want to do, and all I get to do is study all the time. There is something nice about knowing what you have wanted for your whole life, but there’s the other side of the coin too. Or I’m in a complainy mood today. I’m not sure. 🙂 I look forward to your blog everyday though, as I am sure alot of others do too. Too bad you can’t get paid for it. Or can you? Is that possible?

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  17. I’d give you some advice except I’m also not educated. I don’t have a piece of paper from a school (other than high school) that says I should be good at something. School sucked so I quit. I fell into my job with the Government of Canada (and very blessed because of that). Now I’ve worked my butt of here at work and have some how wiggle my way all the way up to Management. Ya, I’m the chick in Management with the Gov of Canada with no education or “squiggles” behing my name.

    When my career development instructors would ask what I wanted to be when I grow up…it was followed by a shrug of the shoulders and then “a mom??”

    However I wish I liked school cuz I see a ton of cool jobs out there that people have that I’d love to have. Except I don’t want the school part. Hmmmm

    ashlee’s last blog post..Primary Kids

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  18. I know exactly how you feel, because I feel the exact same way.

    I, too, will go back to school, and yes, I too will be old.

    But it will be ALLLL MINE!!! MINE I TELL YOU! 🙂

    Also? The Guitar Hero thing? Just keep trying. The Goober Band (me) are in London now, and it only took me like 5 times to beat Tom Morello. Okay, 7 or 8 times, but shhhhhhhhh…. 🙂

    Needless to say, I practice more than my wrist wants me to. Forget Wii tennis elbow, the Guitar Hero Wrist Injury is way worse!

    Shash

    Shash’s last blog post..I have the BEST. HUBBY. EVER.

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  20. “What should I be when I grow up?”

    That’s the question that has been holding me back since the day that I graduated and, essentially, grew up. NO MORE! I’m going to university, taking classes in the subjects that I love, and that’s that. What I will be will work itself out in the end.

    Do a little bit more of the things that you love every day. If you’re a “quitter” (me too, by the way – I could give you a looong list of the things I’ve done halfway), then I would suggest working with that! Pick something you want to learn more about, and learn more about it for a month. Then move on. Don’t hate yourself for wanting to know so much that there isn’t time to know it all well. Work with that side of yourself!

    Debbie’s last blog post..“There are places I’ll remember…

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  23. Ya, good luck with this one. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grown up and I have decade on you girl!! I envy people like your sister who know exactly what they want to do and do it.

    Lindy’s last blog post..Travelin’

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  25. your post really hit a spot today. i spent 8 years in university plus another year articling and writing the bar to be a lawyer. now, i’m a stay home mom. what, i ask myself sometimes, was the point of all that? i could have spent that time traveling around europe, living the bohemian life in greenwich village, saving children in Africa…but, at the end of the day, i value my education – i met my hubby there and it helped shape who i am today. i don’t know if i’ll ever practice law again, but i figure i’ve got lots of time to decide who i want to be.

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  26. OMG… you should be a baker. You could take pictures (photograper), you could design your website (graphic arts), you could do so many things with that.

    Show the Moosh that anything is possible!

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  27. I have so many ambitions too and they change like I change my underwear. I always thought I was going to do or be this but it looks like Mom is really my biggest achievement and always will be.

    Sometimes though being a mom means that you are a little of everything: zoo keeper (that’s only because my son is acting like a monkey right now), chef, teacher, bus driver, accountant, psychologist, and doorman. It really is the most versatile career ever!

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  28. I’m still trying to figure that one out for myself as well… and I’m two years older than you! My dad is 59 and he told me he’s still trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up. Be all those things you want to be… but just a little dabble here, a little dabble there. Perfection is pretty much impossible in any ONE area, I hate to tell ya. Even if you dedicate your entire life to it. Like I told you last week, you should be a children’s book writer. Your series could be “Oy, McCoy!” :)(because you always say “Oy” in case you were wondering).

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  30. Still trying to figure this one out, which is why I am still in school… And will be forever. (Really. I am in the longest.degree.program.EVER)

    And hey! At 25 – which is younger than me, boo! – you’ve accomplished one achievement I can only dream about at this point: becoming a mother. That’s pretty big. And baking on top of that? 🙂

    Eventually, we (and I include myself in this) will figure it out. But it doesn’t have to be today – at least, I hope not!

    Z’s last blog post..Here’s the Deal

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  31. I pretty much knew from about the time I could read that I was going to be a professor, really. Kinda.

    But you should do stuff with your millions of kitchen gizmos! Or with baby fashion styling! Seriously, you’ve got MAD SKILLZ

    mimi’s last blog post..Milestone, unexpected

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  35. I always wanted to be a graphic designer, in fact have done it as a hobby “in my spare time”.

    I always wanted to be an astronaut, but didn’t want to be in school that long.

    I am 31 and have only completed two quarters of college. I am going to register at my local community college next semester to take a Small Business Management certificate and then improve on that as I go.

    I was in real estate for about 10 years and now I manage a pet store and it’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, not to mention that’s how I got my pet skunk.

    It’s ok to feel like you haven’t done anything, but I would give my left arm to be an SAHM.

    Reese’s last blog post..South Carolina, I Think.

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  37. Don’t knock baking. You will always have lots of friends if you can bake. And not everyone can. I learned that the hardway when all sorts of women brought me food after I had my babies. Some of it was soooo nasty.

    I am still paying off a butt load of loans for my “career” that lastest 3 years until I began the glamorous job of SAHM. Whenever moms complain about the loss of wages, I always remind them that I am literally still paying for the privelege of taking care of my kids. And then I have days like today and I am thinking the “privelege” isn’t so much of one…

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  39. Oh, girl do I ever know what you mean. It’s part of the reason why I quit my soul-sucking job. You have plenty of time left, you can do anything! It always brings me comfort when I see a 90 year old great-grandmother getting her college degree.

    And keep on rocking those Guitar Hero skills, because they sure do come in handy. At least that is one (of few) things I do better than my husband. 🙂

    Lynne’s last blog post..Free Space to Three Gigabytes

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  41. I’m soooo with you (and a lot of other commenters, it appears).

    I keep wondering when my “adult” life will start, and when I’ll finally decide whether to use my degree or just stay home and watch the weeds grow.

    I’ve said it before to my husband that even though I’m now into my 30’s, have two kids and a mortgage, I still feel like we’re just rehearsing for our “real life”. Somehow this all just seems like practice.

    We’ll grow up someday, won’t we?

    I’ll second (or third, fourth… TENTH) what others have said – BAKE! You seem to be VERY good at it, and I would be proud to show off those mad skilz, sister!

    Mandy’s last blog post..MOVE! THAT! FUTON!

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  42. I think it’s great when people are able to determine what they want to be at a young age, and then go out and do it… but the reality is (I think), most people don’t. Me included! I got a History degree but I didn’t want to be a teacher. So that left me with… not many options. I am now doing something that I am so happy doing… working with my mom and sister, writing something every day, meeting tons of new people (albeit virtually) and working from home (hello PJs all day) surrounded by my doggies. Now the next goal is to make tons and tons of money doing this thing that I love! 😉

    Jane, Pinks & Blues

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  43. I just had to comment because you said you wanted to be an ASL interpreter, and tonight I just had my first ASL class. It’s not going to become a career for me (at least, I’m pretty sure it won’t) as it’s just a 3credit elective (I’m 22, senior in college, English major), but it sure is fun.

    Maybe you can just take a couple of classes at a college nearby so you can feel like you’re ‘doing something’ and maybe gain some wicked skills in the process?

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  45. Having a degree (or multiple) is not all that it’s cracked up to be either. Plus then you have that lovely thing called student loans when you have no income because you’re a SAHM being a human Kleenex. Ugh.
    Anyways, if you want something random (and more ways to waste your time!) I tagged you!

    Krista’s last blog post..My New Band

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  46. What do you love doing the most? What, if you were told you only had a decade to live, would you want to delve into deepest, learn more about, and practice every day?
    Those are the questions I asked myself in my late 20s when I decided to get an MFA in creative writing. And it’s lead me closer to a profession I want to persue.
    (This does not mean you necessarily need a higher degree to go after what you love.)
    The fantasy possibilities will have to fall by the wayside because as you grow up, you realize life is indeed finite. But that’s a good thing in the end. It gives you the impetus to focus on the REAL you, not the imagined you.
    And please. Pish. You are not old. I have family members who went to medical school in their forties to persue what they determined they loved. There’s always time.

    Must be Motherhood’s last blog post..Just make sure you’ve got the right zip code

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  47. You are pretty darn good at blogging… you make it look easy! That’s not nothin’… and for the record, Guitar Hero is evil!! It wraps it’s claws around me, sucks me in, makes me feel high, and like a total loser all at once… yet, I keep coming back for more ~lol

    Piper of Love’s last blog post..“Is that Jesus?”

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  48. I wanted to be a brain surgeon and a long haul truck driver when I was growing up.

    Now if you asked me, I just want to out of a padded cell and grow pretty things.

    And children.

    Grow me lots of children.

    Wouldn’t hurt if I could occasionally beat my husband on the Wii either…

    Redneck Mommy’s last blog post..Withdrawal

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  49. I haven’t read all your 47 (wow!) comments about this, but I’m guessing by now you know you’re not alone. I have no idea what life will hold after my mommy gig is up. I was a teacher before. That’s what I worked hard for and trained for, but I don’t know if that’s what I want to do. I highly suspect it is not. I think it’s always a good idea to start with what we like and are passionate about and go from there.

    Mommy Daisy’s last blog post..Our Monday adventure

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  50. I’m suppose to grow up? *sigh* That stinks! Oh how I can completely empathize with this post!!!!!! I want to conquer the world, except I don’t want to take the steps to get there. Immediate gratification. That’s why I did hair and now I am paralyzed to get my liscense in utah for whatever DUMB reason. *sigh* I feel your pain.

    Carlzbad’s last blog post..Plastic Surgery

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