In the summer we'll sit in a field and watch the sun melt
In the winter we'll sit by a fire and watch the moon freeze
- Michelle Shocked

Lillie wants to be a make-up artist when she grows up. She used to want to be a ballerina or a ballet teacher. She has taken to wearing make-up quite a bit lately. When she used to get into my make-up, you'd know it right away. She'd have dark purple over and under her eyes, and lipstick on her forehead and cheeks. Now, you don't notice it at first because she's carefully put a little peach or pink above her eyes and just a touch of lipstick on her lips. I said something about it once and she said, "Mom, the trick is to blend it." Good advice.

When Grace was little she wanted to write children's books, draw pictures for children's books, be a librarian (because she thought they made the books), and be a basketball player. When she was 8 she decided she wanted to be a presidential historian. Now, she is really into dogs (and I mean into dogs - memorizing the breeds, the types of eyes, tails, head shape, etc).

When you ask her what she wants to be, she simply says she doesn't know.

I always wanted to be an artist. I loved to draw and paint growing up and it seemed like a romantic job. More than that, I wanted to be a mom and it seemed like a job I could have and still be a mom at home (my mom was a teacher - daycare and preschool weren't traumatic or anything, but I wanted to be home).

I'm not an artist. The job I have didn't even exist when I was a little kid thinking about what I wanted to be (and I don't think little girls now say, "I want to be a web publisher" because even I don't really know what that means).

I'm very happy with my work and I don't think being an artist is a very realistic job. Few people actually make money on charcoal sketches and oil paints. But, I do think that I should keep up the hobby more.

Big surprise, the future isn't what it used to be. But, in it's own way, it's better.