Thursday 13: If I had a billion dollars

1. Quit my job and concentrate on school. I'm not one of those who would win the lotto, quit work and sit around eating bonbons all day. (Well, I'd have to do that at least once...) But I'd definitely love to give up my current day job in favor of expediting the PhD process.

2. Invest. I'd take a big portion of the pile and get it to grow. The idea would be to invest enough so that we could live off the interest foreva and eva.

3. Pay the mortgage(s). All family mortgages? Zero balances baby.

4. College funds for my favorite small ones. Emily, Sydney, Emily, Josh, Gav, Graden, Abs, Grant, Myles, Mason, Claire, Todd, Bryce, Jack, Neil... consider college covered!

5. Loans-be-gone. While I'm at it, I'd erase the fam's student loan debt.

6. Establish the Shawna Malvini Middle-Class White Girl Scholarship Fund. For those who've tried to get financial aid but have parents who make too much for funding but not enough to cover school.

7. Launch the Malvini-Redden Flying Warbird Museum. Mr. T and I plan to make the millions in order to develop an aviation museum with airworthy birds. It would sure come a lot faster with a billion buckaroos!

8. DIG MY POOL. Although you will notice "mansion" has not populated this list, one major home upgrade I would appreciate is a freaking pool. I have ALWAYS wanted my own small body of water. My parents started digging one when I was in high school... just in time for me to leave

for college. Lovely.

9. Travel the world. England, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Japan...

10. Find a cure for autism. My uncle Eric John left me a sweet voicemail today, and whenever we hang out, I wonder what is really going on in his head. If my billions of dollars could do anything at all, I'd have them find a cure for autism.

11. And then cancer. As much as I love my medical dramas, I would adore it if the cancer story lines disappeared already!

12. Start my consulting company. A big stash of cash would make it easier to get my consulting business off the ground. Just want to make businesses communicate better!