Just Stuff about Me

I have joined a group of Creatives instigated by my friend Julie Jordan Scott and Paula Puffer. My intention is to post more content in the month of December for our Bridge to the New Year. You can find us on many social media platforms but our base is on Facebook.

Below you will find my first writing to the prompt: Interesting Things About Me
(I've limited it to 18 for the year 2018)

1. I'm 50 but most people think I'm much younger when they focus just on my facial features.

2. I have 3 beautiful children, a young adult son working on a Masters in Accountancy already working in a Public Accounting firm, a daughter senior in high school ranked #1 in her class currently holding the highest ACT score of her class and known for her writing, a multi-faceted artistic son a junior in high school.

3. I began working at a young age in my step-father's restaurants. By the age of 13 I could hostess a banquet, waitress, bus tables, do heavy duty dish washing, cook using a commercial grill & fryer, do the prep for any item on a 100 item hot and cold buffet (including all the salads).

4. By the time I was 18 I also learned the skills for every department in a small grocery store owned by my aunt and uncle, worked in a Roller Skating Rink and again learned how to do every job and being the D.J. was the best, worked in a Moneysaver, and of course had numerous baby sitting jobs.

5. Maintained highest academic status (Honor Roll) in high school even while simultaneously working a lot of hours.

6. Knew I would be an elementary teacher at the age of 13 when put in a sink or swim situation in a church setting. I accomplished that working in public education over a span of 20 years.

7. I've lived in 6 states -- Washington, Idaho, California, Arizona, Montana, Nevada -- living in Nevada the longest from 1992 to present.

8.  I've lived in 14 towns from rural to city, along mountain streams to river valleys to the beach to the desert -- Peck, ID; Clarkston, WA; Mesa, AZ; Riverside, CA; Huntington Beach, CA; Long Beach, CA; Port Hueneme, CA; Whittier, CA; Bozeman, MT; Craigmont, ID; Winchester, ID; Clearwater, ID; Lewiston, ID; West Wendover, NV.

9. I'm an only child but have five (half) siblings and I'm the oldest with my youngest only sister born when I was 17. When I took my little sister and brother (18 months older than sister) out and about with my long-term high school boyfriend, my teachers thought they were mine and I was living a double life. Some may classify mother's present husband's three children as step-siblings but I never lived with them.

10. I met my husband playing pinball my freshman year at college. We now own that particular pinball machine called Pin-Bot..

11. I did not know my husband's first name, only his last, when he asked me out for our first date to movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I told a girlfriend about him and she knew his first name and they were friends! I also knew this was the man I would marry at the end of that first date.

12. My favorite female musical artist is Amy Grant. I've seen her perform live at least 5 times and 

enjoyed a one on one 5 minute conversation with her with basically no one but her band in the background.

13. I play Bunco, a dice game. I discovered that my great-grandmother also played Bunco and so now when I play I know she is with me in spirit. When I had my first born, we had a 5 generation picture with this great-grandmother.

14. I have recovered from home bound Chronic Fatigue with Immune Dysfunction and severe Fibromyalgia. I removed myself from the public education setting to seek accurate assessment and healing (primarily naturopathic doctors). I still have to pay attention to my body's messages and work on healthier living but spent the past year on a selective diet that has healed a leaky gut under the guidance of an ND. Mild Fibro flares, arthritis, inflammation while still present at times, no longer prevent me from living fully.   

15. I love chocolate, blush wine, cats, watching movies, music.

16. I am writing a novella.

17. I am a librarian without holding a MLIS (Master's in Library & Informational Science). During my first year of teaching I said to a friend, when I'm tired of the classroom, I'm going to work in a library. Officially my title is Branch Library Assistant. But here's the thing, I'm the only staff person (other than my sub) in a small town library and do almost everything. Obviously, some tasks & decisions for media management is done by others in the system but my boss is 120 miles away! For my community, I've been the Librarian since September 2015.

18. I love books! I have an eclectic collection. In 2018 I read 75 titles, not including children's picture books which would put me over 100.