Loosely based on Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume K
Kaluah- I am not a drinker. I am 49 and I can honestly say I have never been drunk. In High School, we'd go to parties with friends, and I'd have a couple of Coolers. Beer was never my thing, but then again there weren't flavors then. (Do flavored beers make a difference?)
My sister, Sheri, let me try a Kaluah and Cream once and I loved it. Now, I have an occasional glass of wine, but still, I'm not that into it. I do however have a shot of Kaluah over vanilla ice cream every now and then. Add a little homemade Magic Shell and you have a yummy dessert.
Key- When we were counselors at Camp, nearly every thing with a padlock, used the same key. They were bought in bulk. There were several floating around, and since we worked over weekends, we aquired a key. After the second summer, and the difficulty it contained, the key became a symbol of standing up for what was right. It represents doing something hard because it is what is right. (See also Camp)
Kids- My own: I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but not right away. I worked in Child Care and was happy, as parents drug whiny kids away, that I got to go home to a kid free existence. Once I felt, "My kids won't be that way," I knew we were ready. I tried at first to be both a Mom and a Child Care/ Camp Director, but couldn't do both 100%. We chose together for me to be a stay at home mom. It is the best and only decision for us. WE chose to have THEM. WE owed it to them to be there for them. No regrets.
Others: My favorite quote is, " The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why." I realized through my work with the Y that I was meant to work with kids. That time may have passed, because with the kids today it is harder to find the magic. I miss the magic.
Kindergarten- I worked in the Kindergarten classroom with one of the best teachers for 10 years. I loved working with them. I loved teaching them how to hold a pencil and form their letters correctly. I loved helping them learn to read and then how to Read. I loved seeing them grow from the beginning of the year to the end. They are funny and exhausting and I loved my time with them and learned a lot from Tracey-- the teacher and my friend.
Showing posts with label Random Facts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random Facts. Show all posts
Monday, May 7, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume J
Loosely based on the book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume J
Jeans- I love wearing jeans. I miss the days of ripped jeans... faded ripped jeans. I feel like me in in jeans. No pretense. Just me. Throw in a T-shirt and a flannel shirt unbuttoned and you have my uniform of choice. I just love jeans.
Jetsons' Car- I have always wanted a Jetsons car. I am not a fan of traffic. Driving in big cities scares me because cars cut you off or push from behind. If I had a Jetsons car I could fly over all the nonsense and arrive at my destination ahead of schedule and stress free. However, the only way for this to work would be for me to be the sole owner of the Jetsons car. It's possible. Right?
Job Titles- I have been a babysitter, a bus girl, a McDonald's employee, a camp counselor, food service at Valpo, a counselor at a Y, Senior Counselor at the same Y, an employee of Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Program Director for the same Camp Fire program, recreation leader at a foster village, Child Care director at a Y, Child Care Camp Director at another Y, Stay at home mom, and Instructional Assistant and Reading Intervention at an elementary school. The next job to add to the list is yet to be determined.
Informally, I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, and a friend.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume J
Jeans- I love wearing jeans. I miss the days of ripped jeans... faded ripped jeans. I feel like me in in jeans. No pretense. Just me. Throw in a T-shirt and a flannel shirt unbuttoned and you have my uniform of choice. I just love jeans.
Jetsons' Car- I have always wanted a Jetsons car. I am not a fan of traffic. Driving in big cities scares me because cars cut you off or push from behind. If I had a Jetsons car I could fly over all the nonsense and arrive at my destination ahead of schedule and stress free. However, the only way for this to work would be for me to be the sole owner of the Jetsons car. It's possible. Right?
Job Titles- I have been a babysitter, a bus girl, a McDonald's employee, a camp counselor, food service at Valpo, a counselor at a Y, Senior Counselor at the same Y, an employee of Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Program Director for the same Camp Fire program, recreation leader at a foster village, Child Care director at a Y, Child Care Camp Director at another Y, Stay at home mom, and Instructional Assistant and Reading Intervention at an elementary school. The next job to add to the list is yet to be determined.
Informally, I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, and a friend.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume I
Loosely based on Amy Krause Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume I
Ice Cream: I am not a big ice cream person. I'm actually kind of boring when it comes to ice cream. But... I am also an ice cream snob. I like hard ice cream, not soft serve. From the store, it is usually vanilla - any kind that is all natural ingredients. I like a sprinkle of my coffee, homemade blackberry syrup, or a shot of Kahlua stirred in. We make homemade magic shell with coconut oil and chocolate chips melted together and sometimes whipped cream to top it off.
If getting from an ice cream store, I like coffee ice cream, which I started to like after trying some from Hot Licks in Fairbanks, Alaska. There is a place in Michigan that sells homemade ice cream with blackberry syrup swirled in (that is where we got the idea), that is fantastic.
But. The best ice cream ever, was a kind I tried last summer, at a place called Ursa Major. I think it was called Sleeping Bear Latte. It was coffee ice cream with cinnamon and honey swirled in. Ah-mazing.
So if I'm having ice cream, it has to be real.
Introvert: I am an introvert. True introvert or extrovert is where you get your energy. I can talk in front of people. I can sing camp songs to a crowd. Nervous perhaps, depending on the situation, but not stage fright. But I don't like crowds to just mingle. If I have to I need to get away or I feel the walls close in. And going to the store, wears me out. The lights and high ceilings and wandering people are exhausting. I get home and I need some time to reorient.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume I
Ice Cream: I am not a big ice cream person. I'm actually kind of boring when it comes to ice cream. But... I am also an ice cream snob. I like hard ice cream, not soft serve. From the store, it is usually vanilla - any kind that is all natural ingredients. I like a sprinkle of my coffee, homemade blackberry syrup, or a shot of Kahlua stirred in. We make homemade magic shell with coconut oil and chocolate chips melted together and sometimes whipped cream to top it off.
If getting from an ice cream store, I like coffee ice cream, which I started to like after trying some from Hot Licks in Fairbanks, Alaska. There is a place in Michigan that sells homemade ice cream with blackberry syrup swirled in (that is where we got the idea), that is fantastic.
But. The best ice cream ever, was a kind I tried last summer, at a place called Ursa Major. I think it was called Sleeping Bear Latte. It was coffee ice cream with cinnamon and honey swirled in. Ah-mazing.
So if I'm having ice cream, it has to be real.
Introvert: I am an introvert. True introvert or extrovert is where you get your energy. I can talk in front of people. I can sing camp songs to a crowd. Nervous perhaps, depending on the situation, but not stage fright. But I don't like crowds to just mingle. If I have to I need to get away or I feel the walls close in. And going to the store, wears me out. The lights and high ceilings and wandering people are exhausting. I get home and I need some time to reorient.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume G
Loosely based on Amy Krause Rosenthal's book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume G
Games: We have Family Game Night, but there is a list of approved games. I prefer games that don't lead to nasty competition. Games that are supposed to be more competitive, we turn into cooperative games. For example, in Sorry we used to say you could share spaces and we didn't use the Sorry cards (as they got older we did). There is a place for competition, but not involving me. Mark fills that role for the boys.
The boys have eliminated Bananagrams from the list because it "makes their brains hurt."
We take turns, each Sunday, picking a game and a dessert.
Games have changed and evolved. We no longer play Scrabble Jr. Disney edition. We haven't played their creation of Block Cone -- played with cardboard blocks and mini soccer crowns, and Transformers as tokens.
We play games inherited from my husbands youth that don't exist any more.
And we have added card games they can understand strategy for now, like Euchre.
Some favorites are Ticket to Ride, 5 Crowns, and Yahtzee.
We have every sheet from Yahtzee saved, from when we started playing. It's like a piece of our history, because we started writing down details-- like the time everyone got a Yahtzee or when Will got a Yahtzee on the first roll. We write the date and keep track. Yes this is competitive, but it doesn't involve someone sabotaging you, so it's OK competition.
Starting this summer, both boys will be gone, and I will miss our game nights with every fiber of my being.
Genealogy: I started working on genealogy in 2002, when putting together a scrapbook for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. I was doing a time line, and wanted to start with their parents. It led to wanting to go back further. Writing their story led me to want to know more of their story. I became addicted to finding out more, and how my family fit in this world.
I continue to search. I have names and dates and locations. My search is for who they were.
My mother-in-law says her grandmother had a journal that told stories of motherhood. My Mother- in- law would hear stories of what her dad was like as a child. The absolute tragedy of this, is that after mother-in-law died, her husband was so distraught, he got rid of those journals.
Can you imagine?
Glasses: I had to get glasses when I was 14. I HATED them. I didn't wear them. I wanted contacts and couldn't have them, so I didn't wear the ugly glasses we could afford.
Did you know if you don't wear something to correct your vision, your vision gets worse?
When I was able to buy contacts for myself, I did just that. I loved contacts. I could see. They didn't fog up in the cold or get splattered by rain. I could wear sunglasses just like everyone else.
Now I'm older and I can't wear contacts because my eyes get dried out. The eye doctor has even recommended...
...bifocals!!!!
I tried them. I didn't like them. I wear glasses that I can just see out the bottom of and hold reading material closer.
I used to think, "No way," when it came to Lasik.
Now I think, "Maybe."
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume G
Games: We have Family Game Night, but there is a list of approved games. I prefer games that don't lead to nasty competition. Games that are supposed to be more competitive, we turn into cooperative games. For example, in Sorry we used to say you could share spaces and we didn't use the Sorry cards (as they got older we did). There is a place for competition, but not involving me. Mark fills that role for the boys.
The boys have eliminated Bananagrams from the list because it "makes their brains hurt."
We take turns, each Sunday, picking a game and a dessert.
Games have changed and evolved. We no longer play Scrabble Jr. Disney edition. We haven't played their creation of Block Cone -- played with cardboard blocks and mini soccer crowns, and Transformers as tokens.
We play games inherited from my husbands youth that don't exist any more.
And we have added card games they can understand strategy for now, like Euchre.
Some favorites are Ticket to Ride, 5 Crowns, and Yahtzee.
We have every sheet from Yahtzee saved, from when we started playing. It's like a piece of our history, because we started writing down details-- like the time everyone got a Yahtzee or when Will got a Yahtzee on the first roll. We write the date and keep track. Yes this is competitive, but it doesn't involve someone sabotaging you, so it's OK competition.
Starting this summer, both boys will be gone, and I will miss our game nights with every fiber of my being.
Genealogy: I started working on genealogy in 2002, when putting together a scrapbook for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. I was doing a time line, and wanted to start with their parents. It led to wanting to go back further. Writing their story led me to want to know more of their story. I became addicted to finding out more, and how my family fit in this world.
I continue to search. I have names and dates and locations. My search is for who they were.
My mother-in-law says her grandmother had a journal that told stories of motherhood. My Mother- in- law would hear stories of what her dad was like as a child. The absolute tragedy of this, is that after mother-in-law died, her husband was so distraught, he got rid of those journals.
Can you imagine?
Glasses: I had to get glasses when I was 14. I HATED them. I didn't wear them. I wanted contacts and couldn't have them, so I didn't wear the ugly glasses we could afford.
Did you know if you don't wear something to correct your vision, your vision gets worse?
When I was able to buy contacts for myself, I did just that. I loved contacts. I could see. They didn't fog up in the cold or get splattered by rain. I could wear sunglasses just like everyone else.
Now I'm older and I can't wear contacts because my eyes get dried out. The eye doctor has even recommended...
...bifocals!!!!
I tried them. I didn't like them. I wear glasses that I can just see out the bottom of and hold reading material closer.
I used to think, "No way," when it came to Lasik.
Now I think, "Maybe."
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume F (final)
Loosely based on the book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume F part 2
Fingernails: I have always wanted fingernails. Not the long, scary, Hollywood nails, just nails long enough to tap impatiently on the table. Alas, it doesn't seem to be meant for me. I used to bite, now I pick and peel them. I can try really hard to leave them alone. I can grow them out a little and add oil and push back the cuticles and add super strong polish, but inevitably there will be a chip, or the nail will weaken, and then I pick and peel, and it's gone. The longest I've had nails had been 2 months.
Oh, and I haven't really been able to handle colored polish. Colored polish is just a shiny beacon that screams, "Here I am! Don't you want to peel this color off and take the top layer of nail with it?' And my answer always seems to be, "Apparently, yes I do."
Flowers: I am not a flower kind of girl. The amount of money spent to send flowers to me could buy at least one hard back book or several paperbacks. Books last forever. Flowers are food for the cats to throw up. The water turns slimy. Flowers die in a short amount of time, but are background noise long before then. I'm just not a fan.
Outside flowers, however, are a goal. I just have no idea how to create a pretty flower garden to surround our deck. Lilacs are my favorite and we have 3 bushes. I would like to figure out what other flowers could go around the front porch or how to make our huge yard pretty. I guess I need to watch more HGTV? (see home improvement shows)
Friends: I am an introvert. I do not like to go out and meet new people. I am not the kind of person who walks into the room with a, "Here I am!" persona. I am the kind who walks quietly into a room and hopes someone approaches me. Therefore I don't have a lot of friends. I never have.
In High School I had a few close friends, but our paths drifted apart when the guys they were dating were doing things I didn't approve of. I started hanging out with my then boyfriend (now husband), and his friends, more and more. His friends became my friends.
In college I worked too much to have close friends. Acquaintances, sure, but not "friends."
Camp friends are forever friends. Living with a group of people 24 hours a day for 10 weeks, creates some tight bonds. We will be available for each other until the day we die.
As a stay at home mom, I became more isolated. I had a few mommy friends, but for the most part, I was on my own.
Once I started working at school, I gained some people. They were there for me when my husband lost his job. They were there for me when my husband moved two hours away and the boys and I stayed here. And they were there for me when both my parents died. Some have moved away, and soon I will move away as well, but even though we don't, and won't, see each other every day, we will be friends.
Thank goodness for text messaging!
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume F part 2
Fingernails: I have always wanted fingernails. Not the long, scary, Hollywood nails, just nails long enough to tap impatiently on the table. Alas, it doesn't seem to be meant for me. I used to bite, now I pick and peel them. I can try really hard to leave them alone. I can grow them out a little and add oil and push back the cuticles and add super strong polish, but inevitably there will be a chip, or the nail will weaken, and then I pick and peel, and it's gone. The longest I've had nails had been 2 months.
Oh, and I haven't really been able to handle colored polish. Colored polish is just a shiny beacon that screams, "Here I am! Don't you want to peel this color off and take the top layer of nail with it?' And my answer always seems to be, "Apparently, yes I do."
Flowers: I am not a flower kind of girl. The amount of money spent to send flowers to me could buy at least one hard back book or several paperbacks. Books last forever. Flowers are food for the cats to throw up. The water turns slimy. Flowers die in a short amount of time, but are background noise long before then. I'm just not a fan.
Outside flowers, however, are a goal. I just have no idea how to create a pretty flower garden to surround our deck. Lilacs are my favorite and we have 3 bushes. I would like to figure out what other flowers could go around the front porch or how to make our huge yard pretty. I guess I need to watch more HGTV? (see home improvement shows)
Friends: I am an introvert. I do not like to go out and meet new people. I am not the kind of person who walks into the room with a, "Here I am!" persona. I am the kind who walks quietly into a room and hopes someone approaches me. Therefore I don't have a lot of friends. I never have.
In High School I had a few close friends, but our paths drifted apart when the guys they were dating were doing things I didn't approve of. I started hanging out with my then boyfriend (now husband), and his friends, more and more. His friends became my friends.
In college I worked too much to have close friends. Acquaintances, sure, but not "friends."
Camp friends are forever friends. Living with a group of people 24 hours a day for 10 weeks, creates some tight bonds. We will be available for each other until the day we die.
As a stay at home mom, I became more isolated. I had a few mommy friends, but for the most part, I was on my own.
Once I started working at school, I gained some people. They were there for me when my husband lost his job. They were there for me when my husband moved two hours away and the boys and I stayed here. And they were there for me when both my parents died. Some have moved away, and soon I will move away as well, but even though we don't, and won't, see each other every day, we will be friends.
Thank goodness for text messaging!
Friday, April 6, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume E
Idea from Amy Krause Rosenthal.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume E
Education: I went to Valparaiso University for my Freshman year of college with my eventual husband. We transferred to Purdue our sophomore year because, if we had stayed we'd be over forty thousand dollars in debt.
I was an elementary education major, because I knew I wanted to work with kids. After working at camp, I knew I didn't want to be a teacher, but because it's what I had chosen, I thought I had to stick with it. It wasn't until Senior year that I decided to change my major. I just wanted to graduate, so I chose an English major. It took an extra semester to graduate -- I had to take the 4th semester of French in the Summer semester. I have a BA in English from Purdue University.
Empathic: I am empathic. I feel the energy from a room or a person, and absorb it. It affects me. It can be hard to switch out of it. I think I am a good judge of character because of it. Mark refers to it as my Spidey sense.
Empty Nest: Our boys are 18 and 20. The youngest graduates in June. Both will be working at camp over the summer and at school in the fall. I know they will still be home to visit, but it is the start of our empty nest, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. (see stay-at-home mother)
Eyes: I have brown eyes. I always wanted green eyes and red curly hair. The typical story of wanting what you don't. If I had to have brown eyes, I wished I could have light brown eyes. But I don't. I don't even have deep chocolate brown eyes. I just have medium brown boring eyes. Sometimes I look in the mirror, and I'm surprised because hubby and both boys have blue eyes. It seems weird to always see blue eyes, except when you look in the mirror.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume E
Education: I went to Valparaiso University for my Freshman year of college with my eventual husband. We transferred to Purdue our sophomore year because, if we had stayed we'd be over forty thousand dollars in debt.
I was an elementary education major, because I knew I wanted to work with kids. After working at camp, I knew I didn't want to be a teacher, but because it's what I had chosen, I thought I had to stick with it. It wasn't until Senior year that I decided to change my major. I just wanted to graduate, so I chose an English major. It took an extra semester to graduate -- I had to take the 4th semester of French in the Summer semester. I have a BA in English from Purdue University.
Empathic: I am empathic. I feel the energy from a room or a person, and absorb it. It affects me. It can be hard to switch out of it. I think I am a good judge of character because of it. Mark refers to it as my Spidey sense.
Empty Nest: Our boys are 18 and 20. The youngest graduates in June. Both will be working at camp over the summer and at school in the fall. I know they will still be home to visit, but it is the start of our empty nest, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. (see stay-at-home mother)
Eyes: I have brown eyes. I always wanted green eyes and red curly hair. The typical story of wanting what you don't. If I had to have brown eyes, I wished I could have light brown eyes. But I don't. I don't even have deep chocolate brown eyes. I just have medium brown boring eyes. Sometimes I look in the mirror, and I'm surprised because hubby and both boys have blue eyes. It seems weird to always see blue eyes, except when you look in the mirror.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me Volume D
Based on Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal. Her version is more creative and better.
Defining Moments: There are moments that help shape who you are. Moving to Alaska is one of mine. There is a line in Lord of the Rings where Sam says, "If I take one more step, I'll be the furthest from home, I've ever been." That's what crossing into Wisconsin was for me. Then there was Montana, North Dakota, and Canada. Mark and I only had each other. I learned how much I missed the Midwest. And after driving 10 days there and 12 days back together, I knew that Mark and I were in for the long haul.
Delaware was another. After Alaska I applied to 50 different Y's. I got 2 phone interviews that turned into 2 "in person" interviews. That led to one job offer -- in Delaware. They had wanted to offer the job to someone who had been there for a while, but got pregnant and decided to be a stat-at-home mom. I was told this up front. I felt from the beginning the derision from my immediate supervisor. She had been close with the girl who left.
I worked my butt off. I planned and orchestrated my program when Delaware declared a state of emergency and schools were closed for several days because of snow. I got a letter from my supervisor thanking me for how I handled things during that time as well as during Christmas break.
Then, about 3 weeks after the state of emergency, I was called into my supervisors office where she and the Executive Director were waiting for me. They told me I lacked initiative and vision and had 30 days to improve. I then had to finish my program for the day and then be the director on duty until 10 with a smile on my face as my world was falling apart.
I immediately reached out to my network back home and was back in the Midwest by June. I left that job and was replaced by the person they originally wanted to hire.
I was hired by a Y in Illinois that wanted and supported me. I found my career and passion. And I found an inner fortitude I didn't know I had.
Directions: I am not good with directions. To put it simply... my hubby likes to say I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag with a flashlight and a map. The invention of GPS on my phone is a God-send.
Dragonfly: I started liking dragonflies when I got my new camera. I was actually able to capture them as they lit on flowers. I found a poem that says dragonflies live in joy and scatter brilliance. It became the go-to gift from my husband and I have earrings and necklaces and decorations that are dragonflies. I have read more on dragonflies and the spiritual significance they hold, and I would say the dragonfly could be my spirit animal.
Defining Moments: There are moments that help shape who you are. Moving to Alaska is one of mine. There is a line in Lord of the Rings where Sam says, "If I take one more step, I'll be the furthest from home, I've ever been." That's what crossing into Wisconsin was for me. Then there was Montana, North Dakota, and Canada. Mark and I only had each other. I learned how much I missed the Midwest. And after driving 10 days there and 12 days back together, I knew that Mark and I were in for the long haul.
Delaware was another. After Alaska I applied to 50 different Y's. I got 2 phone interviews that turned into 2 "in person" interviews. That led to one job offer -- in Delaware. They had wanted to offer the job to someone who had been there for a while, but got pregnant and decided to be a stat-at-home mom. I was told this up front. I felt from the beginning the derision from my immediate supervisor. She had been close with the girl who left.
I worked my butt off. I planned and orchestrated my program when Delaware declared a state of emergency and schools were closed for several days because of snow. I got a letter from my supervisor thanking me for how I handled things during that time as well as during Christmas break.
Then, about 3 weeks after the state of emergency, I was called into my supervisors office where she and the Executive Director were waiting for me. They told me I lacked initiative and vision and had 30 days to improve. I then had to finish my program for the day and then be the director on duty until 10 with a smile on my face as my world was falling apart.
I immediately reached out to my network back home and was back in the Midwest by June. I left that job and was replaced by the person they originally wanted to hire.
I was hired by a Y in Illinois that wanted and supported me. I found my career and passion. And I found an inner fortitude I didn't know I had.
Directions: I am not good with directions. To put it simply... my hubby likes to say I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag with a flashlight and a map. The invention of GPS on my phone is a God-send.
Dragonfly: I started liking dragonflies when I got my new camera. I was actually able to capture them as they lit on flowers. I found a poem that says dragonflies live in joy and scatter brilliance. It became the go-to gift from my husband and I have earrings and necklaces and decorations that are dragonflies. I have read more on dragonflies and the spiritual significance they hold, and I would say the dragonfly could be my spirit animal.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: C
Encyclopedia of Me based on Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthall. My version.
Volume C:
Camera: I have loved taking pictures since I was 10 and had my first camera. My last camera was a digital that I was satisfied with, until I realized what kind of pictures I could get with a better camera. Then I began to covet the cameras I saw with others.
Several years ago, as a Mother's Day gift, Mark surprised me with a treasure hunt. Each clue led to a lens or battery or strap. The last clue led to my Cannon Rebel T3i -- the camera I had researched and really wanted, but knew we could not afford. His response was, "I wanted you to have it, while you still had something to take pictures of."
This camera has let me take pictures of whole family Christmases, Mother's Days, and random moments of my kids at play. Because of this camera I got our son's graduation and will get our other son's graduation in June. I got the look of surprise on my in- laws faces when we surprised them for their 50th wedding anniversary. And this camera took the last photo of my parents together and coherent. It truly is a gift.
Cats: I am more of a cat person. They aren't as needy as dogs. They can be left alone. They are more self sufficient.
And we never owned a cat growing up. We had dogs, and my dad hated them and were mean to them. So, I have to say cats are the animal for me.
Change: I used to be a Child Care and Camp Director. I know how to make plans. I also know plans get screwed up. Weather moves activities indoors. Someone else schedules an activity in one of your rooms. An employee doesn't show up. Change happens. But, just because I can handle change, doesn't mean I like it.
Coffee: My parents drank coffee all the time. Mom had hers black, Dad took his with sugar and cream. We were told we couldn't have coffee until we were twelve. "It will stunt your growth." So, of course we'd sneak drinks -- from Dad's (black coffee is nasty.)
When I actually turned 12, I wanted nothing to do with coffee. All of it actually tastes nasty.
At camp, during college, coffee got me through. I am not a fan of institutional breakfasts, no matter the skill of the cook. So, instead of pancakes or waffles that had been kept warm in the warmer, I had coffee -- just like Dad used to drink. It was a "camp only" survival tactic.
I have "coffee" every morning now. But, the coffee I have is International Foods Suisse Mocha. It is more hot chocolate with a hint of coffee. I've tried Mocha Lattes from coffee places and they are too coffee-y. Real coffee drinkers may disagree, but for me Suisse Mocha is the coffee I drink.
Cold: I used to think I was allergic to cold. La Porte is in Northwestern Indiana and gets a lot of snow. I would play outside and break out in hives.
When I would get cold, I would break out in hives.
Mom decided I was allergic to cold and would put me in a tub of hot water and the spots would go away, which only further proved her theory.
The surprise turned out to be I almost never broke out in hives when we lived in Alaska. This started me thinking.
I got hives when we lived at the apartments on the river in Lafayette when we were at Purdue. Why not Alaska?
Then we lived in Delaware, the hives came back. Delaware has a low water table.
Long story short, I decided my allergy is to mold. The house I grew up in had a dirt floor basement and no door leading down to it. I think all that time my "allergy to cold" was just a reaction to potential mold in the basement. Considering I use my asthma inhaler when mold counts are high now, and I haven't had hives in forever, seems to indicate I am right.
Good thing too, since Northeastern Indiana is still Indiana.
Colored Hair: I tried Sun In once as a teenager. It turned my brown hair a weird orangish color.
Living in Joliet, cutting my hair was too expensive, let alone coloring it.
But when we moved here, I decided I needed it. Mentally needed the change. Here it was actually affordable. I started adding blond highlights. It changed my opinion of my self and my outlook. I started doing it every couple of months.
I've since gotten braver. Now I am playing with color. I'm not ready to go with mermaid colors or anything, but in the end, it's only hair. I can always change it back.
Volume C:
Camera: I have loved taking pictures since I was 10 and had my first camera. My last camera was a digital that I was satisfied with, until I realized what kind of pictures I could get with a better camera. Then I began to covet the cameras I saw with others.
Several years ago, as a Mother's Day gift, Mark surprised me with a treasure hunt. Each clue led to a lens or battery or strap. The last clue led to my Cannon Rebel T3i -- the camera I had researched and really wanted, but knew we could not afford. His response was, "I wanted you to have it, while you still had something to take pictures of."
This camera has let me take pictures of whole family Christmases, Mother's Days, and random moments of my kids at play. Because of this camera I got our son's graduation and will get our other son's graduation in June. I got the look of surprise on my in- laws faces when we surprised them for their 50th wedding anniversary. And this camera took the last photo of my parents together and coherent. It truly is a gift.
Cats: I am more of a cat person. They aren't as needy as dogs. They can be left alone. They are more self sufficient.
And we never owned a cat growing up. We had dogs, and my dad hated them and were mean to them. So, I have to say cats are the animal for me.
Change: I used to be a Child Care and Camp Director. I know how to make plans. I also know plans get screwed up. Weather moves activities indoors. Someone else schedules an activity in one of your rooms. An employee doesn't show up. Change happens. But, just because I can handle change, doesn't mean I like it.
Coffee: My parents drank coffee all the time. Mom had hers black, Dad took his with sugar and cream. We were told we couldn't have coffee until we were twelve. "It will stunt your growth." So, of course we'd sneak drinks -- from Dad's (black coffee is nasty.)
When I actually turned 12, I wanted nothing to do with coffee. All of it actually tastes nasty.
At camp, during college, coffee got me through. I am not a fan of institutional breakfasts, no matter the skill of the cook. So, instead of pancakes or waffles that had been kept warm in the warmer, I had coffee -- just like Dad used to drink. It was a "camp only" survival tactic.
I have "coffee" every morning now. But, the coffee I have is International Foods Suisse Mocha. It is more hot chocolate with a hint of coffee. I've tried Mocha Lattes from coffee places and they are too coffee-y. Real coffee drinkers may disagree, but for me Suisse Mocha is the coffee I drink.
Cold: I used to think I was allergic to cold. La Porte is in Northwestern Indiana and gets a lot of snow. I would play outside and break out in hives.
When I would get cold, I would break out in hives.
Mom decided I was allergic to cold and would put me in a tub of hot water and the spots would go away, which only further proved her theory.
The surprise turned out to be I almost never broke out in hives when we lived in Alaska. This started me thinking.
I got hives when we lived at the apartments on the river in Lafayette when we were at Purdue. Why not Alaska?
Then we lived in Delaware, the hives came back. Delaware has a low water table.
Long story short, I decided my allergy is to mold. The house I grew up in had a dirt floor basement and no door leading down to it. I think all that time my "allergy to cold" was just a reaction to potential mold in the basement. Considering I use my asthma inhaler when mold counts are high now, and I haven't had hives in forever, seems to indicate I am right.
Good thing too, since Northeastern Indiana is still Indiana.
Colored Hair: I tried Sun In once as a teenager. It turned my brown hair a weird orangish color.
Living in Joliet, cutting my hair was too expensive, let alone coloring it.
But when we moved here, I decided I needed it. Mentally needed the change. Here it was actually affordable. I started adding blond highlights. It changed my opinion of my self and my outlook. I started doing it every couple of months.
I've since gotten braver. Now I am playing with color. I'm not ready to go with mermaid colors or anything, but in the end, it's only hair. I can always change it back.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume B
Encyclopedia of Me Volume B
Bells: I have started collecting bells. We go to a place in Fort Wayne called The Wood Shack. It is an architectural salvage place. I love the old doors, and wooden chests, and old cabinets, but we don't have the room for any those things in our current house. Last year there was a beautiful cast iron bell, the kind that you would hang outside and ring to call the kids in to dinner. That we had room for. Since then I have added 4 other bells. The latest is like the kind a teacher would ring at a one room school house. I don't think new bells would have the same allure and I don't know how long this phase will last. But for right now, Bells goes on my list for "B".
Books: Our family has an addiction. My husband and I have been the dealers for our kids. We started them as infants. We put board books in their cribs. I read to them every night until they were in 6th and 8th grade, when homework took over. Scholastic books, once they started school, furthered our dependence. When we go to Barnes and Noble and they ask if we have a members card, we laugh and hand them our member card and our Barnes and Noble credit card that gives us 1% cash back on every purchase. Our library has grown to over 4000 books combined between the 4 of us. We just can't get enough.
Boys: I am from a family of 6-- 5 of whom are girls. (see also brother) The neighborhood I grew up in was all girls. Even my cousins are mostly girls. So, when we found out we were pregnant, I was hoping for a girl. I knew how to do girls. But we had a boy. And I realized I loved having a boy. He was happy and curious and precious. When we got pregnant a year later, I hoped it would be a boy, because now I knew how to do boys. And we were blessed once again with a boy. Now that they are 18 and 20, I don't know if I really know how to raise a boy, but I think we've done OK. And when I hear friends with girls talk, I know I wouldn't know how to raise a girl.
Brother: I have one brother and he is 13 years older than I am. He left for college when I started Kindergarten. I don't know what it is like to have a brother, not really. I have snatches of memory.
My brother is 6'4. I am currently 5'3", but obviously when I was starting kindergarten, I was much smaller. I vividly remember walking with my brother, him on the sidewalk, me walking along the wall next to him.
I remember him coming home and lifting me to the ceiling.
I remember him informing us that "roof" had the "oo" sound like what an owl says, and that coupon did not start with the "q" sound. To this day it is a pet peeve when people say "roof" like a dog barking, or pronounce coupon with a "q" at the beginning.
And I especially remember the time he came home from college... I was with my mom on the back porch where she was doing laundry. Ricky said something smart-alecy and my 5'4" stocky mother told him, "You're not so big, I can't take you over my knee and spank your butt!" I decided then and there to be good. If she could take down my giant brother (theoretically) that I didn't stand a chance.
Rick and his wife took my husband and I to shows at Purdue -- where we attended and they were alumni.
Rick paid for my drivers ed because my parents didn't have the money.
He is an engineer and the father of two beautiful daughters and 3 grandchildren. He's still more of and uncle because of the distance in age, but he is my big brother and I love him.
Bells: I have started collecting bells. We go to a place in Fort Wayne called The Wood Shack. It is an architectural salvage place. I love the old doors, and wooden chests, and old cabinets, but we don't have the room for any those things in our current house. Last year there was a beautiful cast iron bell, the kind that you would hang outside and ring to call the kids in to dinner. That we had room for. Since then I have added 4 other bells. The latest is like the kind a teacher would ring at a one room school house. I don't think new bells would have the same allure and I don't know how long this phase will last. But for right now, Bells goes on my list for "B".
Books: Our family has an addiction. My husband and I have been the dealers for our kids. We started them as infants. We put board books in their cribs. I read to them every night until they were in 6th and 8th grade, when homework took over. Scholastic books, once they started school, furthered our dependence. When we go to Barnes and Noble and they ask if we have a members card, we laugh and hand them our member card and our Barnes and Noble credit card that gives us 1% cash back on every purchase. Our library has grown to over 4000 books combined between the 4 of us. We just can't get enough.
Boys: I am from a family of 6-- 5 of whom are girls. (see also brother) The neighborhood I grew up in was all girls. Even my cousins are mostly girls. So, when we found out we were pregnant, I was hoping for a girl. I knew how to do girls. But we had a boy. And I realized I loved having a boy. He was happy and curious and precious. When we got pregnant a year later, I hoped it would be a boy, because now I knew how to do boys. And we were blessed once again with a boy. Now that they are 18 and 20, I don't know if I really know how to raise a boy, but I think we've done OK. And when I hear friends with girls talk, I know I wouldn't know how to raise a girl.
Brother: I have one brother and he is 13 years older than I am. He left for college when I started Kindergarten. I don't know what it is like to have a brother, not really. I have snatches of memory.
My brother is 6'4. I am currently 5'3", but obviously when I was starting kindergarten, I was much smaller. I vividly remember walking with my brother, him on the sidewalk, me walking along the wall next to him.
I remember him coming home and lifting me to the ceiling.
I remember him informing us that "roof" had the "oo" sound like what an owl says, and that coupon did not start with the "q" sound. To this day it is a pet peeve when people say "roof" like a dog barking, or pronounce coupon with a "q" at the beginning.
And I especially remember the time he came home from college... I was with my mom on the back porch where she was doing laundry. Ricky said something smart-alecy and my 5'4" stocky mother told him, "You're not so big, I can't take you over my knee and spank your butt!" I decided then and there to be good. If she could take down my giant brother (theoretically) that I didn't stand a chance.
Rick and his wife took my husband and I to shows at Purdue -- where we attended and they were alumni.
Rick paid for my drivers ed because my parents didn't have the money.
He is an engineer and the father of two beautiful daughters and 3 grandchildren. He's still more of and uncle because of the distance in age, but he is my big brother and I love him.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me A edition
This may be a cop out, but I'd like to think of it as killing two birds with one stone.
I've been planning on making an Encyclopedia of Me of my own for a couple of years now, but haven't gotten around to it. If I use it as blog posts, I'll at least have the journaling done in a short amount of time.
For A:
Ancestry- I became interested in my family history in 2012 when I started preparing for my parents 50th anniversary. I realized at that point my time with them wasn't going to be forever and I needed to get the stories I could. My mom had a typical middle class life and had good memories to share. My dad grew up poor and had few stories to share that didn't include working hard. Those stories led to a subscription to Ancestry.com and my search for stories.
Dad died ten years later-- 7 months before what would have been their 60th anniversary. Mom died two years after that. They didn't know the stories I had discovered. I continue to search for more. I hope to be able to share the stories I've discovered with my siblings soon.
Anxiety: I "suffer" from anxiety or depression. I had postpartum depression after my kids were born. I recognized it after watching Marie Osmond talking about hers on Oprah. Everything she said was me. I asked my doctor and he asked, "Is that not normal for you?"
He is an amazing doctor and I wished he could have moved with us when we moved away, but that question threw me. In a 3 year span of time I had had 2 children, found our first born might be legally blind, moved to a new house, I'd left my job that I loved, and become a stay at home mom. I didn't know what normal for me was. So, I let it go.
I became afraid of going out, being in public, being alone...
We moved here and things didn't get better. I asked our new doctor and she put me on a medication. It has helped...immensely.
I still get anxious about crowds. I still work on not getting bogged down. I still think...hard...about everything. So Anxiety is definitely under A for me.
Autumn: Autumn is my favorite season. I chose Autumn for my camp name. My husband says it is the perfect description of me. Stormy, changing, colorful. My birthday is in Autumn. I met my husband in Autumn. Autumn is sunshine and sweatshirts. If they made a candle that smelled like burning leaves, I'd have a collection.
I've been planning on making an Encyclopedia of Me of my own for a couple of years now, but haven't gotten around to it. If I use it as blog posts, I'll at least have the journaling done in a short amount of time.
For A:
Ancestry- I became interested in my family history in 2012 when I started preparing for my parents 50th anniversary. I realized at that point my time with them wasn't going to be forever and I needed to get the stories I could. My mom had a typical middle class life and had good memories to share. My dad grew up poor and had few stories to share that didn't include working hard. Those stories led to a subscription to Ancestry.com and my search for stories.
Dad died ten years later-- 7 months before what would have been their 60th anniversary. Mom died two years after that. They didn't know the stories I had discovered. I continue to search for more. I hope to be able to share the stories I've discovered with my siblings soon.
Anxiety: I "suffer" from anxiety or depression. I had postpartum depression after my kids were born. I recognized it after watching Marie Osmond talking about hers on Oprah. Everything she said was me. I asked my doctor and he asked, "Is that not normal for you?"
He is an amazing doctor and I wished he could have moved with us when we moved away, but that question threw me. In a 3 year span of time I had had 2 children, found our first born might be legally blind, moved to a new house, I'd left my job that I loved, and become a stay at home mom. I didn't know what normal for me was. So, I let it go.
I became afraid of going out, being in public, being alone...
We moved here and things didn't get better. I asked our new doctor and she put me on a medication. It has helped...immensely.
I still get anxious about crowds. I still work on not getting bogged down. I still think...hard...about everything. So Anxiety is definitely under A for me.
Autumn: Autumn is my favorite season. I chose Autumn for my camp name. My husband says it is the perfect description of me. Stormy, changing, colorful. My birthday is in Autumn. I met my husband in Autumn. Autumn is sunshine and sweatshirts. If they made a candle that smelled like burning leaves, I'd have a collection.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Random Facts
Brain Dead. Doing the random facts thing.
I am 5th of 6 born in my family. I have a brother 13 years older, a sister 11 years older, a sister 10 years older, a sister who would have been 7 years older had she not died at the age of 5, 2 years before I was born, and I have a sister 2 years younger.
My sister, Susie, died at the age of 5 playing tag with the sister 10 years older. She tripped and fell, and instead of putting her hands out to break her fall, her fists hit her heart and stopped it. People told my mom she should have another child. My mom said, "If I have one, I have to have two, because I won't have a spoiled brat." So, I guess younger sister is here to keep me humble?
My parents would have been married for 60 years the year my dad died. All of us kids have lived by that example and have been married for between 28 and 40 years.
My husband and I will have been married for 28 years in April. Together for 33 in October.
I turn 50 in October.
We have two boys.
I love sunsets and collect rocks.
I love music I can sing to. So this excludes Rap, Opera, and most instrumental music.
I hate going to movie theaters.
I am a picky eater. Very picky eater.
Birds terrify me. One irrational fear I have is that of a bird flying through an open window on the van when I am driving.
I've lived in Alaska, Delaware, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.
I hate shopping.
Love reading.
I am on Spring Break for two weeks.
And even though I am a Night Owl, I am going to bed, because my job does not respect that I am not a fan of getting up at 5:30, so I am tired.
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