I am a wife of 24 years and have been in love with my husband for more than 40 years. Maybe someday I'll share our Love Story. I am the mother of 2 college students, my daughter is a sophomore, and my son is a junior. They all manage to keep me hopping. I am also the CEO of our household. Some days that's more than enough responsibility! I have worked outside the home up until our daughter was born. I returned to work briefly before it became increasingly difficult to 'juggle' the responsibilities of working at an architectural firm, a newborn and a kindergarten-er. I loved my job; but I loved my family more. My husband and I made the decision for me to become a stay-at-home Mom. It was one of the best choices we ever made. In the spring of 2013 I returned to working outside of the home at a local healthcare/retirement facility as a homemaker/caregiver. July 2016 I changed jobs and started working full time at the local Hospital/Medical Center. I am very much enjoying the patients and assisting them with their needs. Everyday I am blessed with how the 'little things' mean so much. It's almost 5 years since I completed Nurse Aide training and passed my state exam in September 2015. I am looking forward to changing my aspect of care with my patients, now that I have more training. In 2019 I accepted a different position at the Medical Center I work for and I am excited to begin that new chapter of my work life.Several years ago me and my family have met with many medical challenges. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and my husband with diabetes along with other ongoing health issues. It has been a trying few years for our family with our health issues. We are slowly learning to navigate these new waters, but its challenging.
I love ALL things crafts and have since I was a child in 1st grade; when I begged my mother to teach me to sew. My love for crafts grew from there into the passion I now have for scrapbooking and genealogy. I also love the outdoors and camping, hiking, and cycling when the weather and time allows. I don't have enough time to be active in all of my passions; so I rotate between them.
I attended college 15 years after high school to get my associates degree in architecture. All of this has taught me that our minds are constantly craving knowledge and learning no matter what our age; I love to teach others how to save their precious memories and how to preserve those memories through scrapbooks, which was my reason for becoming a Creative Memories Consultant in 2006. I love Creative Memories (CM) products, especially their albums. This also allows me to keep up with the family's genealogy records. The two just go hand in hand for me. It's record-keeping of your past and present and for future generations. I enjoy both traditional and digital albums. I find it all therapeutic. I also very much enjoy the art of photography and honing my skills with the camera to get the best possible photos for my albums, cards and other photographic creations. In 2014 I won my 1st award for one of my photographs. I was so pleased and proud!
I believe strongly in recycling and giving back to our planet in a good way. I am a conversationalist in that I believe that what we (mankind) do effect all other wildlife and plant-life. We need to be responsible and do our part to "Leave No Trace". I also travel with my husband during hunting season(s) and have jumped right in when it comes time to butcher the harvest. I do not believe in altering nature intentionally. I believe in understanding it and managing it to keep down disease and genetic defects and to control animal populations.
I was more active in Franklin County Grotto (FCG) when I was younger. For those of you who don't know what a grotto is - its a term for a cave or cavern. FCG goes into these caves for enjoyment. Yes, an unusual hobby, I know. These caves are not nice and clean like the commercial ones the public visits. Try to leave only footprints as we walk through life. I also am a strong believer that bats are one of the most mis-understood mammals on the planet. Their numbers are decreasing at a more rapid rate than polar bears, tigers and many other endangered animals. White Nose Syndrome has reduced bat populations drastically here in the eastern US. For all of the latest information check out Bat Conservation International (BCI).
That leads me into my love and amazement of nature and the cathedral GOD has created for us to walk in daily. I am faithful in that I believe all of this just didn't happen by accident; but I also believe that its all greatly influenced by man and circumstances and the need to adapt. I think it's also where I get my love for architecture. Anyone who has studied the Arts knows most of it revolved around the church. I had the opportunity to travel to Italy in 2000 and see many of these great works of art and many beautiful buildings and ruins. What a trip! That album is one of my favorites.
My bucket list for places to visit is SO long it'll take me the rest of my life to get to only a portion of them all. I remain active with my children's activities of Scouts, Band, Soccer, Cheerleading, Track, and volunteering with many different organizations. It's always busy in our home; but that gives me loads of photos to scrap and share with the world.
I hope this helps to give you some insights about me and my interests. I am always craving to learn more and I love to teach others about my passions.
