I have lived in Kansas my whole life except for brief escapes. When I was a year old, we moved to Tulsa for a year and then when I was 36 I lived in Kansas City, MO for a few months.
Even though I've been a Kansan for nearly 41 years, don't let that fool you, I'm not a conservative or a member of an organized religion.
In fact, I'm rather open minded about religions. This is not surprising if you consider my Dad is an ordained Christian Minister and my Mom is an ordained Wiccan priestess, and yes, they are still married and live in the same house.
For a time I wanted to be a Catholic nun but a disagreement with a Priest put a stop to that. Later I found I was drawn to the native beliefs of my Cherokee ancestors. While still a devout Christian, I follow many traditions of my ancestors as well. Because of my background, comparative religious studies have become a great hobby of mine. I read what I can on just about any religion I hear about.
Being a Kansan, I, of course, have respect for Bob Dole but I idolize Evel Knievel! (Moment of silence here, may he rest in peace!)
I personally started riding motorcycles with my Dad before I was in school (Mom wouldn't let me ride with her because I had a habit of falling asleep on the bike and it freaked her out too much) and I started driving my own little Honda 50 at age 8. I have been an adrenaline junkie ever since.
Due to my health (proud member of the ACM zipper head club), the last few years I was only able to work part-time. Currently, I work for a local bookstore (no, not an adult one). However, the last few months my health has improved dramatically and I just finished my first month of full-time work since 2002 and I had NO HEALTH ISSUES!!! Yea!!! I used to have about a migraine a week but I have only had one migraine in the last 7 months (same length of time I've been dating the boyfriend...hmmm. He must be medicinal!). If you want to know about my health condition, ACM, just read "My Blog Introduction" to get my background info. (Go to the blog archive and select the date 12-1-2007.)
I have had people tell me I should not share my health information with the world like this but to me it's a source of great pride to even be here to share it. I want to make people aware of this condition and know that people like me can survive this and go on to achieve great things. If there is anyone out there who decides not to give me a chance at employment or in life because I have this condition, well, that says more about them than it does about me. I have cheated death. After a feat like that, I know I can succeed at anything I want to undertake no matter the obstacles. Who wouldn't want a fighter like me working for their organization? And with great people like my family, John, and my friends, in my corner, how can I not succeed?
Even though I've only worked part-time in retail the last few years, I am educated and have a lot of professional experience. I have a B.A. in Communication/print journalism and am certified in Forensic Criminology. I graduated both with honors. I hope to actually use one of those degrees again here soon.
In addition to my degrees, I have more than 12 years experience in graphic design/layout and advertising/PR. Some of the big projects I have produced are the Miss USA logo for the 1993 pageant and the 1996 NPSL All-Star Game logo. I have also won numerous awards for everything from free-hand illustration to layout and design.
I am hoping that I can find a job in communications/PR for a non-profit organization. I want to get back to promotions and advertising but only if I can find a cause I really feel passionate about. I burnt out in the advertising field a few years ago, promoting people and projects I didn't believe in. This time I want a job I can be proud of doing.
I am a tall (5'10"), 41-year-old, extremely self-confident woman. My mom swears I came out of the womb this way...the confident part...not 41. I have a wide variety of interests such as reading, films, art, museums, travel, business, and investing.
Earlier this year I had said I was no longer looking to date anyone for at least the next year or so and I had meant it. I needed a break. I had no extra energy to share with anyone and I knew it. I was planning on just focusing on me for a while and that is when I met John.
Officially, we met at Barnes and Noble where I work. The night we met, there was a lot of flirting going on. I told him I had really enjoyed flirting with him and if he ever wanted to do it again, just call me, which he did.
We've been dating now for 6 months and I couldn't be happier. He's such a good man. I have met almost his entire family now and they are all great people. I think I could end up being partners in crime with his Mom and Grandma and his sisters too! His whole family is too much fun. I pray this relationship lasts but I really don't think about it too much because I'm too busy enjoying every minute of what we have now. I figure if I just focus on enjoying the present the future will take care of itself.
Just because I have found a great guy doesn't mean I'm not looking to make new friends. Friends are always good! So are naps...speaking of which...
Pound For Pound Challenge Widget
I had lost 100 pounds in 2006-07 but over the last year I put back on 35 pounds so now I'm back on track and have already lost 7 pounds and plan to drop 48 more to finally reach my goal weight of 180. Watch me fade away!