I am a 65 year old recently retired nurse from a very small town (as in no red lights) in west central Georgia, USA. I have never moved from my hometown and married my high school sweetheart. I spent 40+ years as a Registered nurse, working in the Operating room for many years, and as a School Health coordinator for 26 years. Actually back in my college days, I pondered going into the field of education, but decided on the family tradition of Nursing instead. For most of my nursing life, I served in Nursing Administration and not as a "bedside nurse." I have to say, I dearly loved my surgical experience, but the hours involved were not conducive to family life. School Health allowed me to have a blend of education and nursing plus the same schedule as my two boys, one in Kindergarten and one in 3rd grade at that time. Now, those little boys are successful men in their own right, one an engineer and one an attorney; both are wonderful husbands and fathers, so I have to think my specialty change was a God-inspired move. I do not know at this point if my nursing career is a closed chapter in my life, but for right now, I am on a nursing hiatus, and in full Nana mode.
I am so fortunate to have four wonderful grandchildren of whom I get to enjoy several days a week while their parents work. My love for my family is beyond words. My husband Bill is a retired fire department Captain who now spends his days training bird dogs and walking through our beautiful country side as they hunt quail together. We love our animals around here. I have a precious Yorkie dog who is my loyal companion and goes with me to help keep all of my littles. I have three cats, a calico (19 years old) and a young black and white kitty (about 7 years old) who chose us as her family several years ago.
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I stumbled into stamping by sheer accident, so to speak. My extremely talented friend and coworker was a member of a Stampin' Up group who met on a monthly basis. To be a member of the group, each one agreed to spend about $25 each month on stamps and/or supplies. She showed me some of her work from time to time and encouraged me to come and see what it was like. I have to say, I was totally uninterested since I was never gifted in the area of art like she obviously is. I have always been fully aware of my artistic limitations. I also couldn't imagine what they could spend that much money on on a regular basis! (OK, I can hear you laughing) When both of my children went to college, I found myself missing the busy-ness of our previous never-a-spare moment life style. To be nice, I joined her for a few group workshops. The people involved were so kind; the group also offered a well-needed distraction from my loneliness and the day-to-day work pressures of being the "boss." My friend encouraged me to start participating in sketch challenges from an international craft magazine and submit some of our cards for possible publication. She was published many times and as I figured, I was not. Then, it happened! My cards started being published time and time again. The thrill of "success" in my new craft was indescribable. That was about 15 years ago.
Fast forward to 2018...My cousin of whom I consider as close as a sister and anyone's best friend, is a long time SU! demonstrator; in casual conversation she mentioned the benefits of being a demonstrator and the "no pressure" to sell products ideology. I spoke to our group demonstrator and joined. I admit at first I was interested in getting the same products at a discounted price. As I sought to learn more, watching videos of top SU! demonstrators was a great way to hear the many advantages being a demonstrator as well as a means of complete enjoyment. I have never been a traveler and we stay close to home most of the time. Through the internet, I can watch people from all over the globe share my interests; I love listening to a variety of accents, traditions, and personalities from wonderful demonstrators I can lovingly refer to as "colleagues." I feel it is now my responsibility and opportunity to give back to the stamping community and those who have patiently mentored me.
Other interest
Along with stamping, I enjoy other art mediums, such as alcohol inks, stained glass, knitting, crochet, sewing, cake decorating, as well as music such as piano, flute, and handbells. I serve as pianist for my life-long church and I teach middle schoolers Sunday School, although I seem to learn more from them than I am sure they do from me. The Andy Griffith Show is my all-time favorite TV show, and quoting from it seems to have become a hobby of mine all unto itself. My hometown is actually like a scaled-down version of Mayberry
Thank you for your support and I look forward to hearing from you! As Gomer Pyle says, "Lots of luck to you and yours."
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