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Bad Grandma

I always say that since I have become a grandma I seem to constantly be in trouble, or at least get blamed for some happening that the kids get me involved in.

I have a rather rambunctious, curious grandson who has always kept everyone on their toes.  He is sweet, fun-loving, and as I said, curious and adventuresome.  Continue reading

Smoking with the Cool Girls

Being a little sister is not always easy. Whenever Sandy and her girlfriends were trying things out, I wanted to try them too.

As is often the case, when I was going through this experience, it wasn’t funny. With every telling, it gets funnier and funnier. And now, it is downright hysterical. Continue reading

Who Needs Backup Sensors Anyway?

I’ve never been known as an awesome driver. As a matter of fact, I’ve been teased relentlessly over the years for developing ADD tendencies while behind the wheel.

This propensity to ADD while driving has its drawbacks. But sometimes I get into trouble even when I’m clearly 100% focused. like. when…backing up.

“Protective” Barriers

Most recently, I had a day job driving a forklift. I loaded freight onto a pallet and moved said freight to a staging area. On one fateful day, I had a “big and bulky” load of only 2 items. I was “looking alertly in the direction of movement with my body appropriately having 4 points of contact with the lift and using a wide-legged supported stance” as I maneuvered my pallet into the lane. Unfortunately, the load of boxes was blocking my ability to see the barrier rod that prevented people from entering a conveyor area. Continue reading

Not a Prima Ballerina

tap danceI started my dance “career” at age 4 by taking tap classes.  I believe Mom initially got me into classes to help me overcome my shyness.  Hiding under Grandma Is’s skirt was where you’d find me if anyone tried talking to me during our errands.

Now when it came time to be in dance class, my shyness disappeared.  I loved being the leader of our class and getting to be the first one onto the stage during the recital.  I never recall having stage fright or freezing while on stage.  That never occurred to me. Continue reading

Baffle Them With Bullshit

computerI was 25 years old when I started working at ExecuTrain as a computer trainer.  I was tasked with teaching adults about how to use Windows, Microsoft products, and other such things.  After working there for about 3 months, our network administrator left and my boss said, “Hey Michelle.  You said you like technical things, right? Well, here’s our network.  Take care of it!” Continue reading

Home at Last

My son Matt and I pulled away from the house we had called home for the past fifteen years. It was the only home Matt remembered and a home that I loved. We had come back over spring break to finish emptying out the house and to complete our move to Colorado. Continue reading

Growing Pains

The day and year that I really grew up was definitely an important experience.  One that I would have forgone forever.  This was the day that my dad passed away.  He was only sixty-two years old, died of a heart attack, and left his family reeling in shock and dismay. Continue reading

Tween Makeover

tween makeover

me, 7th Grade, 1977

I’ve written before about how I had many worries and thoughts about the future when I was young. But I was also a planner. One of the biggest “plans” I had was for my transition from elementary school to Jr. High.

In elementary school, I was a pretty typical kid. Braces, headgear, and rubber bands worked to fix my smile. I took tap dance lessons. In the band, I played the flute.

But I wanted to be different. So I came up with a plan. I was going to have a life makeover! But, of course, “makeover” wasn’t yet a concept. Continue reading

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

I’m gonna be an artist when I grow up.

what do you wanna be when you grow up This is the answer I would have given to that age-old question that adults always ask children. I loved to make things out of paper and paint and wood and clay. I didn’t necessarily like coloring books, but I loved art materials. My first memory of Kindergarten is of making a scribble picture on construction paper and then coloring in the created spaces with crayons. Continue reading

Indecisive Decisions

careerThe lack of a clear career path kept me from following through and going to college. At first, I wanted to be a clothing designer but I had none of the natural skills to make this work. I thought about being a veterinarian because I loved animals, but I couldn’t get excited about the necessary years of schooling. Continue reading