The River of My Life

About me....................
The river that is my life continues to pull me to new frontiers. I have never been here before, and I like it here, but I am always excited to see what is ahead. I continue, however, to savor the knowledge that right now I am exactly where I am meant to be and doing exactly what I am supposed to do. When I embarked on the academic year in the fall, it signaled the start of yet another career and the return to one of my passions: education.
That river has taken many turns. I have been blessed with a life full of unbelievable variety and rich in experience. My career path has taken me through many fields with breadth of opportunity: from nursing assistant and emergency medical technician to office manager and data administrator; from operating my own pool supply business to pouring and finishing concrete with my husband. I have enjoyed being a drugstore clerk as well the seller of lumber and nails. While our children were young, I volunteered more than I worked. I volunteered for the 4-H, Pony Club, swim team, church, and fire department. A lifelong interest in education has given me experience as a substitute teacher, an educational assistant, a special needs provider for youngsters with autism, a student at U. W. Whitewater and finally, a teacher.
The river has been nurturing. I have had the pleasure of living in the heart of the Kettle Moraine for more than thirty years. Our home is a short walk from the camping and hiking trails of Wisconsin’s beautiful Kettle Moraine State Forest. My husband, Phil, and I have had the delight of raising our family on a few acres, where we also raised horses, dogs, cats, chickens and even a few goats. We love it here so much that in spite of our travels to such exciting places as Australia and Greece we have not been tempted away from this beautiful place.
The river has been compelling. The delights of our lives are our four daughters who have brought rich experience and growth to their “Pair ‘o Nuts”. We were relentless spectators of soccer, swimming, track and horse shows; proud members of audiences at school programs, plays, and concerts; and tireless fundraisers and PTO members. Sometimes, the river of my life flowed over rocks and waterfalls. Sometimes, it was serene and filled with spectacular scenery. Even though we, as parents, “launched” our children, they continue to challenge and encourage us. Like so many young people of their generation, they have dragged us into their global community where world travel is the norm. They shared with us their exciting travel and experiences in places such as Brazil, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Nova Scotia, Korea and Afghanistan. We were able to experience these first hand on two wonderful adventures to Athens in 2004 and Sydney in 2000 to watch our daughter compete in the Olympics.
The river that is my life is in the rapids now. The rushing and surging are, all at once, both exhilarating and exhausting. I can barely breathe! One minute, I think I can ride the churning water forever. The next minute, I want it to stop. As I look ahead and anticipate the next turn, I can already see the river getting wider and deeper taking an already full and wonderful life to new depths and places.