Hi! Welcome to my blog. My story is very simple. I grew up in a small town in Indiana. During the 50’s and 60’s, living in the country meant you played outside most of the time, used your imagination to create things to do, played with anyone who wanted to play (gender and age were unrestricted), and made certain you were always home by dinner time.
If you were lucky, your father turned your back yard into an oval race track that would accommodate every trike and bike in a 2 mile radius. We had races of all types and lots of crashes. Young and old were welcome, gender made no difference, and no one escaped the standard issue scrapes and bruises. We frowned on “cry-babies” but watched out for each other as well. There was always an older one to take a younger one under their wing. Those who had dogs brought them along as well and anytime we could incorporate them into the mix we did. We loved our pets too!
What a wonderful way to grow up. We were responsible (chores had to be finished before play); adventurous (always up for a challenge); imaginative (games had to be created); and, entertaining (practice makes perfect). There were no cell phones to call us for dinner and yet we were always on time (late for dinner meant someone was in trouble, or about to be)! Needless to say I grew up strong.
I graduated from high school in the late 60’s which was a time of great unrest. Vietnam was in full swing, racial unrest was abundant, and Bob Dylan sang, “The times they were a changin’.”
By 1971, I was a Mom with 2 daughters and just 3 years later I was a single parent with new adventures on the horizon. We had challenging and rewarding years ahead and we grew up together in so many ways. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything and thank God every day for walking with us during these years. By the mid 1990’s these two girls had achieved more than I could dream. They were beautiful, bright, and fearless as they entered the work force to become brilliant contributors in their fields as well as the best Mom’s in the world to my grandchildren.
The next phase of my life took me back to college to complete a degree I had started in the 1970’s. In 2000 I became a college graduate. Proud doesn’t begin to describe the feelings that came with that walk across the stage just a few weeks before turning 50 years old. My new career in banking took off and the next 15 years were spent in the financial industry.
Retirement brings new opportunities and a chance to explore a whole new series of life experiences. The dreams from years past are becoming a reality as I seek out new adventures. I can’t wait to tell my beautiful grandchildren about these travels. Their worlds have included such different experiences from mine at their ages and yet now I believe we will connect again over these travels. It is my greatest hope to inspire their love of fearless adventures.
With a bucket list of ideas and a host of adventures I’ve not yet dreamed of, I’m off to Sitka, Alaska for what I hope to be the first of many new adventures.
Stay-tuned!