Garden Of Heather

So… I followed an email to classmates.com and decided to write a bit about what I’m doing now in my profile… I ended up writing a novel!

I left out parts like, how I met my husband because my mom begged him to hire me to work construction, because, in her words, her daughter was running away to join the circus… That’s a long enough story on its own!!!

But after I wrote it I thought… hey, you (my one, maybe two readers…) might be bored and feel like reading a long journey through my adulthood… and so, here it is… as copied off my classmates.com profile…

First, my “now” picture for my profile, which is actually from our cruise two years ago. Yes, I’m slightly intoxicated in the picture… I was celebrating successfully completing zip lining in Belize.

And now, “my story”:

Life
Hi all!

If you remember me (at all) you might have a mental image of “weird”. Hair, clothes, etc. Well, like all of us, I’ve grown up (via outside appearances at least….)

Married almost 14 years, my husband and I have been together now for over 16 years. Amazing whenever I think about it!

No children, by choice. Four cats and two llamas.

I currently work as a Residential Program Supervisor at a school for “seriously emotionally and behaviorally troubled deaf children and adolescents”.

How did I end up there? Funny you should ask… The road was NOT a direct path!

Let’s see… when I graduated from high school my goal was to become an interpreter for the deaf. I was accepted to Mt. Aloysius College into their interpreter training program but… I didn’t really grasp the concept that you had to be able to PAY for college somehow… So I did not go.

I worked. I attended training and became a nurses aide. I worked construction. I managed a gas station. Then I won some money which was enough to let me go to school!

I started going to Westmoreland County Community College for accounting. I didn’t really have an overwhelming desire to be an accountant but… accounting was… practical. Got my associate’s degree and at the same time was really into computers but didn’t think changing my practical and logical plan to a degree in computers was smart (little did I know then!) so I went to Waynesburg College and finished my BSBA in Accounting in ‘97.

Worked as an accountant full-time for two years. Boring! Same thing every month, journal entries, reconciliations, closings, etc. Ick!

Got a heads up on an available job in computer networking… Studied, got my A+ certification (based on Windows 3.1 and DOS!) and my first Cisco certification… CCNA… got the job…

Spent the next seven years becoming a router queen with a string of initials… CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, CCDP… etc… Promoted to supervisor at one place, IT manager at another, etc. Got paid really well for it too… but… something was missing…

Went back to college for my masters in education… which was kind of lurking in the back of my mind from as far back as early childhood… My dad was a teacher, then a principal, and many uncles and cousins are as well.

Finished my masters in education and started working as a sub… My first assignment was a week in a special needs class where some of the students used sign language to communicate even though they weren’t deaf. Well, I realized I had forgotten most of the sign that I had learned years ago… The final straw was when I walked into the room one morning to find a (not all that bright) one-on-one aide making fun of my sign ability.

So a little over one month after finishing my masters degree I was back in a classroom taking a non-credit class in ASL (American Sign Language) at night.

Continued to sub but close to the end of the school year I decided to apply to work at my current job. I was hired on as a teacher / counselor… Initially I planned to just work there for the summer (year round school) and find a job in the public school system come the fall. Well, it turned out that I loved it… something about the job and I just clicked… and needless to say, my sign skills have rapidly improved…

I recently received the promotion to program supervisor, about a month ago…

So what is a typical day like? First off, there is no typical day! And the best laid plans are more likely to get screwed up then not! I’ve been bit, I’ve been spit at, I’ve seen windows broken and walls hit… but I’ve also been hugged and high fived and seen a kid walk away from a situation that previously might have ended in a fight… I teach somebody something new every day and I learn something new from somebody every day. It really doesn’t get much better then that.

And that is how I ended up where I am today.

Diana commented that she would like the recipe and so… this is the recipe we (basically) followed for the peach and the pear liquor mixture:

2 lbs. fresh, ripe fruit
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. honey
750ml vodka

Cut (preferably mash) fruit. Mix everything together in a glass or plastic container. Put in cool dark place for six weeks or longer. Drain.

This morning we moved the jars to a cool dark place for their stay. I got the jars at amazon.com, they are 2 gallon jars and quite nice!

Yeah, I’m pathetic…

So, what have I been doing? Working… I changed positions at my job. Currently I am the residential program supervisor (temporary at the moment… subject to permanency). It amazes me how much I enjoy this job… if I were to describe a typical day you would think me crazy!

Today (and tomorrow) are my days off this week. Montey and I made peach and pear liquor, which should be ready for Christmas… Here is our beginning…

And here is our finished product, ready to go to a cool, dark place until early December…

What else have I been doing? Well, I got my motorcycle permit and soon will be riding this…

Knitting and crocheting? Why yes… of course… I just finished a really pretty baby blanket… unfortunately I didn’t take a picture before I gave it to the mother to be! I am almost finished with my lime green and purple socks! I have another baby blanket in the works, unfortunately the person that it is for just turned in their notice at work…

Sewing… some… mostly putting rings on my dress pants to hold my keys and phone at work now that with the new position I am encouraged to wear dressier pants then my cut off jeans… Tomorrow I am planning to sew for the day…

And now… I am off for the night… have a wonderful day!

Found this quiz over on Cheryl’s blog… and you know I’m a sucker for quizzes! I think this might be rather on spot…

Yes, this is probably a shameless post for attention…

How old? 36!

Not sure I believe it either… LOL!

I’ve been working a lot… I got a job in May as a residential teacher/counseler at a school for “seriously emotionally and behaviorally troubled deaf children and adolescents”. It can be intense but it can also be incredibly fun and rewarding.

Haven’t been doing near enough crafting as of late though…
Lots of ideas but not a lot of available time.

So… how shall I entertain you today?

Well, first, let’s take a look at a fine picture of the back of my head, squitchinglady’s head, and squitchinglady’s daughter’s head…

Next, I was on my way home from work tonight, listening to my iPod when I decided that the music I have on it is eclectic, to say the least! And so, now I shall play, “What’s on Heather’s iPod?”. So here it is, exported from the current playlist, the artists on the iPod…

Bette Midler     Everlast     Meredith Brooks
Blondie     Green Day     Metallica
Bob Marley     Gretchen Wilson     No Doubt
Bread     Indigo Girls     P!nk
Carlos Santana     Jewel     R.E.M.
Chantal Kreviazuk     John Denver     Sacre
Cher     Kelis     Sean Paul
Christina Aguilera     Kid Rock     Simon & Garfunkel
Cowboy Junkies     K's Choice     Sixpence None The Richer
Dead Milkmen     Lisa Loeb     The Cardigans
Dolly Parton     Lorrie Morgan     The Ramones
Don McLean     Lou Bega     The Who
Eddie Grant     Luscious Jackson     Tone-Loc
Eminem     Mark Wills     Trisha Yearwood
Emmylou Harris     Mary Chapin Carpenter     Vanilla Ice

Feel free to play along… let’s even call it a meme…

Night!

Okay, my cousin is having a baby girl in June-ish. I am planning to sew crib bumpers and diaper organizers and such… but… I’ve been sooooo sick for the past few weeks that I’ve not done much but work and sleep… since we are going over to visit her tomorrow, I thought I should finish something… so I can see if she likes the fabrics…

And so, I made a curtain. It is reversible, in the picture below you can see both sides of it…

Spring is here…

Summer is following quickly!

I got a bike for the occasion!

It was a clearance’d item at Target… from what Montey and I can figure… somebody bought it, took it home, tried to get their foot over the center, fell over, and, so… promptly took the bike back… And we found it there, with a couple scratches and a missing front reflector, for $39.21 ! Bargain Score! So… I got a bell, nicer grips for the side, a fat-bottom seat, and a helmet… all for less then the price of another bike I was looking at…

Of course, I immediately started putting my little personal touches on it… In the following two pictures you can see the bell and the seat… and the STICKERS! I love stickers!

No new crafty projects… at least none with pictures… I’m working on a baby blanket for my cousin who is having a baby in June… And I have a bunch of baby things I want to sew… and another lizard I want to make for the cousin’s older boy so he doesn’t feel left out in the whole baby ordeal!