ME

I am a granny to 4 grandchildren, Jaidyn, Caleb, Kelsee, and Sienna. Mom to one son TJ and daughter-in-law Jennifer. I’ve been married to Lance for over 30 years. We spend lots of time with our family and enjoy laughing and creating memories. I also love to garden. It is my therapy. Above is a photo of our front yard in late fall. Winter is approaching and plants are going dormant.

THIS BLOG

With this blog, I hope to leave some thoughts and experiences for my grandchildren. I want to write about things I love, and maybe there will be some info that is helpful for others as well. I love to laugh, connect, reflect, write, garden, and spend time with loved ones. I enjoy hearing the stories of other people, and I enjoy sharing stories. More than once, I’ve had a friend ask me, “Do you have a stamp across your forehead saying TALK TO ME?” Often, strangers in a line will just begin talking to me. Maybe that’s another reason why I went into social work.

I  also enjoy learning new things. Recently, I’ve learned to make pinch pots, write morning pages, (thanks Julie Cameron), and create a website. I read “The Artists Way” and started morning pages 20 years ago, but left that practice behind as life changes came along. I have written 45 years worth of journals, and one day I will pass these on to our grandchildren, ( after I have left this world). In my younger years I was a bit of a free spirit, and had some adventures that were a little on the wild side. Now that I am heading into my retirement years, I would like them to know me as a person, not only as their granny.

MY GRANDMOTHER AS A WOMAN

It would be a gift to have writings from my grandma, and I would treasure them. I have memories of shared moments with her, but not her inner thoughts, wishes, or feelings. Who she was as a woman. What made her feel inspired? What caused her fear? Was she lonely at times?  What gave her hope? I’d like to give this gift to my future generations.

GRIEF IN OUR HEARTS

Lance and I have been together 35 years. In that amount of time we have had both wonderful and challenging times. The last 4 years brought quite a bit of grief and loss. Beginning in November 2011, Lance’s dad died 2 days after Thanksgiving.  My mom had been on hospice since August 2011 and died in February 2012. Lance’s uncle died in June 2012, and then my oldest sister died in March 2013. Lance’s mom went on hospice in February 2014, and passed away in September 2015. There was a lot of sadness and grief running through our hearts. The grief is beginning to lesson, and we are making plans for our future. I am visualizing a future filled with curiosity, adventure, and possibility.

PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY

I have worked in a variety of jobs beginning as a runner for a land sales business in Las Vegas (back in the day), a manager for 7-11, a  fabricator with Hewlett Packard (HP),  and for the last 25 years a social worker. As a clinical social worker I have had the privilege of working in hospice, a community health clinic with moms and babies, and Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs. My passion is working with young children and their parents. Helping them learn about attachment, effects of toxic stress, and developing more secure attachments with their child, was an honor.

I have been a presenter at trainings (4) on Infant Mental Health in Idaho, and was a founding board member of the Idaho Association of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (www.aimearlyidaho.org). I have been trained in EMDR, CBT, Grief Recovery Certification, and have attended trainings with leaders in the field of attachment and trauma. I have also attended trainings in play therapy, art therapy, and others.

FUTURE

Soon, I will be retiring. My hope is to have new adventures with Lance. I want to travel and learn new things. When we travel I want to stay in touch with family. I thought this blog would be a good way to accomplish these goals.

Update: October 2016…I retired from paid employment 1 year ago due to an injury. I have been dealing with some medical issues, and have limited mobility for a while. In order to stimulate my brain I began painting in an artist journal. I slowly moved on to a small canvas. Eventually I started using a larger canvas and have had a few paintings chosen for juried shows at the Nampa Civic Center. Painting reduces my pain and helps my brain when I’m in that “flow”.  Art truly has the ability to heal, and I try to encourage others to begin a creative practice. I paint almost every day and will only get better and better.