Well, I have decided to start blogging. I cannot promise how often I will post stuff, but then you may not give a tiny little rat’s patootee either. It’s kind of a narcissistic activity isn’t it? – an on-line journal, if you will. I like to look at it as a way to touch base with family and friends who live far away, or those who aren’t really sure what goes on in my addled brain, but might like a glimpse. I imagine I will post all kinds of stuff on random subjects. Don’t expect themes coming from me. My thoughts are too erratic. I will probably cover things like family themes, recipes, current events and reviews of products, books and my travels. But I reserve the right to blog about most anything.
About Me……. I’m a just a middle-aged broad living in North Texas. I am a transplant from the West Coast, arriving in Texas in late 1981. According to the year of my birth I am technically a “Boomer” but, so is my mom. So I’m not sure what that makes me. A “Boomerette?” A “Boomerang?” Well, all I know is that I am in the middle; the sandwich generation. I am a member of the generation who may still be raising kids while taking care of an aging parent. Hence, the term “sandwich.” While that may accurately describe many of my contemporaries, it doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head for me.
Marital stuff: I was married and divorced before the age of 30. Long story! In my early 30’s I married my soul mate. We have been very happily married for almost 19 years now. Hard to believe. We have a lot of fun together and I look forward to many, many more years.
Kid stuff: I have never had kids of my own, but I do have a grown step-daughter, which I had the honor of helping raise for a few years. She is still a very active part of my life and I’m really glad she is around. She is married with two kids of her own. She works part-time and goes to school and is studying to become an RN, which she will be awesome at, I may add!
Parent stuff: My mother has Alzheimer’s and is in a memory care center in Oregon. My mother’s husband, my step-dad is her primary caregiver and takes excellent care of her, thank God! There’s a whole other story regarding my step-dad, which I will touch on later. My Texas mother-in-law is in her early 80’s and still going strong. She can run circles around women ten years her junior! She is twice-widowed and now lives alone. We visit her weekly and take her on short trips with us when she feels the need to get away. I have a dad in California too – another very long story. Oivay!
Family stuff: For the most part, we are a very close family who all get along with each other, and accept each other’s quirks, differences and eccentricities. There are a few family members who are exceptions to this harmony, which I alluded to earlier. I am sure you will hear about them at some point. My brother and his family, aunt, uncle, cousins and grandmother all live up in Oregon. And I have a few family members in California. I make it up to Oregon for visits about once a year, for a couple of weeks at a time. Not enough! I am hoping to increase my frequency. It’s really hard having a mom with Alzheimer’s in another state. I’m just grateful for family in Oregon who love her and take care of her. That really helps my mind rest a bit.
Career stuff: I was laid off from my job in January, 2012. I am in the training business. I design curriculum and also train customers. The company I worked for is a technology company named Kronos, Inc. They specialized in time and attendance labor software and hardware. I have been doing contract work for them since I left. I am enjoying the part-time status and hoping I can maintain that into 2013. If not, then I may end up looking for something full-time again. I also am a professional voice artist and have done several jobs this year. Again, I am hoping to do more into the coming year.
So, that about sums it up for me. You’ll be hearing more.
Bye for now!
Inatxstateofmind 