Another Oldie But Quite Possibly a Goodie?

Disclaimer: This is a cheat post. I originally posted this as a note on facebook in 2009 for one of those facebook fads, where you let people (like it or not) learn interesting tidbits about yourself. Thought this would be a addition to this blog… at least you will know a little more about me! I had a lot of fun writing this too. So here goes… 

25 Random Things About Me…

1. I moved alot growing up. I have lived in 19 residences, 17 before the age of 23. I have been in the same house for 16 years… when I moved here, I said, I will not move from this house until my girls are out of high school…

2. I have no living grandparents. My dad was a late in life baby and born in 1929. My grandfather was born in 1870 and my grandmother in 1888. Yeah, you do the math.

3. I was involved in Hot Air Ballooning for 12 years and at one time wanted to be a pilot. I have gone on 33 flights, my favorite over the Pro Football Hall of Fame game the year the “new” Browns came back. The Navy Fighter jets flew past over the stadium while we were in the air and it was really cool (and a bit scary seeing them head your way while up there in the air!)

4. I hate nick names. Growing up my family called my Shelly all the time. In grade school I was “Michele” but one time when we moved over the summer, everyone got to know me as “Shelly” because that’s what the family called me… After living there a couple years and we moved (again) I insisted I be called by my real name - even my family had to start calling me that (if they wanted a Shelly, why didn’t they just call me that?). I still have friends that have a hard time not calling me Shelly from that short time. Of course I have been called many other things as well.

5. I am a bit silly and have secretly wanted to be a clown or a stand up comedian… (but sitting appeals to me more now)…argh argh.

6. I used to be very very self conscious about how I say my “S” ‘s I had to work with a speech counselor all through grade school to learn to “talk right”… I was mortified anytime I heard my voice. How ironic that now I get up and talk in front of people for a living???

7. One of the greatest things about moving so much is I have many friends from many places and I am really good at staying in touch with people… once my friend, always my friend… (I know that disturbs some of you…). It amazes my family how many people I still connect with.

8. When I travel or go to the store, I make a point of being nice to the people who are taking my ticket, ringing up my order etc… I always thank THEM and tell THEMto have a good day… When you work with the public you run into so many grumpy people, I just think hearing something nice once in a while might make their day… I believe a little kindness goes a long way.

9. When I was a kid, I used to think we’d be in trouble every time we went past a “Do Not Pass” sign. :)

10. I love the computer and yeah, I am on it way too much. It’s a very creative outlet for me. People think I am a “geek” but I think the computer allows you to express your creativity. When Sheridyn was in kindergarten she drew a picture of me… it was the back of my head at the computer with the AOL triangle on the screen. Yeah… really. (Hey, she’s 16 now… and we fight over the computer…)

11. I believe my greatest accomplishment has been raising two very good girls with Walt. Our girls have confidence, self esteem and GOALS! My relationship with both of them is remarkable and they make me very proud. I am sure we have made mistakes along the way but hey, we aren’t perfect. We just do our best (and pray alot)!

12. It takes a lot for me to “file a complaint” but when I do… watch out. I will do whatever it takes to resolve a situation if I think there’s an injustice but it has to be a big one. I think it’s a waste of time and energy to get upset about little inconveniences… life’s too short.

13. I like to read and have read some what I call “life changing” books. A couple I recommend them all the time… The Four Agreements (Daniel Migel Ruiz) The Alladdan Factor (Jack Canfield) and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (Dale Carnegie) are probably at the top of the list.

14. I have been bowling in leagues since I was ten years old. Yes, you’d think I’d be good at it by now, but that’s not the case. I am the world’s most inconsistent bowler, I can bowl a 200+ game and follow it up with a 97… so no PBA tour for me.

15. On a whim I took a job as a software trainer for Gateway in 2000… I had NEVER ever taught a class about anything and was not fond of public speaking. I am so grateful I took the risk because teaching has become my passion and niche. I love to help people. And it’s very rewarding… a co-worker and I have often joked about how we measure our success at week’s end by the number of hugs we get before we leave.

16. I love to write (can you tell???) I currently have five different blogs I write in.

17. I took a shot at entreprenuership for a few years and failed miserably. But learned a lot… I learned that to run a business, you have to wear a lot of hats… and apparently, I don’t look good in hats…

18. I have a great marriage and sometimes feel bad when I hear others complain about their spouses. Sure Wallt has those little things that bug me… I am positive I do things that make him crazy but he still loves me… it’s all give and take… The secret to our marriage is a lotta laughs, and a lot of communication…

19. I have a ridiculous collection of inspirational quotations that inspire me. They are in a big shoe box and I am itching to “do something” with them some day but am not sure what that is…

20. I would love to write and illustrate a children’s book someday when I find (make) the time.

21. I never traveled much before the Harley job and have been extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to see the USA, places I’d never even heard of… it’s given much more meaning to the phrase, America the Beautiful… Now I’d like see more of the world… travel to Ireland, go to Italy on an art history tour, see Paris… you know…

22. I have the best dog in the world, Dillon. He’s a collie-shepard-lab mix and he’s so loved that people bring their kids to our house just to play with Dillon. He gets more visitors than we do. Seriously.

23. I am not a morning person and stay up way too late (usually on the computer) and then regret it in the morning. I can hit a snooze button every nine minutes for two hours if I can get away with it.

24. I like to throw things out or give things away that we don’t use anymore, I absolutely HATE having things around the house that don’t get used (unlike Walt who keeps everything - see #18). My girls always complain that their entire childhood was donated to Amvets.

25. Way back in the 90’s I watched a video on Lou Holtz (former Notre Dame coach) and his list of “100 things to do before I die” he made one and accomplished 99 of them (I forget what one he didn’t do. It inspired me to make a list for myself. I have, and I have only come up with 76… It’s not as easy as you think! But I am sure you have an appreciation for it as you think of your 25 random things about YOU! This was fun! 

Grandma Dorward's Kitchen

This post originally written on 8/4/2011 trying to consolidate my blogs!

My Grandma Dorward was the best. Though she’s been gone many years I still have great memories of her. She used to live in an apartment in downtown Canton at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Third Street. Just “cattywampus” from the Y and next to Walt’s diner. We used to play outside in the diner’s parking lot and I always thought it was neat that they left the back door open in the kitchen and we’d hear all the ruckus of the people working. I think about her every time I am downtown for one event or another. We spent a lot of time in that apartment. The building is still there, the apartments look rough now, but oh how I’d love to go up to the second floor one more time just to see what’s changed. And what hasn’t. 

There were two ways to get into her apartment, rarely did we go in the front entrance to the building and when we did, the place always seemed so hollow and scary. I always felt lost. Most of the time, we clambered up the open metal stairs in the back. I was always so nervous going up those steps because you could see right down into what seemed a bottomless pit, but in reality was just outside the basement level. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the sound of my feet clunking up cautiously, a big sigh of relief when I got to her floor. 

Gram’s apartment was in the middle, to get to hers, you had to walk past the door of the first apartment. I always scuttled a little faster when I got to this door. You see, Grandma’s good friend lived there and one time I heard the “adults” talking about how that lady had come home one day and found her husband hanging in the shower. How’s that image for a little scaredy cat child to have in her head? 

There was an atrium with gravel between the two apartments, blocked by a railing. It always looked like a fine playground to me, but we were never allowed to play in there. But no matter, once inside Grandma’s kitchen, the novelty of Grandma’s delightful apartment took over. Her kitchen was like a giant toybox to me. So many things that I knew I could count on to be there when we went to visit. 

Now of course, these are memories and they are going to sound really, really silly to the average reader. I suppose if one of my brothers, sisters or cousins ever read this, that perhaps they can relate. There were certain things that I always gravitated to in the kitchen. Weird things. Really weird things. Things that are so far in my past but yet still completely intact in my mind. Like her electric skillet, actually it was the lid of the skillet I found so intriguing, there was a sliding 4-opening vent on the lid that I liked the sound it made when you clicked it open and shut. And her bowl of fake fruit, I loved to squish the grapes, they felt so rubbery. Who knew I was such a tactile child? 

The fruit sat in a bowl that was on a white metal buffet. In the top drawer, you could always count on finding Grandma’s plastic leaf coasters. Again, I loved these things for their texture. Of course as kids, we never used them as coasters, but when Gram made us her homemade play dough, we would make imprints of leaves all day long. Funny how these “imprints” have managed to hang around for a lifetime!

Grandma’s play dough. I never had her recipe but I am sure you can find one online. Getting Gram to make us dough was the highlight of any visit. That smelly pink and green stuff was the best! We’d play for hours making “baked goods,” using her Cosco step stool as our “oven.” I almost forgot to mention our “rolling pins” that we used to carefully craft our baked items. They were these amber colored bottles without labels, I always thought they were so neat because of their distinguished shape. It wasn’t until years later that I recognized that bottle and its shape as none other than a Michelob bottle. Grandma drank beer? Shocking! Not really, my Gram was also a card shark too. More on that later. 

When it came time for snacks or lunch, Grandma served up her tasty lemonade concoction. She always had a bottle of Real Lemon on hand to make that treat for us. And the best part was sipping it ice cold out of her colorful vintage aluminum tumblers, the kind that came in a box of laundry soap. (For all you youngsters out there, for whatever crazy reason, laundry detergent makers felt the need to put “gifts” inside boxes of detergent. Aluminum tumblers, glassware and Cannon towels, oh my!)

I could probably go on and on just on the kitchen alone, but for now will wrap it up here. Don’t worry, there will definitely be more Grandma Dorward stories, we still have the rest of her apartment to talk about! So far, I am enjoying my trip down memory lane. Hope you are too!  

List of things that you think will make you happy...

Ah... now this is an interesting list! It's focuses on thinking about the future, and really aren't we supposed to live in the present? What control do we have over the future anyhow? We have hope, and wishes and dreams but our happiness really needs to be now. 

But I do dream of things that might add to my happiness, but I don't really look at them as THE answer, because really, I am happy now...But for what it's worth, there are a few things I'd like to see come to be....

• My girls finishing college and finding satisfying careers.
• The girls marrying men that will treat them well, take care of them, support and be there for them like Walt has been for me. 
• Losing all this unhealthy weight would definitely add to my happiness... 
• Being more active and feeling better would make me smile more! 
• Paying off debt won't make me "happy" but certainly will feel wonderful! 
• Moving to a new home (although I will really miss this one). I long for the "perfect" home and right now, I can't really even say where that might be... but I am ready for change. 
• Continued growth in my career, again, happy now, but always wanting to grow. 
• Here's one that I look forward to... being a grandparent (yes, I can wait)!

This list is a short one, because like I said, I am pretty content right now! What a nice place to be...

List of things that make you happiest in your work...

Surprisingly, this is an easy one for the work I do now, because I love my job... But years ago, I don't think this list would have been as easy to create. I've come a long way in my career, I never dreamed I'd be teaching computers, teaching was never on my radar. Funny how life is!

• I love the work I do.
• I love helping people, teaching new skills.
• Flexibility - being able to work from home when I need to.
• The people I work for/with.
• Laughter at work.
• Meeting new people all the time.
• Sharing my knowledge.
• Able to express my creativity and new ideas.
• Never gets dull.
• Watching students' reactions when they finally get it.
• Finding ways to save time.
• Creating documents, newsletters, handouts, a great way to be creative.
• Supportive atmosphere.
• Casual, laid back, I do my work and no one is micro-managing me.

I have been very fortunate with my work of late. I'd have to say for the past 10 years, being a software trainer has suited me just fine! What a nice feeling! I hope to always feel this way about my work, after all, I certainly spend a lot of time on it!

List of Things You Are Happy About in Your Home Environment

What makes me happy in my home environment? 

• Looking at my house on the outside, green siding, dark green shutters and red brick. 
• The big front porch, especially when all the furniture is out, the candles are lit and I am surrounded by friends on a warm summer's night. 
• The oak woodwork and trim.
• The beveled glass door in the foyer, beautiful!
• The diamond paned windows in the foyer. 
• The windows we "discovered" that were covered up in the walls. 
• My budget decor window treatments that match my furniture. 
• Throw pillows and blankets for naps on the couch. 
• My nice big desk (albeit cluttered and messy).
• Pictures of my family.
• The nice big kitchen (the room that when I walked into it the first time, I knew this was "the house").
• Grandma's vintage opalescent lustreware porcelain cannisters. I have loved these since I was a child and I am extremely happy to have them on display. 
• The cool brass corner pieces on hardwood oak steps. 
• The huge mirror at the bottom of the steps.
• The neat arch at the bottom of the steps. 
• The color of our bathroom and the space we have now that it's remodeled.
• The whirlpool bath.
• Our big bedroom.
• The corner eaves in each room upstairs that give so much character. 
• The skinny closet in the hallway.
• The laundry chute!

Field Guide to Happiness.... Day 1

Just bought a fun new book that give you ideas for making lists... this is the first one... You should try it! What a great way to reflect! :)

List of things you were happy about yesterday...

Here's my list!

• Easy drive to Cleveland, no traffic
• SUNSHINE!
• Taught a great class
• Turned around a "nay sayer"
• Made people laugh
• Shared my enthusiasm
• Home videos viewed for the millionth time
• The girls' video skit classics
• Family time, Arianne & Brian's visit home, Sheridyn and her friend Sarah
• Laughing
• Kindle for my Blackberry!

The Mystery of the Letter to Ann Landers... :)

This is such a great story, and anyone who knew and loved my mother-in-law will definitely agree.

My mother-in-law sadly passed away this spring. A little background first. Dorothy Gasser was a saint. She was the kind of person that never complained, was kind, giving, loving and raised a family of eight wonderful good-hearted children mostly on her own.

In the years I knew her and grew into the family I watched dozens and dozens of people that came into her life and home that she "tolerated" even though I knew they had to be exasperating. People who bummed money off of her, people who would hang out for her company and take from her precious time, people who'd stop over at dinner time and yes, people who actually sent over empty plates and asked them to be filled for Easter dinner. She always obliged.

It blew my mind because I could never understand how she could be so welcoming and kind to them. I wanted to shoo them all away! I could tell they sucked a lot of her energy and these people never had a clue at how much they'd worn out their welcome. Mom would take people in like she took in cats... never turning them away.

So... again, I was always totally baffled that she would never speak up for herself and just scream ENOUGH! She was just not that kind of person. She would never ever complain... or... would she? Tonight I stumbled upon something that made me laugh and cry... it was an awesome discovery. And it makes me wonder if she didn't have her own little way of venting about some of these people.

The other day I asked my brother-in-law Dan if I could have Mom's recipe box, if no one else had asked for it. I brought home that old beat up, worn box, jam-packed with recipes she'd saved over the years, some were handwritten, some torn from old magazines (I found one with a sweepstakes entry on the back that expired April 17th, 1954) and others where she'd written in her familiar handwriting her recipe annotations, like, "Real Good" so she'd know to use that one again. It just brought back warm memories.

When Walt saw that battered box he said it made him remember his mom sitting on the floor in the kitchen, going through the pantry cupboard, recipe box at hand looking for what to make for dinner.

I started going through them and I discovered this neatly folded newspaper clipping from Ann Lander's column. I laughed when I read it out loud to Walt. Walt instantly recognized the antagonist in the letter as their next door neighbor Alice who he said "figured the Gasser kids would love to eat her burnt cookies."

Reading this letter made me smile. It made me wonder... could Mom have actually written this letter? Is that why she saved it? Could this have been the simple way she handled her frustration... a little vent to Ann Landers? Even if she hadn't penned this wonderful letter, I love that she thought enough to clip it out and tuck it away in her little treasure box of recipes and well, fond memories.

This just made my day, made me smile and made me really, really miss Mom.