-
A First Birthday
On this day in history...Born in Shawnee Mission, Kansas - a very rough part of Kansas City. My parents were poor but very much in love (41 years of marriage and still going strong). Before my first birthday we moved to my mom's hometown, the bustling metropolis of Swan, IA, population 45... people. -
Period: to
An Iowa country girl
my hometownEducation in a 1A school - there's got to be more to life!!! I grew up on the Des Moines riverbottom: barefoot summers, ball games in the empty cornfields, and climbing trees in the old orchard. School was dreadful, but life was sweet. -
growing up
I was seven when I got a new sister (that would stay with me forever) and a new dog (that would stay with me for 17 years). We were very, very poor, but my dad worked hard to build his surveying and engineering business into the multi-million dollar success it is today. It was a very happy childhood! -
growing up more
my hometownEducation in a 1A school - there's got to be more to life!!! I grew up on the Des Moines riverbottom: barefoot summers, ball games in the empty cornfields, and climbing trees in the old orchard. School was dreadful, but life was sweet. My parents founded the tri-five chevy club, so my brother & cousins & I were always making model cars to enter in competition! The car club was the only reason we would leave our sleepy town! -
Cali bound
landed in San Francisco!Graduated High School and so sick of Iowa and school. Jetted off to California to "find myself" Landed in San Francisco, across from Stanford University.
To pay the bills, I became a nanny. -
Homesick
missing my familyBack to Iowa...what was I thinking??? Started DMACC's Child Development Associate Program. -
-
-
My second angel
A year later, my second baby was born, Megan Ann, and my life seemed complete. -
A Baby Boy
and a year later, I was blessed with my son, Matthew James -
Found the Courage
being strongLeft that abusive marriage. What doesn't kill us, right?! I left with only what I could fit in a station wagon and three baby car seats and prayed he wouldn't find us. -
Period: to
A Stressful But Productive 6 months
Raising three small children alone in a two bedroom apartment, waitressing in a pizza place at night, attending weekend and night classes to finish a Child Development Associate degree, and writing a business plan for a child day care center in my free time!!! I had nothing but a small bed for my children, a car that wouldn't go in reverse (that was tricky at times), and a will in my soul to survive. -
Hard work pays off
A place to call homeAfter all the hard times my babies and I had endured, I was overjoyed when the bank approved my business plan. We got a house, and my children each got a bedroom of their own for the first time. Carlisle got Kidsworld, Inc. and this town became our home for 16 years (and still counting)! -
Period: to
A lot more hard work!
Business ownerI still wasn't getting any sleep - operating any business is tough. You learn to roll with the punches life brings you. You make a lot of friends along the way, though, and Carlisle has been good to us! -
Period: to
Can't say NO
Our church family got me through a lot of hard timesIf there was a committee in Carlisle, I think I was on it. Girl Scout Troop Leader, Boy Scout Troop Mom, Softball Team Mom, Tee ball Team Mom, Church Education Chair, Jaycees Secretary, PTO Secretary, and on and on... Now you know why I never slow down. It's 'cause I can't!!!!! I am Carlisle's Mother Hen! You know you can live through anything when you drive 15 teens in a passenger van to a Christian Mission Weekend all the way to Branson, MI and back!! -
Meeting the Governor
Small Business Administration's 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Kinda cool! -
An even bigger day care center http://www.littleendeavors.com/
Straight ahead is DMACC, to the right is Little Endeavors, next to FarewayI partnered with a wealthy home building developer who liked my first day care and wanted an even bigger one in the Ankeny area. In two weeks, I wrote a $1.2 million business plan, worked with the architect, and directed the building and business for the first year of Little Endeavors, Inc... and I still wasn't getting any sleep, but I sure liked that salary!! -
Need some quiet time!
After a much debated battle with my own conscience (great paycheck/long work hours OR crappy pay/home all day) I left Little Endeavors and came home to operate a home day care. My kids were hitting their preteens and I didn't want to miss one more minute of their lives. The best part: NO MORE EMPLOYEES -
Finally, a good man!
We became a brady bunch... without an Alice!It took a lot of patience, but waiting for a Scott to come along and share my life with was worth the wait. Best of all he is kid-approved (my kids love him). We call each other our spouse (and it's been long enough we can do that) but we are both petrified of marriage, we've never tied the knot. Plus with his teenagers and mine, this Brady Bunch has kept us busy. Maybe someday?? -
And they start graduating...
a celebration!Morgan graduated early to get a head start on college. She's motivated and makes me feel so proud to know and love her! -
Simpson, here I come!
A great place!Day care is great, and working for yourself has its advantages, but getting people to treat you with respect, such as paying you on time, and getting descent health care insurance, one that doesn't cost $600/month, and having a clean bathroom, one that doesn't have an "oops I missed" spot every day, are not advantageous! My favorite parent slogan, "Well, if you had a real job like me, you would know what it's like!" What did you just say?!? Still have day care, but now they're all school age. -
#2 graduates
My Megan is so social, a class clown, and so creative it makes you want to smile. On her way to Indian Hills and eventually University of Iowa. How can life get much better than having her as a daughter?!? -
40! Really?!?
I'm not alone...My life line tells me I'll have a long and happy life, but if I feel this tired at 40, what in the world am I going to feel at 80!!! -
Accomplished!
what will the future hold?My son and I will graduate the same time. Time I spend with him is precious right now with the girls gone to college, but I know it will soon come to pass like all things in life do. For now, I savor every minute I spend with my family and look forward to new beginnings.
