Mi LIFE BEFORE STAMPIN' UP!
Born and Raised:
- Having been born in Bristol, Pennsylvania (just outside of Philadelphia & across the river from Burlington, New Jersey), still has its affect on me. My North East Passion has been both a blessing & a curse here in the MidWest! Although my roots have enabled me to use my fast paced, self-motivated, people saturated upbringing to create multiple outcomes of satisfaction and success…it is occassionally misinterpreted or misunderstood. Sigh. I have learned from this along the way (and unfortunately, still do)…but I pray that the lives I cross will be blessed and not offended;-}! FYI...I am Passionate about ANYTHING that is in my life;-}!
- I went to St. Anne’s Elementary School…then Bishop Conwell High School. Yup…13 years of uniform wearing, nun running, Catholic Schools. Yup…I rebelled. Yup…I ended up a Southern Baptist.
- I attended Bucks County Community College for one year…trying to find my way. It’s been a journey, but I am happy to report, I found the dirt road;)! Still on it…will always be, but I am enjoying the ride!
- Further education continued...keep reading for more of the trails on the dirt road;-)!
 On the Job Training:
- I would have to say, it started in 1st grade! I apparently had a penchant for 2 things:
- I would wear my mom’s sunglasses and lipstick (think 1978), and waste NO time getting up to “guide” the class, should the teacher walk out of the room or even simply turn her back.
- Ummm…I stole the teacher’s rubber stamps…uhhhh…twice. What can I say, if at first you don’t succeed…
- In 8th grade, I found myself SELF-COMMITTED to selling the MOST Candy Bars during the school fundraiser. My then BF (Jeni) and I set up outside the Grocery Store and took 1st & 2nd…yes, I was 1st. Not that I worked harder or better…but here lies my first self taught lesson: Expect Yourself to Succeed. We took the amount of boxes we wanted to “try” to sell. They were “cash and carry” candy bars. You give me a dollar, you walk away with deliciousness. I simply took A LOT of boxes…and didn’t stop until they were sold.
- At 14, I was hired at Roy Rogers! We were the best of all Fast Food Worlds! The menu: Burgers, Roast Beef AND Fried Chicken…why would ANY family go anywhere else?!?!? These were the good ole’ days, when 14 year olds were actually expected to cater to and care about the customer service experience by the bosses. Parents, Bosses, Mentors…PLEASE have your teens read “Do Hard Things” and let’s join forces in reclaiming American Pride!!
- Throughout my teens, I went on to mostly waitress with a little of retail & grocery checker thrown in.
- The biggy…at 19, I enlisted in the United States Air Force.
Mi life as a “grown up”:
- I served 7 years on Active Duty Service as a Target and Operations Intelligence Specialist. I spent 5 years in Texas, 1 year in Iceland and 1 year in Idaho.
- My military experience included everything from Mapping and Charting & Imagery Analysis for B-1 Bombers, Survival School certification to train Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape, F-15 & F-16 Enemy Engagement Briefings and Current Intelligence Briefings.
- By 1999, my husband and I had spent one year on opposite sides of the world (Korea & Iceland), we had a 4 ½ year old & and 1 year old, and his dream was to work for the Federal Aviation Administration…taking his 9 year military Air Traffic Control career to the civilian side. It was time for me to separate from the military.
- See Mi Stampin’ Up! Career for the next steps in my journey;-)!
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