Interests & Hobbies

I especially like taking pictures of nature and my pets, and candids of friends and family.

Maintaining my own websites, putting together newsletters, analyzing data, and continuing to learn new skills...  I often help others with their computer-related projects; I always love the challenge and being able to help others.

Playing with photos to alter their colors, effects, backgrounds, etc.  I also like creating graphics for my websites or to print for personalized cards

Puzzles can challenge my way of thinking, forcing me to view something in a different way.  Brain teasers, in particular, combine my fondness for wordplay with my appreciation for deductive reasoning.  Logic problems are like math... with words.  In addition to working out such puzzles, I like creating them for others, especially personalized ones.

I am fortunate to have grown up in a community-minded town and church.  My involvement ranges from being a co-captain for Relay for Life to chairing a knitting group at my church to volunteering my time for special school events.  I enjoy the social aspects, as well as the opportunity to utilize my talents in new ways.

I have pets of my own and take an interest in the welfare of abused and neglected animals. As a service learning project while student teaching, my students and I raised money to donate to our local animal shelter.  My church knitting group periodically donates handmade beds to the shelter.

I like creating things, seeing my ideas become reality. I use a range of tools and mediums - computer, clay, paper, paint, beads, dried flowers, chalk, eyelets... My crafting usually centers on scrap-booking and card-making.

As a child, my grandma taught me how to knit; in more recent years I learned how to crochet. I spend a lot of my free time making blankets, winter wear, and baby gear for friends and family. While I enjoy working from patterns, it's fun to create my own designs, too.

A good book can captivate me for hours. Sometimes I have to force myself to slow down, so I can lengthen the enjoyment. My favorites include: Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and Mark Twain.

One of my best friends is Vietnamese. She has taught me several phrases and words in her native language, and I hope to learn a lot more of the language. Additionally, I have taken French and German, and still remember some of each language.

I love playing cards, especially Euchre and Casino. Unfortunately, I usually wind up playing some kind of solitaire. My love for the game, though, has turned into a giant and unusual card collection.