We Live What We Believe
I met the Beaty family some 18 years ago, just after we received a 5 lb, brown-skinned bundle of cuteness that we chose to name Halla. The name means “unexpected gift” in Africa. She was indeed that! With all of 4 hours notice, my husband and I dropped off our three oldest children at the […]
Tru-ly Gone
This is a really difficult post to write. I am half way around the world in another time zone. The #10 on my list of 10 things you probably didn’t know about me got changed today to a different topic: I am not a dog person. Except for one dog. I am his person. Or […]
Out of Africa
It’s funny how random things can make an impression on a young mind. Once upon a time ago, as a teenager, I read a novel with a story set in Africa. Ever since I have been intrigued with the continent, mesmerized by the various cultures of its regions, and dreaming of the day when I […]
Six Months Ago
Six months ago I was walking down George Street in Sydney, well past dark, shooting images with the new wide angle lens I’d just purchased at a small camera shop in Sydney’s central business district earlier that day. I had just wrapped up 6 straight days of cat grooming seminars and workshops in Brisbane, Melbourne, […]
Picked Up a Prostitute
I picked up a prostitute once. I was around 17 or 18 years old at the time. She was a little younger than me, heavy set, blond, and carrying around more emotional baggage than her sad shoulders could carry. The truth was, this prostitute was part of a larger group of enslaved women pimped out […]
Fly Like Eddie
I can speak French, which is really no big deal since a lot of people speak French. But I learned this beautiful language from 2nd graders at a private school in Portland, OR and I’m guessing not too many people can say that. I am fluent in French kids games and 2nd grader jokes. During my […]
Outrun the Police
When I was 18 years old I found out I could run faster than the police. At least in Italy. It’s a good thing, too, because I’ve heard it’s nearly impossible to get out of the Italian prison system once you’re in it. In 1987 I spent three months backpacking around Europe with a good […]
I Hate Cats
I have been accused of baking cats in the Catty Shack Vac, skinning them to make handbags, forcing them to be groomed, shaving off hair in a #10 reverse that will never grow back, and (gasp!) scruffing them! Apparently I really hate cats. This must also make me one totally awesome entrepreneur! I have somehow […]
I’m a High School Dropout
I teach business and marketing seminars all over the globe. I have no degree. In fact, I have no high school diploma. According to the state of Oregon, I am a high school drop out. Such is the way of things. I love that I live in a country where it is possible to achieve […]
Married at 15
I met Mike when I was 15 years old and I wanted to marry him. I look at my kids when they were/are 15 and think to myself, “WHAT? Fifteen is way to0 young to know or do anything!” And yet, that summer of 1984, at the age of 15 I decided I wanted to […]