Catching Up Thoughts

Well - it's been a hop, skip and a jump since I last posted about our experience as exchange student hosts.  We are living life and things get busy.  I do make notes in my phone to trigger what I want to write about here as we go through different things (and so I don't forget!).  And then it's down to motivation and inspiration to sit down and write.  Sometimes you just don't feel like it, and sometimes you get hit with fruitful ideas and think you're witty enough to get someone to chuckle with a story or two.

My husband is known as the writer in our family (to brag on his behalf - Mankato Free Press, Hutchinson Leader, St. Cloud Times, Outdoor News, Crappie Now Magazine - sprinkle in a few podcasts and some tv shows to name a few - NBD) - but little does anybody know writing was/is my strong suit in middle/high school and college - as well as into my professional career.  I found in healthcare I have a knack for technical writing and translating healthcare/IT lingo to basic user understanding (translating healthcare language for electronic systems) as well as a skill for explicit training documents for new hires.  It sounds boring, but it's totally not to me.  I could write my way through anything and I'm one of those people who much prefer email and text because I communicate much better in writing. I feel I can be awkward when verbal and never feel like I say what I want or mean to say when vocal.  I'm a thinker and a listener - which people may confuse for shy or standoff-ish, which I'm not.  I have a gift with clearly laying things out in writing (that sounds conceited, sorry - own your strengths!).

Anyways - I'm sitting down to catch up on a few thoughts/experiences.  They certainly won't be in any chronological order and I'm going to break up the posts by topic so it's not painstaking for any of you who are actually lovingly taking time to read this.  I'm one of those people that thinks they are not important and nobody notices them - nor do I like attention at all (not in a bad way - Enneagram 9 anybody??).  I can't believe anybody would take time to read what I write - but I've heard from some who are enjoying it - so that's pretty encouraging to little old me.

So - here we go - get ready to dive into a bounty of posts.

And those that know me well know that I love randomness and random trivia (please invite me to trivia night - please.  I swear we will win with my worthless random knowledge and freak/photographic memory).  

Here are photos of the randomness I adore - at the Phoenix airport last week - boredom and invention.  I introduce the "Schmebula" character created by Cora courtesy of our travel neck pillows.  I love that Marisa is not afraid to be weird with my kids (cough, cough - notice Quinn is not being Schmebula...she's just at that age and cares about everything ya know).