About

I’ve evolved a bit since I wrote the original “About” for this blog, so I figured a few updates were in order. 

I’m still 41. 

Of course, years past haven’t magically morphed into anything new.  I still grew up in a small rural town in northwestern Wisconsin where my parents continue to live, and after high school, I [still] attended a state university and studied literature, creative writing, and technical writing for five years.  (I am [still] trying to figure out why it’s called a “Bachelor’s” degree, though… it was a bit more work-intensive than I identify anything bachelor-related to be.) 

But anyway.  For the better part of my childhood, I honestly did pine for a life in a large city (relative to my hometown, population ~3600), so I bolted from my nice college community as soon as I found a half-good excuse to do so (and really, he was BARELY a half-good excuse).  My professional experience includes all kinds of writing in various technical disciplines:  I have worked in the industries of supercomputers, industrial automation, medical imaging systems, medical imaging and records software (known as PACS, in case you are wondering), environmental engineering, home health monitoring technology, etc.  I have been a contractor, an IT consulting firm senior consultant, and a direct employee.  I write, I edit, and I have worked hard on building my project/program-management-of-large-communications-projects-and-teams skill set.  The PM area is quite compatible with my love for being in charge of a ba-zillion details and working with a wide variety of professionals.  I have to amend my earlier statements about this, because as I am ever-so-slowly emerging from the fog I’ve been immersed in for the past… let’s just say several years, and with clearer vision, I have to admit I learned TONS and even enjoyed some of it. 

I have been married for over 12 years, was with my husband for the 4 years before that, and I have two adult step-sons.   I continue have a good life that produces countless opportunities to be faced with my shortcomings, and, on good days, with reminders of my blessings.  For now, I remain a stay-at-home-mom to our three amazing girls, ages 3 through 8.  I have recently started dabbling in some freelance work, which has once again highlighted my need to improve my time-management skills.  But even more than that, writing the occasional marketing plan or even a blog entry has reminded me that I have a whole other part of my brain that needs, wants, and enjoys being utilized.  Yeah, I know, yet another big fat obvious fact, but as you can already see, I live to challenge even the most basic truths.  

I have exceptional friends, and I live in a neighborhood that epitomizes true community.  Neither statement qualifies as an exaggeration, despite my propensity for hyperbole.  As for other pastimes, I love crafting, especially cross-stitch, paper crafts, and doing stuff with yarn.  I’d like to pursue jewelry making, but I’m leery of getting into yet another expensive hobby that I don’t really have time for.  Instead I’ve opted to regularly drool over cool stuff on Etsy, and prowl the bead aisles at my local craft stores, pining away for ceramic baubles and silver-plated clasps like some might yearn for biological children or inner peace.

I also love (in no particular order) Starbucks vanilla lattes, my sweet cat who rarely leaves my side, reading chick lit and interesting essays, Sudoku, and my smart phone.  My mother is a sewing genius, so I get to do all these things wrapped in any number of her beautiful quilts, often on my reclining leather couch, which happens to be my favorite piece of furniture OF ALL TIME.  I love scented candles, the huge deck that my husband built, wave petunias, my 30 gig ipod, homemade ice cream, and refining my bucket list.  I’m pretty sure I’d love a cleaning service, though I might have to actually hire one for a few years before I could decide on that with any authority.  (By the way, I would be happy to test this theory in exchange for free advertising on my blog.  Aren’t I just a marketing genius?!) I often enjoy cooking (though I’m going through a bit of an I-hate-cooking phase, which may have something to do with three picky young eaters….), several network dramas, and having movie night with hubby, where we sit back in our comfy seats, share popcorn, and gaze lovingly at our Vizio, escaping from reality into some elaborate, Hollywood-created existence for 90 minutes or so.

Oh!  Did I mention how much I adore my three lovely girls??? 

As for the title of this blog, A Broken Compass, let me explain.  I have a strong foundation-type belief, really actually a cornerstone, that God puts almost all of us on this Earth (except maybe for Bin Laden and his cronies, and a few select American politicians) with an internal guidance system that helps us plod our way productively through life using the talents he bestowed upon us.  When I started this blog in the fall of 2009, I had recently had the stunning revelation that somehow, in some way, my compass had broken.  My life purpose had become murky with the silt of regret and guilt and clinical depression, to the point that I wasn’t even sure which way to swim to grab a breath of air.  My faith ensured that I knew my compass still existed, but clearly, I had somehow cracked, damaged, or, well, broken it.  And so, I decided that such an important realization was a good starting point for a domain name, and a blog about recovering, repairing, and/or re-calibrating my own directional guide. 

Of course, whereas a person has only one or two major revelations a decade, the mundane and trivial details of life abound.  So.  As I pursue my compass-mending, I’ll generously regale you with my own mosaic of anecdotes and challenges about child-rearing, suburban life, and possibly career-resurrection, all held together with the mortar of parental angst, current issue examination, and my own little brand of insanity-tinged happiness.