Kids and words. Motherhood and writing. Everything else is either to support my two life careers or some research project to improve my two life careers.

I have 3 children of my own and countless "children of my heart". A passionate learner, I have a B.A. and M.A. in English and partial degrees in Spanish, Education, Educational Administration, and Business.

I've earned money teaching English and Spanish in public and private schools for a decade or so. That's more kids and more words. I have loved it. A high school classroom is filled with short stories, drama, poetry, characters, conflict, and plots. Neither a teacher nor a writer can control how each individual "story" will develop, but we can sure shape its development enough to make readers want to turn the pages to see how its all going to work out in the end.

On my birthday, June 23, of 2007, my own life story changed suddenly and drastically forever when I received news that my youngest son, Sgt. Joel A. House (22), had been killed by a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq. Motherhood and writing have changed for me, too.

Now I'm spending time raising funds for the Sgt. Joel A. House Summer Camp & Exchange Student program in his honor so that other boys and girls can experience the world outside of a traditional classroom.

I continue my own story by trying to make the world a little better for others. I'm planning to make my part time trips to Mexico more permanent, so that I can teach rural and inner city children and their families English and business skills. Every day I make myself turn another page forward in my own life story, even when I don't feel like it. I don't know how the resolution will turn out yet. I have high hopes for joining the Helium.Com community.

My passion is ...

I want to make the world a better place AND get rich doing it.

I know too much about ...

sad things

My parents always told me ...

when taking a long journey in the back seat of a VW Beetle, sleep.

My childhood ambition ...

to join the Cpt. Kirk and Mr. Spock STAR TREK and "boldly go. . ."

My favorite memory ...

spending summers at our cabin when my kids were little

Why I write ...

I'm usually too poor or too busy to go to a psychiatrist

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I recently discovered Sarah Brightman's music

My first job ...

concessions in a movie theater

My best moment ...

when I get so close to realizing my dream that I can smell it in my heart

My inspiration ...

Ps. 119: 105 "Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: My story

9 of 9

Going into the world
is discovering Disney princesses
becastled in the barrio and
casting spells with magic makers.
It's being cool enough to chill with the cool kids.
It's eating pozole with abuelitas
and sandia with nias.
Mamas and
grandmamas teach babies and me new words.
Going is a journey
through 3 pesos bathrooms
and 1 peso nieves
to discover hidden treasure hidden behind hopeful ojos.
Going is meeting shoeless squires
wearing designer smiles.
Oh my
God,
there are so many
to "goo goo ga ga",
to "one, two, three",
to "put your right foot in and shake it all about"...

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