: About Me

Growing up in Canada meant moving to different places, from Toronto, Ontario to Salisbury, New Brunswick. I spent the larger part of my Canadian life in this serene village, where I volunteered for the local library and also for the local ambulance service. I also babysat and helped my mother with a health food store she owned.

However, books were my first love. I remember reading the entire series of Laura Ingalls when I was six. As I got older, I found a love for Nancy Drew. I recall my mother buying me a Nancy Drew book when I was seven. I sat down and read it from front to back in about two hours, or it seemed that long to me. When I told my mother I had finished the book, she appeared taken aback, and commented that she thought the book would last me for at least a couple of days. Finishing the book early was not a problem for me as I enjoyed reading my novels more than once. Sometimes I would get so caught up in the story I might miss a few clues, and during a second or third reading, I would catch what I missed so the book would make more sense. I always had the ability to "see myself" in the story as a bystander, and I enjoy that ability to this day. My interest in books has changed, but I still prefer novels to nonfiction. I think if nonfiction could be written as a novel, more children could learn their history. This theory was proved to me with books about Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Alva Edison.

My next love happened quite by accident. I would read magazines advertising for volunteers for the local ambulance service. I would almost sneer and think that it would be crazy to volunteer for it. These thoughts were kept to myself, of course. At fifteen, I took a CPR class for a science project I was working on. My sister had joined the ambulance service previously, so the boss of the outfit invited me to join as well. I did join, and found myself totally immersed in a career I could be proud of. Since paramedics were unheard of at the time in New Brunswick, after graduation from high school I moved to Ohio and later West Virginia where I continued my education in the paramedical field. I worked for several ambulance companies throughout the State, first as a volunteer and then as a paid professional.

I met my husband through one of my co-workers. He worked for the local fire department. Since I had already obtained my Firefighter Sec. I, I joined the fire dept. as well. We married shortly thereafter and started our family. After suffering a miscarriage, I enrolled in the nursing program at a local community college. I learned after being accepted into the program I was pregnant again. I became pregnant again before I finished my education, so I say I started pregnant and ended pregnant. I was fortunate enough to have had caring instructors who helped me when I needed it.

I worked as a nurse in a variety of nursing fields, trying to find my niche. I have enjoyed careers in a nursing home, home health, hospice, a hospital, and a regional jail. Currently, i work in a public school as a school nurse. I recently earned my Bachelor Degree in Nursing, and just finished my Certification in School Nursing.

During all the excitement of working, I managed to fit in a third child, so I now have two sons and a daughter.

I have always enjoyed writing, or at least had the desire to do it. My early works are somewhat childish, but that is natural as I had to mature as a writer, just like I matured from a child to adult. The night of 9/11, I laid on the brand new carpet we had put in that same day, and cried as I wrote a poem about the events that occurred that day. I knew as I wrote it that I wanted it done in the same vein as Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and described the day as it happened. Now that I have found an outlet for my writing, I am anxious to submit it as an article for that date.

It is my hope that my writing has progressed to the point that others can enjoy it and benefit from my knowledge. Thank you for reading about me.

My passion is ...

reading

I know too much about ...

nothing

My parents always told me ...

to share if you have it.

My childhood ambition ...

was to be a paramedic

My favorite memory ...

Being chased by a bear, but it was a dog.

Why I write ...

Because I'm inspired to put feelings on paper.

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

Read everything. Watch the good. Listen to others.

My first job ...

babysitting

My best moment ...

obtaining my dream

My inspiration ...

can occur at any time

Health & Fitness > Pediatrics Nurse tips for parents: How to assess a child's school-induced stomach ache

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School can be a wonderful place to be. Teachers delight in showing children new discoveries or how to solve puzzles. Math, reading, history and art can be magical places the children can visit. However, every so often, children will complain of having a stomach ache to the teacher or school nurse. When the child presents with a stomach ache, it is a good idea to know when the pain started. Did it happen at home, or start at school? There are numerous questions to ask and just as many possible answers. It is up to the knowledgeable nurse to decipher the correct cause and solution for each a...

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