Thursday, November 20, 2008

Stories in Hand

Feelings and Values ~ pg 15

Is there anything you always wanted to do but never did?

When I found out I was expecting my first child, I envisioned the baby and I driving around the US in a "candy apple red" van - just the two of us. It was 1975. I was 17, unmarried and embraced the hippie lifestyle as much as I could while still living at home. I thought it would be a fantastic adventure...just baby and me, going from town to town...meeting new people, checking out interesting sites/sights and growing up together. The baby's father wanted us to get married, however, as he feared that his parents would "disown" him and that he would be "ex-communicated" (from the catholic church).

So we married.
And divorced before our son was 18 months old.

That wanderlust has never really gone away, however and I still dream of traveling the US - this time with a motorhome, my beloved Husband and our little dog - and maybe we'll actually get to do it sometime. During the winter months, anyway, when our business is down for the season. I still want to meet new people and check out the sites/sights -- especially the National Parks and canyons in Utah and new England in the fall. Oh - and the Pacific coastline!

If we get to have such an adventure, I will absolutely take my camera and my laptop, as I would want to keep a weekly blog of our experiences and share them with family and friends. So many people who view my photos online say that Alaska is such a place of wonder and beauty -- and they're RIGHT! - but GOD's beauty and majesty is all over our great country and how I would love to see it first-hand...

Of all the things I have yet to accomplish in this life -- this right here is number one on the list!

~ klb

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Stories in Hand

Birth & Childhood pg 7
What is your full name? Were you named after anyone?
My birth name is Kimmie Lee W-----. During pregnancy, my parents' choice names for me were "Jeffery Allen" and "Ramona" (never heard a middle name that went with this), or possibly, "Tammy Mary-Frances" - "Tammy" for the movie starring Debbie Reynolds; "Mary-Frances" for my maternal and paternal grandmothers, respectively.
Once I was born, however, my Mother decided to name me "Kimmie" as it rhymed with "Jimmie," which is what she called my Dad. Not sure where "Lee" came from. I am thankful they didn't go with "Ramona" (no offense to any Ramonas who might be reading this!!), but I think I would've been okay with "Tammy."


When I was in junior high school I was unhappy with my name and for a few weeks, I became "Kellie Marie Rogers." I have no idea how or why I came up with that name, but I really liked it and would sign my school papers and notes to friends with that name. When I was an older teen, I hated "Kimmie" - thought it was fine for a five year old, but too childish for someone my age, so I tolerated it only from family mambers; friends and teachers called me "Kim."

Since Rog and I have been married, he refers to me as "Kimmie" and I no longer grit my teeth when I hear it spoken. Many of our current friends think it's his nickname for me, not realizing it's my given name and that's what they call me, too. And - finally - I'm okay with that!

~ klb

Monday, November 17, 2008

Wow. It's been more than a year since I last posted to this blog! For any of you who used to check, I apologize for slacking off. Apparently, I'm gifted in that area...

Well, now I'm back and am excited to renew my postings here! I am part of a class/group over at www.jessicasprague.com called, "Stories in Hand." This class is all about gathering and sharing our memories - our stories - by using a nifty "sparks" binder (filled with journaling prompts). I'm still in the process of putting the binder together (remember my "gift" of slacking?), but have already begun writing out my stories. Most of them I will share here in the blog - the other, more private memories, I'll tuck away from the world at large and share only with immediate family members or even just with GOD.

If you are interested in reading a bit about my life, please check back again soon, as I plan to post my first story tonight :)

-- kimB