Posted in Personal Journal Blog

10 sleeps and counting, again!


Ten days and counting. Auckland bound; we are going from Florida winter (summer breezes) to Auckland summer (winter chilled rain). Packing our bags, house sitters, and dog sitters, trying to find luggage, passports, visas, comfort food from the US for the girls, and Christmas gifts. I say our presence is their presents. I mean, come on.

In every phone conversation, I have to drop, “xx days until snuggles and hugs!” They smile, bearing teeth and widening their eyes as big as they will go. Is it overwhelming joy or happy dread shining from their faces? I can faintly see little word bubbles that read, “that’s terrifying!” Hanging over their heads. Oh, I can’t wait for the moment we see them upon arrival, hear their exciting stories on the ride to their house, smell the NZ air and pull into Devonport. All 5 of us will be together for the holidays for the first time since 2013. WOW!

We will make new memories and reminisce about old ones as a family unit. Moments like this happen less and less for some parents as their children leave the nest and move on. At first, it was bone-crushingly heartbreaking, and I didn’t think I would survive it. Nothing hurt worse than all 3 of our girls leaving the nest. 4.5 months have passed, though, and Paul and I have settled into our routine of weekend coffee in bed, conversations we can finish with no interruptions, long walks with the dogs, walking out of the house dressed the same because we are so in sync and doting on each other while relaxing in the evenings.

We are best friends again. We have substance and peace, and we realize we like it. The dogs get more love than any furry friends on the planet and are now the warm bodies bounding into our beds in the morning to wake us up. There is time to volunteer and help others, hone our skills and pursue our passions. The sun is shining, so we make hay and push ourselves to see what we can accomplish after all we’ve seen and the places we’ve been. We have our New Zealand and US life, family, and friends, and the five of us, Paul, me, and our three girls together, will always be home. Ten sleeps and counting.

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I have had a wonderfully colorful life, rich with varied experiences. My ability as a singer and career as an administrative assistant/marketing communications manager; have presented me with a wide range of opportunities. I have been fortunate to work with and learn from some accomplished and intelligent business owners, executives and artists. I have explored the world, markets and non-profits I would have never dreamed of exploring. I started out performing in community theater then professionally in night clubs and working as a studio vocalist at the age of 12 in Naples Florida, my home town. My vocal studies began at the age of 8 with my mother who gave me my first vocal lessons. I have had the opportunity to learn with some talented vocal coaches since those lessons with my mother. With them I developed the ability to sing Classical, Jazz and Pop; which allowed me to make a living in the music industry for over 30 years, in America, Europe and NZ. I became proficient in handling the business end of performing and teaching and developed administrative skills that would be used more prominently later on in my life, which I cover further down in this piece. I managed all my own performance bookings and began promoting myself as an up and coming singer, beating the pavement in Nashville TN and learned how to sell my talents in a place where everyone and their mother can sing. Performing in front of large audiences has forced me to be more than skilled at holding my own. I have also been a studio singer and voice over artist, taught choir and private lessons and was the president of a local non-profit music school in NZ for 3 years. Once my husband and I began a family, my career focus shifted more to assisting others in their businesses, along with marketing and often selling their products. I took on the roles of Sales, Marketing Communications and Administrative Assistant full time. Environments where I have worked in these capacities have varied. The most joy I find in my career is having the ability to tap into my creative side where I have been encouraged to indulge in my love for creative and copy writing, both personally and for professionally. I worked in our own residential and commercial playground company and for a Website development/social media management company and cherished watching the birth of our new products become known to the public and seeing our client base grow. I have developed the skill for marketing and promoting products and services through the written word, but I am also a strong and persuasive sales person face to face. We moved from NZ where we had been for 12 yrs, back to Naples Florida in 2015. I took the position as the Administrative Assistant to the Pastor, at the church I grew up in. In my position there I used every skilled I had acquired over my lifetime, from administrative to performing as a vocalist/worship leader. I am a passionate employee and business woman and find it easy to fully immerse myself in my work while still finding joy in the day to day, what I do and the people in my life. My passions are still singing, promoting, creative writing, encouraging others to pursue their dreams while achieve their goals and being outdoors. I love my hometown of Naples and take advantage of all the beauty and outdoor opportunities it has to offer on a regular basis. Being an active person I work best when on the move and busy, socializing and intellectually stimulated. I also thrive in a situation where I have the opportunity to continue learning new skills. I work on being the best version of myself and strive to give it my best shot every day.

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