Me in a nutshell

First, let me introduce myself and give you a little information about me. I am 52 and happily married to Scott Spendlove, probably the only man in the world who would put up with me. We have a blended family of my two children Jake and Jessica (both with the last name of Bishop) plus Scott’s three sons named Nathan, Jacob, and Bryce. We married when most of our children were nearly grown so we didn’t have the struggles many people have with stepchildren getting along. All of our children are in their twenties so basically we are empty nesters except for Bryce who still lives with us.

I have always considered myself to be a hard worker and often bite into more than I can chew. This has lead me to a variety of interesting experiences, many of which I would like to share with you.

My “knowledge” base comes from a year and a half at BYU Idaho (formerly known as Ricks) plus the same amount of time at Snow College. After ten years, I finally I got my associates degree but took a few side roads along the way. I got married, had two children and bounced between Idaho, Oregon, and Utah too many times to count.

After Snow College I continued on to BYU in Provo for another year and a half and was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in math education. I was in the first class to graduate without a minor, which was replaced with master level classes. Yes, I got to the point I was reciting formulas in my sleep!  I taught in Utah for over 11 years then decided since I was divorced I would move to Oregon in order to be closer to my family.

Oregon treated me like a new teacher and I had to get my masters degree. Since all my education requirements had been filled by my bachelors, I was free to choose whatever I wanted to study. Hence I chose psychology and completed my masters in (you guest it) 18 months. I was working as a full time teacher so that was a challenge I wouldn’t recommend to others.

Some people would describe me as being religious, but I am not a fanatic by any definition. Although I am firmly rooted in my faith, I like learning about other religions. I prefer discussing about what we have in common rather than arguing about what is different.

But over time I gained experience with being a working mom, working while going to school, being divorced, being single at 40, getting remarried, teaching teenagers (lots of them) and all the stresses that goes with these life experiences. Many people my age collect things like classic cars, I collect health problems. It started with a low thyroid and progressed to autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s, a form Sjögren’s and Fibromyalgia (my biggest challenge by far). The icing on the cake is sleep apnea and chronic insomnia accompanied by their friends anxiety and depression.

Needles to say I have a lot to talk about and look forward to sharing with you some of my thought and opinions with you!