Tuesday, August 14, 2007

I'm not even sure why I'm doing this, unless it's to provide relief from insomnia. I usually don't have anything interesting to say, much less put on the web, but here goes.



I'm Caralee. I was born in Kennewick, Washington, many years ago. My father worked for the Hanford Plant there. He was an engineer. My family lived in Richland, Washington, until I was about 8. Then we undertook the first of many moves. By the time all the moving was done, I would be going to 4 elmentary schools, three junior highs, and one high school. By the time I got to high school, I remember thinking "this better be IT!" because I was sick of changing schools every year or two. Anyway, back to the wandering... We lived in Pennsville, NJ, (which gave us ample opportunity to visit lots of American History sites and church history sites-- and we did. It seemed like we did it almost every weekend.) Nephi, Utah (Which I hated and vowed never to live in Utah again if I could help it, but guess where I live now?) Woodstown, NJ; Steubenville, OH, and Billings, Montana, which I consider home. Most of my family still lives there. In the course of our various moves and travels, we have been to Harmony, PA; Palmyra, NY; Kirtland, OH; The Hill Cumorah Pageant, Winter Quarters, Carthage, Nauvoo, Boston, Ft. McHenry, Monticello, Washington, DC; McArthur's Grave, and lots of battlefields. Mind you, it was 30+ years ago that I visited these places, so I don't remember a lot about them.



After graduating from high school, I went to college for a couple of years, but couldn't seem to find anything to interest me. I learned sign language, and wanted to pursue a career in that, but it never panned out. Now I don't have many opportunities to use it. My girls learn it from videos because I don't remember a lot of it. The job market in Montana was kind of slim then. I was having a hard time finding a job, and really wanted to strike out on my own. My brother and oldest sister were married, my other sister had gone on a mission, and I was the only one who hadn't left yet. I was anxious to strike out on my own. I guess I didn't know a good thing while I had it. A family I babysat for was moving to UT, and invited me to stay with them. I came to Utah, and after a variety of jobs, I ended up at Wendy's until I could find a real one. Little did I know that would take me almost five years, when I worked several other jobs and finally got a job at American Express. I quit that one after my second child was born and have been a stay at home mom ever since.



Working at Wendy's was an interesting experience. The best thing to come out of it was meeting my husband, Steve. We dated for three years and got married on May 7, 1988. We've been married for a little over 19 years. Over the course of the years, our family has grown. We have Jared, 16; Jacob, 14; Karen, 8; and Sarah, 6. I still stay home with them, and have added homeschooling to the adventure. WHAT WAS I THINKING???? It took me almost four years to figure out what I was doing, but it's been worth it. I finally have it streamlined and know what I want to teach and what kind of resources to look for. Until you figure that part out, it's pretty crazy, and can get expensive. Now I'm going to a homeschooling convention this weekend, and I don't have to worry about spending too much, because I don't need a lot. Actually, I have about 10 or 12 boxes of books to get rid of. That will happen in Sept when we have a book exchange.



I'm starting to ramble, so I'm signing off for now. Got to get back to cleaning and organizing.
PS I'd add pictures, but it's not letting me at the moment.