Getting to Know Me

I have so much knowledge to share I feel like I am bursting at the seams. The questions is where do I start? It has been said so many times that if your not sure what to speak or write about, then start on yourself.

So I will do just that. To give a snapshot of the skills I have learned throughout the years whether through College or just through living, it's all the same. I have been learning.

I only went to School to grade ten when I dropped out of school. Why did I drop out? When I think back to then I thought I just couldn't learn anymore in school. Boy was I wrong. Hindsight they say. I have found myself learning steadily now for 67 years. I took G.E.D. and received my grade twelve 20 years later. This gave me the standing I needed to go to College later on and I even took a University course.

But the best place that could have ever learned from in gaining confidence and learning skills was in Toastmistress. The name has changed over the years evolving in International Training in Communication and is now known as Power Talk.

Here are my skills that I have obtained and I am listing them from when I began to now.

• That I needed more education than what I had.
• That I needed to gain more confidence in myself as I felt I had none.
• Took some training in Nursing, I wanted to learn the fundamentals of it.
• Took more training in the form of G.E.D.
• Went to College and took Secretarial Training and surpised myself in how good I did.
• Joined Toastmistress, one of the best things I ever did.
• Worked as Secretary at a number of different short term jobs.
• Resource Co-ordinator for Senior Organized Services.
• Office Manager
• Waitress
• Bartending
• Cashier
• Hostess
• Manager for a fast food restaurant
• Typist
• Worked in a laundry
• Writer for the daily paper, The Brandon Sun
• Writer for our local papers, The Plain Dealer, Boissevain Recorder
• Written a number of poems and have them published.
• Written for the magazine International Training in Communication, World Wide distribution.
• Written for Grain news.
• Written for other publications
• Designed word search and published some.
• Been speaker, workshop and education leaders.
• Telemarketer
• Door to Door Sales
• Photography - submitted pictures along with items to be published. Took wedding and other pictures.
• Currently I am a Marriage Commissioner in the Province of Manitoba

Other things I have accomplised through out the years are many. I am married and have been for over 45 years to a wonderful man. We have three children, seven grandchildren and so ony one great grandchild. Our oldest child was born severally hard of hearing and had to learn and adjust for that, one of the harder things I have ever had to do.
My husband and I live in the rural area. We have lived in different places including the city and love the rural area the best.
From time to time I will add to this and I am willing to share the information I have stored up from years past to all who wish to have it.

Organizations I belong to or have belonged to:

• Elgin and Area Lions, a club under International Lions from 1993 to present
• Elgin Royal Canadian Legion Auxillary from the 1980's to when it had to fold. Within here I also held zone Chair and secretary.
• Toastmistress from 1976 to 2006
• Speakers Corner from 2006 to present.
• Economic Development Board 9 years
• Assiniboine Health Advisory Committee 15 years
• Village of Elgin Board members