Page 8

On the Upbeat

Welcome to My World ...

MILESTONES

Opened my eyes during a snowstorm two days after Christmas -- awful date for a birthday, nobody remembers.
Skipped half of 2nd grade but nobody ever thought I was gifted.
Acquired one complaint in grade school -- "she talks too much."
Wrote class history and read it at 8th grade graduation (not preserved for posterity).
Named Fastest Typist Ever in my high school.
Had most published stories in school paper.
Elected first ever female Student Body Reporter.
Marched and twirled my batons in a rainy Rose Festival parade.
Went off to college with a small journalism scholarship.
Created the first ever index in my college yearbook.
Quit college for marriage -- a move I still regret.
Gave birth to jolie petit Dena, as the French called my daughter -- but that's getting ahead of the story ...

Husband drafted into the US Army and I decided to pack up our baby daughter and join him in Orleans, France. For me, a life-changing experience, especially with Dena as our passport, attracting delicious French looks and comments everywhere we went.

"Petite jolie" Dena in an Orleans Park.
Birth of bouncing baby boy Tad, soon followed by a memorable road trip to Nice, Cannes and Geneva, Switzerland.

Next, sent by fast train to Bremerhaven, by slow boat to New York and at last home to Portland. And this cute shot for our Christmas card.

Before long there were three, with the birth of little Guy.

Followed quickly by Dale and Alana.

And then back to college and into diverse office and other situations, trying to find myself.

I know it sounds like a cliche but it was a fact that I was 25, had 5 darling children I loved, a wonderful house I designed but a life I hated.

Flash forward to divorce, a totally solo life, a fair amount of psychotherapy and clawing my way into the real me.

In the meantime, I left my longterm job at Vancouver Furniture - I had learned all I could and lacked the guts to say I wanted to be in advertising or decorating or sales. Hmmm, I was unaware that all of it would come later.

And so now we fast forward past years of Milestones in offspring's lives, the reporting of which I shall leave to them. All except for Guy, known lovingly as "Mousy." His unexpected death due to medical problems changed literally everything for everyone!

Plus a disastrous brief marriage that left me with the scars of spousal abuse but also with the best byline ever. Thank you so much, Bob Maas Gladden of Lufkin, Texas.

Exciting stint as assistant to the original Columbia River Tugboat Annie.
Wrote & edited "Ripples," award-winning company newsletter.
Tragic end of job -- puhlease don't ask!
Short career as successful employment counselor.
Passed Oregon real esate sales exam.
Once got more listings than anyone at Stan Wiley Realtors.
Passed Oregon real estate broker exam.
Hired as P.R. Manager by Wiley, largest residential firm in town.
Assumed Ad Manager spot as well, with $500k/yr budget.
Appointed Editor of Portland Realtor magazine.
Oops, fired by Wiley GM -- no reason stated.

And so, after trying it "my way" for a bit I got hired by an actual, if small, advertising agency as media buyer. Owner Arne Westerman firmly believed any IDIOT could be a media buyer! Well, yes, since for his small clients it was always fringe (rather than prime) time, where a :30 second TV spot on the 6 o'clock news of Portland's CBS affiliate went for $185 and one on the Tomorrow show was all of 15 bucks!

Ah, but my position at the agency was eliminated. And so back to the drawing board ...

Hired by TravelHost magazine.
Agreed to do promotion for singer Marc Hannibal.
Introduced to literally every musician in town.
Article on Tom Grant published in JazzScene.

Many more articles and promotion but little money eventually led to "The First Book of Oregon Jazz, Rock & All Sorts of Music." Seven bands played while video cameras swooped and champagne flowed at the incredible book release party. However, publication culminated in the best and worst day of my life:

Interviewed on the 6 o'clock news as a lead-in to the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival.
Too broke to pay my way in.
A musician found a gap in the fence and ushered me in.
And, no, I didn't make the 11 o'clock news on my way to jail.

Sometime later I was back working a day job, got elected president of Willamette Writers and found my way into editing literary projects, which led to self-publishing Be A Successful Writer.