Female in Motion

I was invited to give a speech at the District #3 fall meeting of the Kansas Authors Club on Saturday in Coffeyville. I was treated like a celebrity, and I'm certainly not, but it sure was nice to be spoiled. Plus, I was able to share my love of writing and promote the new Cowley County Writers Guild. Grant Williams, Ark City's poet laureate, introduced me to this active and prolific club. This group has been producing hundreds of newspaper columns, magazine articles, historical non-fiction, memoirs and poetry since the 1940s. I was honored to join my passion for writing with theirs. *** The Hubster and I had Sunday dinner with our first daughter, Sarah and her boyfriend, Derek, this week. It was so nice to have a leisurely visit and catch up on their lives. They are both very busy business people, so a home-cooked meal by Dad was a treat for them. We celebrated the day with roast chicken and root veggies, a green salad and pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. *** Female in...

Somehow, The Hubster and I got on the subject of afternoon cartoons like Felix the Cat. As far as I am concerned, the consummate authority on afternoon cartoons was, is and will always be...Major Astro. Every day, after school, my brother and I raced home to catch Major Astro on KTVH Channel 12. We loved Johnny Quest, Snagglepuss, Yogi and BooBoo, and all the rest, but Major Astro was our aeronautical icon. And I shook his hand! It happened on one of the many visits our junior high choir made to "The Joyce Livingston Show." The Derby vocal music department trotted us around to all the daytime local shows whenever we were preparing for a concert. One day, as we were walking down the hall toward the studio, a figure approached. A tall, commanding figure with a faraway look in his eye. Forget that he was wearing a sport coat and tie, it was him! It was MAJOR ASTRO!!! After he extricated himself from the dogpile of prepubescent songsters, Major Astro was happy to sign autographs,...

I received a sweet note yesterday, addressed to "the best Middle School class teacher ever!" It was a thank you from Alexis Coldwell. She was promoted last week to the high school class at our church and now I am left with an empty classroom. It's a bittersweet time. I'm so proud of Alex; she is growing up to be one of the finest young women I know. I won't forget. There are some exciting changes going on at our church. Missionary Baptist Church will host our first "Singspiration" this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Groups from all over Oklahoma and Kansas are coming. Second, we have embarked on a new renovation to our fellowship hall. Finally, we have planned a special event for Oct. 13-15. A soul-winning specialist from Ohio, Jeremy Rands will be conducting a seminar in church growth. He will teach sessions during the lunch hour and each evening. *** Last Friday was the first Ark City High School home football game. Oh, I rarely attend the games...but the m...

When I was a kid, Labor Day was a time for household chores. We painted, we scrubbed, we swept. If we got a lot done, there was a cookout at the end of the day. I promised myself I would not labor on Labor Day once I grew up. Evidently, tidy is genetic, because I spent this weekend scrubbing and sweeping...with no painting. *** The Hubster fixed a feast for Sunday lunch yesterday. He decided to call it "I Can't Wait for Thanksgiving" dinner. He roasted a turkey, made stuffing, gravy, green beans and a pumpkin cake for dessert. It was delicious, but we may be eating leftovers for a while. Any volunteers? *** I spent a large chunk of time last week on a writing project. I write freelance stories for www.arkcityrevived.com (accent on free!). It is important for me to improve my skills as a writer. James Jordan, the editor of the website, is most gracious to help me in this endeavor. Not only does he post my stories, James also gives me constructive criticism. My latest story...

On August 13, 2007, I embarked on a new and challenging adventure. I began to write a blog called, "Female in Motion." Because of my upbringing, I never give up on anything and work hard to accomplish whatever I set out to do. So I vowed to write weekly columns, and I have succeeded in that effort. This infant blog has grown, changed and become a somewhat locally noted, colorful toddler. And now...the terrible twos! Two years ago, this blog's focus was firmly on fitness. Mine, of course. While I continue to update my readers each week on my workouts, it is no longer the sole target of my writing. I found that my life contains all kinds of things: family, church, work, cats, music, movies, books, and a million others. Almost every woman in a small town in the Midwest has a similar story. I write about mine, and hopefully I have a unique voice. Thanks for reading! *** I'm going gray. This is not a startling revelation; I got my first gray hair around age 21. I have been...

Recently, I have renewed my acquaintance with the Arkansas City Public Library. We are old friends, actually. It is such a pretty and historic building. I first visited this library within days of marrying The Hubster, more than 28 years ago. Libraries and I go way, way back. I was always a reader. When I was a kid, my favorite time of year was when the William Allen White Award winners list came out. I proudly bore that list to my school library and checked out every one. Usually, the librarian had them all set aside for me already. (We had a very simpatico relationship). In the sixth grade, I won a special award, because I had read every book in the school's library. Every Saturday, I rode my bike or my dad dropped me off at the Derby Public Library. It was a modern concept (in the 70's) building with a sunken reading pit full of pillows and modular study cubicles. I spent many happy hours there, roaming the stacks, absorbing books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mark Twain, Charles...

I found out last week that a close friend is going back to college to finish her degree. I'm so excited for her! She called to ask questions about online classes and whether I thought it was a good idea. I told her to go for it. When I went back in 2001, I was really scared, but I started out slowly and built my confidence. Education is vital to a well-rounded life, regardless if you use it for a career or not. A major regret in my life is not finishing my bachelor's degree. After I graduated from Cowley in 2005, I intended on working toward it right away. Life got in the way, however, as it usually does. I don't need a degree to better my career or income, but I want one to satisfy my emotional and educational thirst for knowledge. College was always a big goal in my family, and with my dad's memorial scholarship at the University of Missouri, we can support education for future generations of students. *** I went to Grant Williams' latest book signing at the libra...