Okay, so where do I start? Well, I guess as good a place as any is to show you who I am. Here’s a picture of me:
That one is a little more “June Cleaver”ish than I normally look:-) I was all dressed up for Easter Sunday. On a normal day, you can find me in comfy clothes and a ponytail. I am a low maintenance kinda gal:-)
I grew up in a small town on a beef farm. My dad raises beef cattle, and I loved being a farm girl. I graduated high school in 1995 co-valedictorian with my best friend. I went on to Wittenberg University where I spent four years growing up:-) I was a cheerleader there, and I made some great friends! I graduated in 1999 with honors and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.
I met a wonderful guy at Witt named Brad. Although it took us awhile to figure out that we were meant for each other, we got there before graduation–a day before to be exact. After graduation I went to Cincinnati to take a teaching job, and he went back to Toledo where he was from. By February of the following year we were engaged, and we got married in August of 2000 and moved back to my hometown.
Over the course of the next few years, we moved a few times–never too far. I spent those years teaching at Indian Lake Middle School. Brad worked for a video company. In 2003, we got pregnant with our first child, and we moved to Wapak. That’s where we live now. We now have a 4 1/2 year old daughter and a 1 year old son. I quit my teaching job at Indian Lake at the end of the 2006-2007 school year to stay home! Brad now works as a manager for a bank. We are active members of a wonderful church, and we love Jesus! Our lives are so full!
This past year has been challenging financially. We knew what we gave up when I quit teaching, but finding ways to make ends meet has been challenging. This year, I almost felt like I worked harder because I was a full time wife and mom who also had numerous jobs. I worked in my dad’s office one day a week; I tutored at the elementary school two afternoons a week; I tutored a 6th grader 3-5 hours a week; I was the back up babysitter for a school teacher for a week here and there when her mom was on vacation. You name it, I tried it!
In April I landed a substitute teaching position with an online school. I covered a five week maternity leave, and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t have to have a babysitter, and 98% of the job is done from home. At the end of the subbing stint, they said they’d keep me in mind if they got any openings. In the meantime, I was looking for ways to make some extra money for the summer. I went to an open house that one of my church friends was having, and I learned about a product called Uppercase Living. It’s a line of vinyl, decorative lettering. It’s really hot right now, and I decided to become a demonstrator. It’s working out WONDERFULLY! I love it. I get to go do open houses in people’s homes which is great! I love the social aspect of it, and I get to feel pretty good about bringing in some money too. The money opportunity is great!
A couple weeks ago, I found out that I did get hired by that online school for next year. I am really excited. Oh, did I mention that in the fall I also go to craft shows and sell a line of personalized children’s products? We started that business after my daughter was born, but we have cut it down to only be run during the most profitable time–right before Christmas. We stay busy, but we try to keep things prioritized. God, family, work….and everything else works itself out!
OK, well now you have my life story. Hope I didn’t bore you to death. If you want to know more, feel free to email me at uppercaselisa@yahoo.com.
