Hello from beautiful Portland, Oregon! I'm glad you decided to drop in. My name is Doreen Rose... umm.. I'd tell you my last name, but.. What!?! - Do you think I'm crazy? Haven't you seen the movies about the dangers of the Internet?!? Read the papers?? If I told you.. I'd have to kill you.. ;-) Okay.. okay.. enough of that..
I was born in Southern California on May 27, 19 (cough, cough)..... (choke)....*ahem*....... we won't go there either...
A couple years back, I had a "Glamour Shot" taken. I think everyone should have one of those done at least once in their life - they're lots of fun! I may do another one soon. Or you may like to take a look at my very FIRST "Glamour Shot" that my Mom took.... not all THAT many years ago. ;-)
I grew up in Norwalk, California and lived there until I married & moved to Long Beach. I'm blessed with a wonderful sister, Diane. I also have two brothers whom I'll mention later. Thankfully, both of my parents are alive and well and living in the same house I grew up in. In fact, our family celebrated my parent's 52nd Wedding Anniversary just last September! Congratulations Mom and Dad!! I realize what a blessing it is to have them within "visiting distance". Okay, okay, so it's a 19 hour drive from Northern Oregon to Southern California... but you know what I mean. In fact, it's only a 2 hour plane ride. My sweet grandmother just recently passed away. She lived a long, wonderful life and was blessed with 103 years! She died peacefully in her sleep. Grandma lived on her own in her own house until she was well into her 99th year. Grandma - you were the best!
I met the man who would become my husband, Dennis, in August of 1981. We met on the beach in Huntington Beach, California. We were engaged to be married within 6 weeks. We married in May of 1982 and this year we celebrated our 21st anniversary! It's hard to believe we've been married so long - it seems like just yesterday that we were dating. We lived in Long Beach for 10 years. During that time, we had two children, Stephen & Shannon.
In 1991, when Shannon was just a year old, we decided to move away from California and raise our children in another, less crowded, state... We chose Oregon for a couple of reasons. One was the close proximity to CA. The other was because my older brother, David was living there. He had moved up there years before to be a logger. He actually logged quite a few years there until those nasty ol' spotted owls chased him out.. We'd been there quite a few times throughout the years to visit him and his wife, Patty, and we'd always enjoyed the serene beauty of the state. We are blessed with a beautiful home in a small town, on top of a mountain, just outside the city of Portland.. also known as "The City of Roses". We live within walking distance of "Wine Country" .. gorgeous vineyards abound & thrive in this area. We fell in love with Oregon at first sight. The rain isn't nearly as bad as we'd heard ("Oregon?!? Are you crazy?? It rains 9 months out of the year there")!! But the rain is what keeps the place soooo pretty, clean and green. There are many rivers & creeks that run through the hilly area and lots of beautiful trees - and the gorgeous clouds make up for any inconvenience the rain may cause. Portland is a beautiful place with a small town feel. The people tend to be very friendly, polite and extremely "nice" folks. Can you tell I love it here?? :) Two years after arriving in Portland, our own little native Oregonian was born.. bringing our kidlet clan to three. I affectionately refer to them as..."Eenie, Meenie, Miney and there ain't gonna be NO MO! ;-) Take a look at our youngest's very own webpage featuring her very favorite bear!
I became a Christian at the age of 13. At that time my life changed completely, and immeasurably, for the better. (And that truly is an understatement). One of my favorite sayings is.. "Nothing behind, nothing before.. the steps of faith fall into the seeming void.. and find the Rock beneath" by John G. Whittier. I also like.. "Preach the Gospel at all times - if necessary, use words" credited to St. Francis of Asissi.
I began a new part-time job as a merchandiser and have been enjoying it a lot since February of this year. I work only about 3 days a week and pick my own hours. That's great for me because I can be home when my kids get home from school. I love the flexibility of my new job and it helps to finance my NEW avocation.. Bare Escentuals MakeUp! I've just recently become interested in "minerals" makeup and find that it's
wonderful. It's natural, pure and looks fantastic! It looks as if you have beautiful skin - not as if you're wearing tons of "makeup". It's great! I've joined a couple of message boards regarding "BE" and am meeting some really nice people there and gathering some great makeup tips at the same time. I'll be adding some pictures of me in my new "hobby" soon. But enough of that for now.. I've enjoyed teaching 3 year olds at Community Bible Study on a weekly basis for 8 years. The past two years I tried my hand at being a "Core Leader" and have really enjoyed it. "CBS" and the wonderful people there add so much to my life. What a joy it is to be a part of them! I also lead songs at a Bible Club for 4 & 5 year old children. The club is called AWANA - which stands for "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed".
My other hobby has been faux painting. I've redone some of the rooms in our home using various techniques of painting. Some of the methods include ragging off, ragging on, rag-rolling, stenciling, feather-dusting (yes - applying paint with a feather duster! - It looks great.) and the latest that I've fooled around with is called "dragging". Take a look here at the completed project - our kids bathroom.
My family and I attend Mountain Park Church. We have many friends at church and look forward to making even more. Every once in a while you find a friend who is truly a "kindred spirit" and I'm so lucky to have three (well four) such friends.. My husband, my sister Diane, and my dear friend, Jenni. I also have a dear friend whom I've not exactly "met" but have known for about three years now. I've been corresponding via email with Kevin who lives in New York. Kevin is a great guy with a big heart and is most definitely a "kindred spirit". I'm proud to call him my friend. :)
As far as instruments go, my first love has always been the piano. I bought one at the age of 18 and it sits in my living room even now "adding dignity to the home". :) I took lessons for 6 years but still only play "at it". Ah well.. I DO play the guitar (which I also love) and have enjoyed that instrument for 25 years. I have a Guild 6 string and a Guild 12 string. We have several guitars in the house as my husband plays also. He mostly enjoys playing his classic Gibson ES-335.) I'm somewhat fluent in sign language as my younger brother, Eddie, was born profoundly deaf. ("Profoundly" deaf means "completely" deaf.. no hearing whatsoever.) I'm a bit "rusty" with my conversational sign language as I don't live in the same state as my brother any more. I may go back to school to brush up on sign language or to learn to be an interpreter for the courts or perhaps for the schools. At this time, I enjoy doing "Performance Sign Language".. that is interpreting songs for deaf, but also for hearing, people. Sign language is a beautiful language that almost looks like dance - especially when performed to music.
Click on the kitty above and see some pictures of our cat. He's a 3 year old Ragdoll cat named (appropriately) "Rags". He "officially" belongs to Shannon but our whole family loves him. Ragdoll cats are the largest of the domestic breeds. Male cats of this breed can grow to be as large as a healthy 30 pounds! Females tend to be "smaller", averaging 15 - 20 lbs. These cats are called "ragdolls" because of the unique way they go limp in your arms when held - much like a child's ragdoll toy. They lay around, and are perfectly comfortable, in the strangest positions. But in spite of their ability to relax so well, they're quite playful and act more like dogs than the typical cat. They follow their owners from room to room and always want to be "in on things". Their fur is very, very soft and feels a lot like rabbit fur. They shed very little and are bred first for their sweet disposition and lap-cat type "purrsonality", and then for their beautiful colorpoints & large size. Rags is a flame & lynx-point. He's white with reddish/orange points that have lynx stripes. This breed is nicknamed the "Lays Potato Chip" breed in that "You can't just have one." We found this to be all too true and have just adopted yet another Ragdoll cat! Our other cat's name is Patches. He has the sweetest face! He's a seal bi-color with a splash of white on his back - he looks as though he'd walked under an eave full of melting snow and had just been hit by a glob of it! He's a cutie! He was born April 26th, 1999 and is Rag's good buddy. Take a look at some pictures of Patches as a kitten.!Click on the kitty below (in a typical ragdoll pose) for a more indepth look at this fascinating & delightful breed. (Use your back button on your browser to come back to this page).
I change this page often so please do visit again.A BIG thanks to Prof. Reggie, my html tutor and good friend in Florida, for helping me to get started. WARNING: If you're a die hard Democrat.. do NOT, I repeat.. do NOT, view the prof's picture!! ..And if you believe that's really his pic.. I have some swampland in his fair state of Florida to sell you.. ;-) By the way, be sure to let it fully download before getting out of there. You don't want to miss the surprise! ;-)Lastly, thanks to you for taking the time to peruse this page and learn a bit about me.
Follow this link to see an award that this page has been honored to receive!
And follow this link and have a look-see at my first ever.. international award!
Be one of the bold.. the brave.. the few..
..the visitor who actually signs the guestbook!
Your comments are welcome. I'm tough (lie, lie) and can take criticism..(well kinda)..but I very willingly accept kind remarks too... ;-)
