About me

After my homepage had been up for a while, I noticed that there really wasn't anything about me. You know .. the who I am, where I'm from, what I like to do, the "what makes me tick" and "what makes me ticked off" kind of stuff. So, here goes. I hope this will give you a little better idea of the person behind the page.

I was born on January 7, 1967 and raised in Austin, Texas. Austin is a great place to live. In fact, I'm still in Austin, working for the University of Texas. Most of my close family lives in the Austin and Central Texas area. I have a Family History Page, too. I'm working on merging it in with this site soon. (Like maybe when I get around to learning "Frames".)

I graduated from Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) High School in 1985. As member of the LBJ German Club, I had the priveledge of traveling to Europe twice (1983 and 1985) and hosting a German exchange student. (1984). After graduation, I went straight into college, got married, had two children and earned my Bachelor's Degree in English from The University of Texas, Austin in 1991, just a few months before my third son was born.

My musicianship started with piano lessons at age 5. I earned three National Guild titles as a pianist before switching to clarinet at age 12. I went on to earn several District and Region Band and Solo/Ensemble Honors in Junior high and High school. I played clarinet in both the LBJ Jaguar Band, "The One, The Only" and later, in the UT Longhorn Band "The Showband of the SouthWest". I still love to watch a good halftime show. Besides, no matter how bad the football teams are, the band always wins !

I have three wonderful sons: Ryan Jay (now 12), Kyle Andrew (9) and Zachary Sean (7, soon to be 8). All my "boys" have brought me great happiness. An update to my family life: I'm now separated from my husband, Paul Thompson. The divorce, ending twelve years of marriage, will be finalized by the end of 1999. More on that as things develope. It's been a long, difficult, frustrating time since our separation this March.
My Favorite colors are purple and turqouise. My favorite foods: Pepperoni pizza, Swedish Meatballs, Chicken Fried Steak and Sweet Potatoes (yams). Favorite drinks are Iced Tea, Coffee, Dr Pepper, White Russians and Margaritas.

My hobbies include bowling, internet stuff and, cross-stitch embroidery.

I started bowling three years ago. My friend needed a partner for the Faculty and Staff league here at UT, so I said "sure, why not". Now I bowl almost everyday. My average is in the 140's; personal best score 221. My teammate and I won first place team and high averages honors in Spring '98 league and came in a close Second place Spring '99. I do cross-stitch mostly for "therapy". It's my quiet time to myself. Gives me time to hear myself think and do something creative at the same time. Most of the work I've done has gone to friends and family as gifts.

A few words about chat: Most evenings are spent yacking away via my keyboard with the friends I've made. We're like a close-knit family there .... including having spats and fights but we also pull together for support in time of need. Honestly, I really wouldn't know what to do or where I'd be without these fine folks. Most people don't understand how I can feel so close to someone I'll probably never meet face to face, but that's exactly what happens and I'm glad I have this particular circle of friends about me. Wouldn't be where or who I am today without them !!

What else ? Oh yea, the dislikes: I tend to try to blow most things off ... I have better things to do with my energy than stay mad about something very long, which is good, but I have been known to blow a fuse over things. Things like ... being cold (TAZ HATE COLD !), just general stupidity and laziness, dishonesty to name a few. I believe that I am a good person - not a saint by a long-shot, but good. I believe that most people are good, too. So I always try to keep an open mind, open heart, closed mouth and a stack of "forgiveness" vouchers close at hand.

*jumps off the soapbox*
That's probably more than you bargained for. Just remember that "getting to know someone" is a lifelong process and people deserve kindness and understanding mixed with just enough "tough love" to let them know you really care. We all make mistakes. First impressions are useless and mistakes, though not always preventable, are not usually fatal. (Except maybe Driving While Intoxicated). Love and communication are both the driving force AND the soothing bond that hold friends, family and partners together. So just keep talking to the ones you love and never EVER stop making discoveries about them or about yourself.