Top Ten Design Mistakes says the number one mistake is no autobiography. I already have 7 “About Me” posts, but they were written for fun. Apparently I need to write them as a resume.

“Even if you don’t have formal credentials, readers will trust you more if you’re honest about that fact, set forth your informal experience, and explain the reason for your enthusiasm.”

So…
I have a BSEd with majors in history and English and a minor in Biology.
I have an MA in English, with an emphasis on Old English and 20th Century American literature.
I have a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition with my second field being Old English. (Where I had to translate works.)

I have been a Christian most of my life. I have 18 graduate hours in missions. I have twelve undergrad hours in Bible. I have taught a course on Church History to a women’s group over a year. I teach a Bible class for young children and am a host for an adult study. I have been a member in good standing of six different “denominations.” I am now back in the one I grew up in for reasons I sometimes question, but understand.

I read voraciously on many subjects. Hobbies to read in are history, science, English, and home improvement. And religion. I own over 5,000 books now and have given away or sold more than that many over my lifetime.

I homeschool.

I teach at the local community college.

I teach homeschoolers other than my own.

I have taught either as a substitute (1) or a full-time teacher (3) at four junior or senior high schools. English, history, biology. Before that I taught in a one room school house and taught everything, including PE. These were both public and private schools.

I have been fiercely interested in politics since 2000. I voted in all presidential elections I was able to before that, but I don’t remember being highly involved in the political debate arena before 2000.

I have written a novel and have received my first rejection letter for it. When the wound has healed I will send it out again. It is part of a trilogy which I am halfway through writing.

I write poetry for fun and have taught poetry classes for groups and schools. The students have been ages 9-15.

I have taught at the college level in English for four years full-time and eight years half-time. Both public and private colleges.

I watch lots of HGTV shows, but I don’t have much DIY experience.

I don’t mind mowing the yard and I work haphazardly in my garden. But it doesn’t look too bad.

I’ve been blogging for over two years.

I am not now and have never been in the military. My brother and my husband’s brother both served in the army pre-Middle East conflicts. My uncle was in Japan and another in Korea. But, despite this lack of affiliation, I feel that our military is vitally important to our nation’s security. I have worked with 200 homeschoolers to send more than 100 packages overseas. I have had a VBS at church where we created and wrote cards for the military and then sent them off. (These were both from us and for them to send home.) There is nothing I can do to thank those who have served in our military adequately. But I have adopted a Marine and a Soldier to try to make a dent.

I rarely write about art or glass, but I have a small collection of both.

My father is an attorney so I grew up in a household with lots of legalese running around. I don’t think I write about the law, but just in case…

I have been on myriads of diets. Body for Life. Nutrisystem. Quick Weight Loss Center. Weight Watchers. Others I don’t remember. At my heaviest I was over 200 pounds. (I was pregnant and on bed rest, but that’s not much of an excuse.) At my lowest as an adult I weighed 145.

I am new to the sport of running.

I have lived in five states, two countries, and 17 cities. I have visited Thailand, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and France.

I used to speak Spanish and French with enough fluency to get around town and do my groceries, banking, etc. And to translate sermons from English into Spanish.

I’ve been a missionary apprentice.

I’ve lived in Europe.

I’ve attended five universities, both public and private.

I’ve been poor, as a child, far below the poverty level. And I think I’m now in upper middle class.

I have had surgery for TMJ, two emergency C-sections, and an emergency surgery for internal bleeding. I have been told I was crazy when I was sick. I’ve been told I wasn’t sick when I had pneumonia. I’ve seen more doctors than “you can shake a stick at.” Some of them needed sticks shaken at them too. I have a definite personal, logical, and forceful prejudice against doctors who believe that patient symptoms are psychosomatic just because the doctor doesn’t know what is wrong with them.

Oh, and I like to take quizzes and tests and do navel gazing.

I think that is about all I can think of that I’ve been commenting on. So those are my areas of expertise and interest.