A Kansas Sunset

Anyone who's never driven through Kansas in late summer has missed a truly beautiful place to visit. Personally, I get tired of the bad rap Kansas gets for supposedly being a flat, uninhabitable place where there is no beauty.

Kansas is full of beauty...if you get off the interstate and experience it. (A little bit of trivia: the first stretch of interstate was laid in Kansas and part of that stretch had to have at least a 1 mile stretch of straight road so if a plane needed to land, there was a place for it to do so. Therefore, the stretch of I-70 that spans the state of Kansas is pretty boring to drive because it SEEMS the state is nothing but flat. Anyway, back to origianlly scheduled programming...)

The picture to the right was taken at Cedar Bluff Resevoir just as the sun dipped below the rolling hills and bluffs surrounding the lake. The wind was blowing just enought to create a lapping wave on the sandy shore of the swimming area. While the shore is lost in the evening shadows in the picture, the grass was a vivid green and the sky full of blues, grays, reds, oranges, and reds. A hint of brown dawned the tips of the tall blades of grass as the middle of August had born it's heat just enough to sap the edges of moisture.

This resevoir was created in the 1950's when a dam was built between the walls of bluffs in a valley. (So explain to me how Kansas is flat if they could close off a valley!) It's mostly flooded timberland and a great place to fish because there is great habitat for freshwater aquatic life. It's a hidden retreat, 15 miles south of the interstate on a state highway.

Oh, by the way, I don't know if I've mentioned I'd like to be a photographer someday. I enjoy covering my face with the body of my camera, peering through the lens and creating a scene, visible only through the lens. Based on how I focus, I can create a widespan or a close-up view of what is reflected in the little mirror in the body of the camera. What is burned on the digital chip of my memory card is what I choose. Fortunately, God has given me a full array of possible canvases and individuals to capture on my memory card.

And now, the rest of the story...

(The continuation of "About Me" since I'm only allowed 1200 characters.)

The question I get most often about my e-mail signature tag is "What is a Domestic Homefront Coordinator?" Nevermind that I have my website for my direct sales business on there nor my information about how I'm an Independent Consultant for Close to My Heart.
So here's an answer to that question: A few years ago, I think even before I became a mom, I received an e-mail about how this lady went to get her driver's license. When she got to the section about occupation, she wasn't sure what to write since she was a stay-at-home mom and homemaker. Neither of these titles seemed to fit all she really did, plus society's connotation of the terms left a mindset that she really didn't work. So on the line for occupation, she squeezed in all the titles that fall under the previous mentioned. Chef, taxi driver, school classroom volunteer, daycare provider, teacher, nurse, doctor, mediator...the list went on.
While I appreciated the e-mail when it came, I did not fully understand the magnitude of what a woman does when she stays home to raise her children. Being in the "politically correct" era in America, I couldn't help but create my own title to describe just what it is I do. While there are many facets to the job, it isn't one I'd trade any time soon. I saw on someone's signature line once the following quote: "Stay-at-home mom is the hardest, most rewarding job I don't get paid to do." Enough said.
Oh, and a little more about me other than I'm a Domestic Homefront Coordinator. I am a scrapbooker/stamper and an Independent Consultant for Close to My Heart. I am also the web coordinator for Engravingshop.com as well as the VP of Membership for MOMS Club of Hays, Ellis Public Library Board of Trustees member, Children's Time teacher at Ogallah Christian Church, and teacher/designer for Scrapbook Frenzy. I have a Fantasy Football team...well, two actually; I like to attend auctions and garage sales because a good deal is too hard to pass up; I'm not afraid of a power tool; love to cook and bake; am thinking about taking up knitting even though I already have too much on my plate; value friendships; and have a secret desire to become a writer (partly why I created this blog). I have a million thoughts in my head that I'd love to share, just need an outlet. In my previous career I was a teacher, most recently at a Catholic high school. I taught English and Journalism and found both parallel with my love for scrapbooking and writing.
Well, that's about it. What I've missed here, I'll add in my daily blogs.