About Me

I thought I would start off my blog with a few introductions. My name is Tina, named after no one in particular. Although my middle name (Marie) was supposed to be after my maternal grandmother, but turns out isn't. I have been married for a little over 6 years, to my soul-mate, Martin, who I met online through Yahoo messenger. I know what your thinking..."Soul-mate, yeah right." But after a not-so-happy first marriage of 5 years, countless blind dates and set ups, and me making an oath to swear off men, I met my cutie pie online and have been happily in love ever since.  I am a step-mother to a beautiful, smart, and talented teenager, Natalie, who is on the verge of getting her driver's license. We have seven, yes, seven cats that we have accumulated through rescues and an unneutered rescue. We live in a small town south of Eugene, Oregon.

I am a physical education teacher and was recently laid off from the Eugene 4J School District in their effort to balance their budget. So I am on the lookout for a new job, which is a weird place for me. I have worked since I was 15 in a variety of careers. I finally found my calling in teaching and have been doing it for 8 years now. I recently received my Masters in Administration, so I am also on the lookout for a job in educational administration.

My interests change daily and I love to follow trends. I am really bad at starting things and then letting them go to the wayside. This is actually my 4th attempt at a blog, so my challenge is to keep this one going. I love to write but seldom do. I have two books started, but alas, never lost interest in them both. They are awaiting completion on the computer.

"Shiny Happy Squirrel" kind of defines me. I am a happy person, 98% of the time. I love shiny things. And I am very much like the dog in "UP!" who in mid-sentence yells, "SQUIRREL!" and then continues his conversation. I also don't want to limit my blog to one topic/subject, so I went with a name that would encompass anything. Hope you enjoy!