Its MY Birthday!!

Good Morning Blog Readers!

I was born in St. Francis, Kansas sixty-three years ago on January 20, 1945 to William Richard Gregory and Alice Leah (Crabtree) Gregory, who lived on a farm 20 miles northwest of St. Francis; 7 miles southeast of Haigler, Nebraska; 17 miles southeast of Wray, Colorado and 24 miles southwest of Benkelman, Nebraska. In other words, "out in the boonies"... I grew up on that farm which I loved - milking cows, gathering eggs, feeding calves, riding horses, stacking hay, drilling wheat, one-waying summer fallow, shocking cane, killing rattle snakes, hunting prairie dogs, going barefoot all summer, attending country school; In other words, "tomboy" described me perfectly!!

I have 3 sisters and 1 brother: Leah, Leone, Dick and Eunice. We have always been close and consider each other our "best friends". We still get together as often as we can.

When I was 14 years old, I went to Platte Valley Academy (PVA), a boarding school near Shelton, Nebraska with about 100 other Seventh-day Adventist kids from around the United States even one student from Hong Kong who could barely speak English. What fun we had together. My best friends were from Hong Kong, Wyoming, New Mexico, Washington, Kansas and Nebraska. Besides all the ordinary subjects of History, English, Math, Typing, Biology, Chemistry, Music, PE ... we also had Bible classes. We had the opportunity to perform all over the country with Choir, Band, Orchestra and Gymnastics. We got experience speaking to the student body and at churches around the state, giving us self-confidence and the ability to express our views. Of course, I came home on "home leaves", holidays and summers.

After graduating from PVA, I attended Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. I got married in 1964 in Wray, Colorado and had 2 children in 1966 and 1968. We moved 18 times in 13 years, ending up in North Platte, Nebraska, where I began working for the Union Pacific Railroad in 1975. I worked for UPRR in North Platte, Omaha and Salt Lake City Utah over the next 15 years.

In 1994 I moved to Tucson, Arizona to help care for my ailing dad until his death on August 7, 1995. All five of "US" lived within a few blocks of Mom and Dad, giving us the opportunity to spend alot of time together. I lived there for about 5 years before moving to Lincoln to be near my daughter and her family. Dick's job took him to Houston, TX, where he now lives, but the others are still in Tucson living near Mom.

I have a daughter, a son and seven wonderful grandchildren. My life is GOOD! and I'm happy to be two years from retirement!! I love my job at Union College, where I have a wonderful boss and co-workers and will more than likely work there part-time even after I retire.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!
--Sherri