Did you know the new Library Director is from Minnesota?
You betcha! But. I was born and raised in Fresno, California, where I grew up on a vineyard. My daddy is a raisin farmer. Today, my oldest firstborn child, Matthew, is in California, learning all the farming secrets of a wise-old raisin farmer. Like me, all of my children have had the opportunity to learn the value and importance of hard work, but most importantly, they have had the joy of spending hours working in the fields right alongside my dad. My parent celebrated 50 years of marriage last November, and they are wonderful example. As, for me and my husband, we celebrated 25 years of marriage last July, and we look forward to many, many more years together. My husband and I have four children. Matthew, the farmer, Ashleigh, the Community Education / Public Relations lady, and, identical twins, Michael and Daniel, who are still deciding what paths they will follow. We also have a four-legged baby, named Bandit. Bandit is a Yorkie-Rat Terrier mix with the attitude of a Great Dane and the size, well the size of a Yorkie-Rat Terrier mix.
In 2000, we relocated to Minnesota for my husband's job. Minnesota is a beautiful state, but it winter can be brutal. After 14 Minnesota winters, I snapped. There is nothing quite like a Minnesota winter. There is a certain beauty in freshly fallen snow, the downy flakes, and the icicles that form in the most unusual places. The snow, freshly fallen on the pines, is a sight to behold; but, that beauty has a brutal side, especially this year. After the third blizzard of the season (and, not the last), my husband and I realized we might just be a little crazy, especially considering that the last snowfall of 2012-2013 fell in May 2013; the first snow of 2013-2014 fell in October. Yep, there were just four snow-free months in 2013. By late December the mailbox was buried, the snow piles in our yard were over 5 feet high, and walking across a parking lot could be a life threatening endeavor. Somewhere about February, the hearty, possibly delusional, Minnesota natives began reminiscing about the winters of long, long ago and how nothing stopped them from going out and about (pronounced ah-boat). Somehow, I knew we needed to escape, and my husband agreed. The Minnesota winter that did me in had 57 days below zero, 17 of those were in a consecutive stretch; 158 days below freezing; five blizzards, 94% of Lake Superior froze over; and it snowed last week. Yes, I am ready for a Tennessee summer!
I have fallen in love with the community of Woodbury. I have a wonderful staff, amazing community support, and if you haven't seen our Library, well you need to see this gem. I hope you will stop in and visit. My door is always open, so please come Explore, Discover, and Connect at the Adams Memorial Library!
I hope to see you soon!
