Barbara L. Stemple

On a real roller coaster ride! During college I was an exchange student and went to school in Denmark and Austria and spent 3 more months traveling.. After I graduated I went back to Europe and worked and hitch hiked for another 6 months. After I returned I moved to the Colorado mountains where I still live in a little old log cabin on a lake. I have my parents entrepreneurial spirit and have owned a construction company, a sawmill, bed and breakfast, hotel, restaurant and bar. I taught disabled skiing for 16 years and still can't decide what I am going to do when I grow up! Did I mention that I have been an old west gunfighter and can can dancer for about 25 years?
For 9 of the last 10 years I was my mother's primary caregiver. She did quite well except for a few broken bones here and there. I sold my hotel when she was 92 so I could spend some quality time with her. We made several trips to Mexico and toured Norway when she was 96. She made it to almost 100 years and 9 months at home with me and still mentally sharp! I drove her back and forth most every year between Elmhurst for the summer and San Diego for the winter with stops in Colorado and traveling with 3 cats. Yes, we did have some adventures. We sold the Elmhurst house and I cleared out 95 years and 5 generations of memories last fall and now I am in San Diego clearing out the house here. I am telling this because I have finally realized that it is time to start doing things on my bucket list instead of just adding more to it! There is nothing like looking at the past to think about the future.

I would have to say my favorite memories would be the slumber parties at my house in our large camping tent, including such activities as skinny dipping in my neighbor's pool, feather pillow fights (they broke), sneaking downtown in shorty pajamas and being brought back to my house by the police, explaining that they were "looking for the dog". My dad said " those poor girls were looking for patches and here she was in with us." And how about the slip and slide? I won't mention any names to protect the innocent, but you know who you are! It was good clean innocent fun!!!

Hawthorne