I decided to step back in time. I realized there may be some who have not been on this roller coaster journey with me since the beginning. Blogging started as a challenge for me in March of 2013, and 1,547 posts later I am still blogging. Things have changes some but I am still sharing my strengths, hopes and experiences with you.
So let’s go back to June 22, 2013 and see what was happening:
It has been 84 days of blogging – sharing all of the random tidbits of information that have been stored away in my brain for all of these years. Sometimes I don’t even know what I know. Crazy, right? Today’s post is going to let you get to know me a little bit better. I know I may loose some readers here but it is a chance I am willing to take since I don’t do it often. I figure every few weeks, I would share some personal stuff to let you in on life as Hope.
After graduating from Ocean Township High School, I headed off to Roger Williams College (which is now a University) in Bristol, Rhode Island. A small school on the coast of Rhode Island about 20 minutes from Newport. I started out in Education but quickly changed my major to Administration of Justice. I actually excelled in these classes, unlike my first semester of freshman year when I almost flunked out. This Jersey Girl never let the sand leave my shoes even when I wasn’t in NJ, I was always close to a beach. After graduation, I stayed in Rhode Island to work for the Governor’s Justice Commission. A fancy title for a Program person that wrote evaluations and recommendations on services that were available in the Juvenile Justice system for at risk youth in Rhode Island. My first “funded” position through a grant and I had no clue what it all meant. I truly thought that I could make a difference. About 6-months into the job, my Aunt Elsie sent me a job posting for Neptune Township for the Police Department. I applied and actually got the job! WOW! I was headed back home.
Don’t get nervous folks, I wasn’t a police officer – I was a Crime Prevention Specialist. Fancy title, huh? Basically, I along with Howard O’Neill who was a cop, were to do crime prevention seminars, rape prevention classes, home safety checks, etc in the community. You remember McGruff the Crime Dog? We were partners with him. It was a job back home and I enjoyed being home, close to family and back at my roots on the Jersey Shore. For those that have heard me tell the story of why I answer to the name “Heather” this is why. It was at this job that the Police Commissioner for the ENTIRE time I worked there called me Heather. I guess that she either didn’t like my name or really wanted Heather for the job.
The casinos opened in Atlantic City and I went to AC for the first time to see the casinos. There was lots of excitement and the listings for available jobs was long. At this point, the only casino was Resorts but there were many building and looking for employees. I came back to Neptune and put my resume together. Never thinking that I had shot. You guessed it, I got called for an interview by the Director of Security, Gordon Jenkins, for the Claridge Casino Hotel. The interview was at a little coffee shop in AC at one of the converted motels that was being used for offices. Gordon was from Las Vegas and was brought in to set things up. A sweet man who was looking for a secretary that could transition into an Administrator as they go closer to opening. He always had a smile on his face and loved to have breakfast meetings. In fact, this is where I developed the habit of putting strawberry jam on cheese omelets. Don’t knock it till you tried it! He offered me the job and I jumped on it. More money. The excitement of AC. This was when commuting became a part of my life. I traveled 5 days a week from Ocean Grove to AC for many months….This was the first part of what I often call “my previous” life.
Treasure your memories, learn from your past and your mistakes, then use the things your have learned to grow in your personal development which will help you in your business.
As I look back on old posts, it helps me to remember. Memories have been slowly disappearing as a result of the lesions on my brain. Little did I know how much blogging would help me to catch glimpses of the past.
Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!
Hope Wissel 