Interview With Me

Here are a few questions about me. In the near future, I plan to interview each member of my household. Jade’s should be a hoot, Jenna may not accept the challenge, and who knows what Jeff will say. It’s my plan to try nonetheless.

Age: 35

Birthday: August 18, 1975

Parents: Clayborn and Cheryle McMichael – married since 1972

Family: Married Jeff March 24, 2007, Jenna was born January 24, 2002, Jade was born May 28, 2008.

Pets: Nope. Well, we feed a stray cat.

High School Info: Putnam County High School- 1993- I was a cheerleader and very active in FFA. I competed at the National level in Parliamentary Procedure. I bet most of you did not know that was even a competition. I will wait while some of you Google what Parliamentary Procedure even is.

First Car: Heavenly days! I drove a 1975 Ford Maverick. Please Google what this car looked like. Oh dear- I was convinced my parents hated me. Ha!

First job: I guess babysitting. I worked at a local department store, a local pharmacy, as a housekeeper, as a nanny, and even a telemarketer for a short while. I had so many random jobs. I will list just a few of them: I had to locate tax ID and SSN for a start up company’s taxes, Design and order signs for a company, grocery shop for a lady with lupus, water plants for a family that was out of town, pick up 3 kids from school and take them home 4 days/ week, ironing, tutoring, convert a dentist’s appointment records from ledger to computer- then several years later do it all again when they got a new computer, fill in for the dentist’s receptionist who up and quit while I was transferring the records, help pack a home for a move, so many odd jobs. I feel like I am forgetting some of the best ones. (family photographs, head shots for an author- now that’s a story for another day, house sat, dog sat- possibly worst job ever, cat sat….I’m sure there are more…I just keep remembering things)

First home away from home: When I first moved to college I moved into a duplex in Eatonton. I loved this little house and I had the BEST landlords. One of the best parts about this house was that it was next to laundry mat so when I walked outside the dryers made the air smell nice.

College: I attended Georgia College and graduated from Georgia College and State University. They changed the name my senior year. Random fact: They actually sent me two diplomas: one with each school name. Many people hated the new name, so they sent both. I was in the first class to graduate under the new name. I went to college on a full scholarship and at the time I had no idea what a great deal that was. Wow! What a blessing! My scholarship even came with a job guarantee. Who gets that?! I was a rare breed in that I never changed my major. I graduated a quarter early (yep, old quarter system.)

College Degree: Mental Retardation…President Obama just banned the words Mental Retardation. I am not sure what that does to my degree, but I agree that those are not pleasant words. I have since added on Middle Grades 4-8, Reading, Language Arts, Learning Disabled, Behavior Disorders, Interrelated Special Education, and Gifted Education.



First Job in my Career: Actually, I am still in the same job. I always dreamed I would teach in elementary school. At the LAST minute I decided I didn’t want to work under that principal, so I just waited. The middle school principal called and offered me a job. I never really interviewed. I was so excited about the job, but the day before the first day I had a revelation- I HAD NEVER STEPPED FOOT IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSROOM! I did all of my college work in elementary school. What in world was I thinking? I actually ended up loving middle school and would not want any other age. And for that principal? Yep, they moved him to the middle school as AP and I worked for him anyway. I actually kinda liked him. I am glad that God put me in the middle school; because I would have never chosen it for myself…I would have missed out.

Life Regrets: I only have one. I so wish I had elected to go to UGA. My scholarship would have paid for any school and I wish I had chosen UGA. I picked up transfer papers SEVERAL times and drove them around in my car, but never mailed them off. There are several other (ok, many) things that I wish had turned out differently, but I chalk them up as learning experiences. The college thing is the only regret.

Hobbies/ Talents: I am not really a master of anything. I am pretty organized and am a pretty good thinker. I am the one that my friends come to when they need solid advice. I am good at researching and making a good decision. I don’t always apply this gift to my own life, but I have it. I also have a REALLY good intuition. I can see things coming and “smell a rat” before most people. Again, I don’t always heed my own advice. Speaking of “smelling a rat”, I also have a strong sense of smell. I am not sure why God gave me this and then sent me to work in a MIDDLE SCHOOL, but whatever! One day maybe I will find a use for this talent. At this point in life I don’t have time for many hobbies, but I like (DOES NOT MEAN I AM GOOD AT) to sew simple items, read Bible studies, blog/ read blogs, Twitter, and spend time with my family.

How do I Spend my Day: Honestly, I am the last one out of bed in my house. Jeff wakes the girls and I get up right after them. I get dressed faster than Jenna, so I get about 5 extra minutes of Zzzzs. Jeff leaves for work about 6:30 and I leave about 6:55. I drive Jade to daycare, Jenna to school, and arrive at work around 7:20. I make a pot of coffee and start my day. I end work around 3:45. On Tuesday and Wednesdays I work extra late teaching after school to make extra money. (Describing what goes on during my work day is a post in itself. Wait, that’s a whole blog in itself.) Jenna rides the bus to my school and arrives about 3:20. So, for a while I wear 2 hats- teacher and mom. After work I pick up Jade and go home. We start homework which thankfully Jenna does willingly and on her own. I start dinner, pack lunches, have Jenna get her clothes ready, greet Jeff, remind Jenna to get a shower, we eat, we clean kitchen, I prepare my work clothes. Somewhere in here we get Jade bathed, play with the girls, potty train, read, and maybe watch TV. A lot of days we have Girl Scouts, birthday parties, errands, grocery shopping, a visit with the Macs, or any number of other activities. I attend Bible Study on Tuesday nights, Church on Sunday mornings, and many more impromptu activities. Jeff is a HUGE help, and unless he is out of town, he is a big part of our evening routine. I try to read a Bible study and blog before bed. I cannot say that I get all of this accomplished every day. Basically, our life is a whirlwind, but it’s part of being a mother and I treasure these days. Even when things are so busy, I try to remind myself that this will not last forever and I need to be thankful.

Favorite Childhood Memory: I don’t have a single favorite that I can name, but I have several: staying at the Mac’s, playing with Karen and Jill, my birthday sleepovers, all Christmases were special, family trip to Disney World, all gifted trips, spending time in Florida with my grandparents, 4th of Julys, church youth group stuff, Destin trip with my entire family and AC, UJ, and Anthony. Watching TV as a family usually lying in my parent’s bedroom floor. Too many. This section would not be complete without listing the time I chunked the homemade bread that mama made for the bus driver into the yard. It’s not exactly a pleasant memory, but it makes me LOL to think about it. Who the heck expects a 7th grader to get on a bus and hand the bus driver a loaf of bread? Not cool! Come on! See, my parents hated me. LOL

Dream Job: Stay at home mom (I would only want this job if money and health were good. I would not want to be forced to be a SAHM.)Other than that, I think I have my dream job….just wish I made more money. Don’t we all!

I think that’s enough for now. There are more questions, but I am too long winded too answer them all. Stay tuned for interviews with the rest of the family.