Friday, March 30, 2012

No pressure!

So, I am not great at introductions, when I go to training courses and they get to me in the circle, I feel my voice crack, and wonder what I could possibly say about my life. And yet, here I am, trying to think of something that might keep you, my reader coming back for more. So where to start? Well, when I define myself, before all else, I see myself as a mother. So, I am currently a stay at home mom of three of the most fantastic kids you will ever meet. And no, I am not biased. They are 14, 12 and 3, and my husband and I are also foster parents, so our house expands and contracts as naturally as the Snye River during river break.
We have been married for almost 17 years, and yes, like so many other people here, we are from the East Coast. Cape Breton to be exact for 34 years, and we have been in Fort McMurray for 5 years now.
I love meeting people, I love hearing their stories, and I love sharing those stories. So that is the goal of this blog, to share the stories of the people living in our community, so that we all feel more connected, and we all are a little more interested in our neighbours and what is going on in their lives.
I want the blog to be fun, interactive and most of all, I want it to start conversations that you might not have otherwise. Thus the title of my blog, Around the Kitchen Table. I think the best conversations start over meals, or while sitting at the table with friends having a glass of wine. So that will be the wonderful catch that I hope to do with this blog. Every six weeks or so I will post a menu here, on Twitter, and on Facebook, and invite a certain number of guests to come to our house for a meal. It may not always be gourmet, but it will be free, all you will have to do is agree to a ten minute conversation/interview at the end of the evening, and then I will share your story! Some times I hope to have couples, other times I hope it will be wildly different individuals....of course, when I post the menu you will see if it interests you, and if you might have allergies, etc. But I want the whole evening to be about fun, meeting new people and sharing great food. Well, hopefully it will be great, I am not a chef, so hopefully it will be at least somewhat good.
I also think it will be a wonderful way for our kids to meet new, interesting people, leaders in the community and show them that sometimes stepping outside of the box will bring about fun things.
A blog has always been a goal of mine, but I have kept putting it off. Thanks to some recent encouragement I am looking forward to finally spreading my wings and seeing where it takes me, and seeing who I will meet on the way!