Another Gather Birthday: Carolyn Koen

I apologize for the delay in getting out Carolyn Koen’s birthday celebration. 

I have a birthday alarm set to remind me and for some strange reason this birthday

never came up. 

But there is still time.  It is still January 21, 2007 and still Carolyn’s birthday. 

Carolyn has been a gather member since Aug 5, 2006 and quite a wonderful

writer if I may say so myself.  She now writes for me for my e-zine –

Storytime Tapestry and I am happy that I found her.

Basically Carolyn has written this piece so well that she will be doing all the talking.

Carolyn tells us about herself in the following manner.

I am the youngest daughter of Clifford and Vienna Koen. They had eight of us,

four boys and four girls. They are both deceased now. I am single and have

never been married. I don't have any children, but I am a God Mother to three.

I live in Gloster, Mississippi, which is about an hour away from Baton Rouge,

Louisiana. I moved to Gloster four years ago, when my Mom was diagnosed

with Alzheimer's Disease. Before moving to Gloster I lived in Austin, Texas

for twenty-one years.

I have been a Certified Nursing Assistant for twenty-one years, working mostly

with people who have Alzheimer's Disease. Currently I am working for an

eighty-four year old man, who during WWII played Pro Football for

The Detroit Lions.
  
I started writing song lyrics and poems when I was still in Elementary School.

In High School, I began writing short stories. Seven years ago, I started writing

a Non Fiction about living in Austin, Texas in the 1880's. While doing research

at the Newspaper Archives, I came across several articles about a Serial Killer

who was raping and killing women with an axe, starting in 1884 and ending in

1885. That was three years before anyone had ever heard of Jack The Ripper.

I became obsessed with it. I went to all the grave sites of the victims. I visited

all of the places where they were murdered. I still can't get these poor woman

out of my mind. I had to stop writing about it because it was taking over my

whole life.

I asked Carolyn the question, what first inspired her to write and she responded,

“My Mother was always an avid reader and a very good writer. I like to think

that I inherited that trait from her.”
  

Carolyn’s hobbies include: “telling stories about my life. Recently I have been

writing them down and hope one day to write a book about all my crazy adventures.”
  
She also loves, “to hang out with friend's and watch movies all night long.

I am a night owl and when I'm not working, I don't go to bed until the sun

comes up.”
  
Carolyn tells us that her pet peeves are that, “I don't like to be around people

who are loud talkers. I also hate when people get an inch away from me when

they are talking, especially if they have bad breath or have a habit of spitting

when they talk.”

Carolyn tells us that the social issues that concern her are:

I am very concerned about the rapidly increasing cases of child abuse. I

believe we need to increase the amount of time these child predators have

to spend in prison. It seems to me that most of them do a few months and

then are let out to harm more children. It doesn't make any sense to me.

In terms of important events which have already transpired in her life,

Carolyn has chosen:
  
The first one happened when I was three years old. A friend and I were

whittling with very sharp knives. She missed the wood and nearly cut her finger

off. I grabbed her finger and held it very tightly, while we ran to get help. I held

it all the way to the hospital, while her mother drove. The Doctor told me that

I did exactly what I was supposed to do, and that I may have saved her finger.

I knew right then, that is what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help

people.

The second event happened just last year. I fell in love for the first time in

my life. I thought I had been in love before, but that was nothing compared to this.

The one thing that Carolyn would do that she has not already done is to

publish a book. 
  
For her favourite birthday memory she shares:
  

It has to be my last birthday. I had to work that day, and my brother Rick

got my Mom in the car, stopped and bought a cake, put candles on it, and

showed up at my work. That was a wonderful surprise! Just to see my Mom

out of the house, with a huge smile on her face was the best gift I've ever had.

Carolyn’s birthday wish that she would love to have come true is:

I wish that the man I'm in love with would ask me to marry him.
the link here:
 

 The story that Carolyn wishes to share with us can be found at this link:
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976885390
    
 The birthday song, if Janelle can find for Carolyn would be
 Hate Me by Blue October
  

Happy birthday Pavan from all your friends at gather, we hope we have made

your day a memorial one.

Note to the birthday club members.  If you have not yet submitted your birthday

dates to me please to so.  I need to prepare well enough in advance.

Furthemore, when I send you the questions to do your celebration I need

to have them back, at least one day prior to your birthday.

Carol Roach: winterose.gather.com

The birthday Club:

http://thebirthdayclub.gather.com/