Birthday Wishes for Kathryn Esplin-Oleski

Hi everyone today is a very special gather birthday, our very own Kathryn Esplin- Oleski is having a birthday.

Kathryn has waited passionaly for her birthday to come as The Birthday Club is one year old and Kathryn should have had her birthday celebrated last year as well, only my computer when down just as her birthday rolled around.  This year let's make her birthday bigger and better than it ever could have been before! 

In the tradition of the birthday club, I ask the questions and the birthday girl prepares her own mini biography.  Here is what Kathyrn has to say about herself.  

I'm married with two children, a boy and a girl. My son is a sophomore in college and my daughter is a junior in high school. 

I have a full-time job (not in journalism) but I also am a freelance writer. I have been a professional journalist for big city newspapers, have been a writer for business/computer newspapers and have edited book about HTML. I've also been a substitute teacher. While supporting myself through college, I was a secretary, I worked retail and waited on tables, not all at the same time.

I have been writing since first grade. My first published articles were in my 20s, in The Montreal Gazette and The Globe and Mail.

It is difficult to say what first inspired me to write. I knew at age 3 that I wanted to be a writer.

I usually do not have a lot of time for hobbies, but during my lifetime (so far), I have enjoyed sewing, cooking, gardening, painting, playing piano, singing, running and aerobics.  I would say that these days I spend little time on these activities.

I like walking in the rain and pina coladas. Just kidding. That was an old joke from personal ads one would hear a lot.  Seriously, I like spending time with my family, music and photography. (I'm talking about NON-writing things I enjoy, you understand. I do spend most of my non-work time writing.

I do not like cell phones at all. I have an old one but never use it. I can't stand rude people.

I am concerned about civil rights and human rights issues - very big issues in our world today.

My father's death when he was 44 and I was 20 was a very big event and one that took me a lot of time to recover from.

I would like to see the rest of the world. But before I do that, I want to publish a few books - a novel or two and a non-fiction book or two. Am working on that. See above for the amount of time I spend writing.

When I was 4, I had a red tricycle for my birthday. It was special because life is special to young girls that age. All my birthdays were pretty good, even when times were tough.

I always wished that children would never go to bed hungry, anywhere in the world. I wished this same wish from the time I was 5 until I had children. I'm  telling you  because now I have stopped making this wish on a cake. Making a serious wish like that on a birthday cake is useless unless someone does something about it. So, now, I contribute to charities and food pantries.

 I have selected the following piece for your viewing pleasure.

The True Adventures of Little Kathy - In Which Kathy Proves She was a SCAMP

As for my birthday son, I would like Janelle to find,

Happy birthday Kathryn 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/