Lisa Bogart

I had written teen poetry, kept journals off and on for years and was an extreme letter writer. (I once wrote 500 friendly letters in a year.) This journal class sparked my interest. The course lead to others. Two years later when our teacher decided to move on to other pursuits I started a weekly writing group. Eight women met every Thursday for nearly ten years. I was busy doing the mommy and wife thing but Thursday evenings became my weekly refuge and outlet.

Writing groups have a life span, and in 2003 ours reached its end, but I was still writing. I started hiking, every morning before work. I was blessed in those early morning hours. I often came home with some “ah-ha” moment to write about. I started a new journal, a prayer journal. The pages filled.

My 40th birthday arrived. I love to throw a party, and what a perfect excuse 40 was. I have a grand girl party for 30 friends. I felt very loved and celebrated. I wanted to give each friend a special party favor. I collected 30 hiking essays into a handmade book. A couple of my girl friends wanted to buy an extra copy to give for Christmas gifts. Sure, I could make a few more copies. A cottage industry was born. I kept hiking and writing, soon a second book emerged. I designed a new book. I kept hiking and writing. A third and fourth book of “ah-ha” moments came together. I have made nearly 1,000 copies of my four books of devotional thoughts.

On this journey I discovered the Mount Hermon Christian Writers' Conference. Every year over Palm Sunday weekend I go. It's exciting and intimidating all at once. I am recharged. Through the conference my writing has found it's way to The Upper Room Daily Devotional. I was the devotion on March 15, 2006, and another piece will be in the January February 2007 issue. (They work well over a year in advance.)

What began as teenage journal writing has, over a lifetime, developed into a passion for the written word. I honor that passion and continue to put pencil to paper. (Yes, I still like to write long hand.)

Thank you for taking the time to read my words. It is my hope that you find an “ah-ha” moment of your own.

Geography Lesson
In forty five years I've made a dozen major moves. I have changed addresses because of employment, education, death, marriage, and adventure.

I was born in Illinois in 1960. I have an older brother, Brian and a younger sister, Nancy. When I was six my dad took a new job and we moved to Overland Park, KS. When I was eleven dad changed jobs again and we moved to Annapolis, MD. My father died from a brain tumor when I was fifteen and the following year my mom moved our family to Colorado Springs, CO.

After graduating from high school in 1979 I moved to Fort Collins, CO to attend Colorado State University. I graduated with my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design in 1983. I moved back to the Springs to work for a small design studio, Designers' Ink. Four years later, in 1987, I married my college sweetheart. We moved to Salt Lake City where Rod was finishing his Masters Degree in Computer Science. Again, I worked for a small design studio, Ampersand Studios. Three years later we were on the road again. Rod completed his degree and took a job at the University of Michigan as head of the Visualization Lab. We moved to Ann Arbor. We lived shouting distance from the stadium. Autumn Saturdays the air was filled with cheering for wolverines. I got a job working for Group 243, an advertising agency. I worked on the Domino’s pizza account. (Rod and I discovered our pizzas were delivered with “Ann Arbor Cheese”, extra cheese without asking for it! Yum.)

Two years later, in 1991, Rod and I both came home with the same news: I was laid off today. Yikes! Time to laugh or cry. We chose to laugh and leave the country. We put everything we owned into storage and moved to Melbourne, Australia for three months. Rod worked at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and I played tourist. It was a terrific adventure. Our last week in the Land Down Under we took a vacation touring the Great Barrier Reef and Cannes. Lovely.

Back in the States we moved in with Rod's parents in Greeley, CO while he looked for a job. Four months later we moved to Burbank, CA so Rod could work in Hollywood doing computer special effects. I found a job at a needlepoint shop. We decided to start a family. Our son, Zachary was born in 1993. I fell in love with being a full time mommy.

In 1995 Rod was laid off again and we moved to San Rafael, CA where he worked for George Lucas at Industrial Light and Magic. I still had the luxury of being a full time wife and mommy. When Zach went to kindergarten I volunteered in the classroom. Eventually I took a job at the elementary school as a full time aide in the resource room working in special education. I've been working full time in the classroom since 2001 and it's a perfect fit. I enjoy working with the kids and I'm home after school.

We made one more move in 1999, this time just across town to a home of our own. No more rental white! I painted every room in the house. I have a bright blue living room and a sunny yellow office. I still can’t believe I am a home owner.

Other tid-bits to know about me. I love to laugh and am an optimist. I am a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I love to bake and cook but nothing to complicated. I am a voracious reader. I like fiction, biographies, sci-fi, books on writing and when I find a new interest I read about it. I drive a 2001 navy blue VW Beetle. I am 5' 4" tall. I enjoy fiber arts: needlepoint, knitting, and weaving are my favorites. I buy flowers at the grocery store every week just because. I love to entertain. Being a wife and mom are my most creative jobs. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons. The four shows on the Tivo for me are: Inside the Actors Studio, Monk, Good Eats, and NUMB3RS.

That's the geography of my life. Where I've lived has shaped me. I think of myself as a mid-westerner and a suburbanite. I loved living at the foot of Pike's Peak. Living close to the ocean now is grand but I miss the four seasons and the mountains. However I bloom where I am transplanted.

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