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ABOUT
MARLAINA |
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I am
Marlaina and I'm forty-one. I grew up in a traditional family, raised
in a small town in Kentucky. All my family lived close by and I grew
up spending lots of time with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents
and close family friends. |
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12, I moved with my family from Kentucky to the Seattle area, where
I have lived ever since. I love living in the Northwest. I don't even
mind the rain, since many of the activities I love, hiking, camping,
running and gardening are more enjoyable in mild weather. For those
really rainy days, I find joy and have a great passion for beading
and making jewelry, sewing, crocheting, caning furniture, and woodworking…skills
that have been passed down for generations. I enjoy them all, but
beading is my favorite. Anything where I am using my hands makes me
feel HAPPY! My parents are great advocates for having an education
and as a woman, my mother saw the importance in having a trade or
going to college. |
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I chose
to go to beauty school and became a cosmetologist. I have never regretted
the decision, and have been very successful in my career. My profession
has allowed me to work with parents in a non-intrusive way to help
educate them about children and their needs. I have always loved being
with kids and they seem to naturally gravitate towards me. |
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Of course, having Danny, Angela and Kate has given me numerous reasons
to continue my education, through reading, taking classes and learning
through others, about the stages of children's development and what
works best for each individual child. Working with the public has
also allowed me to give back to my community. Every year I choose
a single parent household and offer my services to provide for that
family's hair care needs for that year. I also donate my time to a
multi-service welfare program, the North Shore Rack, by providing
hair services, and, at Christmas, I organize and sponsor several families
to make sure their wishes are there from Santa. For several years,
I was a volunteer at the Crisis Clinic. Where my heart strings really
got pulled was when teenagers would call and share their pain. So
much of the time all they wanted was to be listened to and feel heard
by someone. I am an advocate for children of all ages. The skills
and tools I have gathered throughout my life has given me a opportunity
to really make a difference in people's lives. As a new mom, my plans
are to stay home and care for my baby and our family. I believe the
greatest gift I can give a child is to meet his or her every need.
A child is a precious gift we receive for such a short time. I don't
want to miss a moment. By doing this, everyone that touches our lives,
benefits. It's the ripple effect…"Friends, community and the world."
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