Paula Riggs:
CLASS OF 1971
Shadle Park High SchoolClass of 1971
Spokane, WA
Driftwood Junior High SchoolClass of 1971
Hollywood, FL
Paula's Story
Life
Hello Shadle classmates.
I was in Spokane in June for my birthday. I saw they were remodeling Shadle. Haven't been inside since I graduated. Have a niece and nephew who graduated there. Sorry I missed the 30th reunion. Hope it was fun. Have not kept in touch with anyone except Sandy Taylor/Kelly and Joe Blumel and of course my siblings, Tee hee. Tried contacting Sue Krume, but apparently shes as cheap as me and didn't sign for the pay program and couldn't read it. I guess it's not really all about cheap, it's about feeling safe spending online...giving out the credit card number, etc.
I lived in Spokane for about 10 years after graduating. I married Bill Riggs in 1971. I have 2 sons who came along in 76 and 78. The best thing that has happened to me in years is becoming a Grandma in 2005. She is the light of our lives. What a doll. Boy they weren't kidding when they said grandparenting was great. The depth of my feeling for her still amazes me. Don't know why. I always knew I wanted to be a grandma. Maybe because I got to be in the delivery room, who knows.
I worked for a couple of years after graduating. IBM, Spokane Mortgage Co., and then Spokane Community College. Tried selling Mary K. Didn't fit. Moved from Spokane in 1982. Bill turned 30 on the day he arrived here. Hadn't renewed his license and couldn't even rent a car. Anyway, we thought we were only leaving Spokane for a few years. Gonna make our fortune and return home before boys became too entrenched here. Well , it is now 25 years later and we are still here. We just couldn't quite return to 6 months of winter after experiencing the mild winters here. The things I miss most about Spokane are the parks and lakes. It is also very flat here ...Expand for more
in Texas but very green. We get cabin fever here in the summer when it is in the 90's for two months. This year was especially wet so it was a little cooler in July than usual.
We have done well financially here in Houston, Bill retired once in the late 90's to 2000s for about 5 years. Unfortunately, it was about the same time as the market went south, so he had to go back to work about 4 years ago for Countrywide Lending. Well you know about their troubles today. Cross your fingers for us. He has at least recovered our losses from the retirement years. Our sons are 31 and 28 already. Bill and I are blessed to have all of our parents living. Of course they are in their 70's and 80's so their time with us is winding down. Dang I hate the thought of that. Wish I could keep them with me forever.
I taught piano for about 10 years. Have one student that I still see on Saturday mornings. Had up to 20 at one time. Was fun but I wanted to move on. Looking at franchise opportunities, but not sure I want to give up my freedom or be that busy.
I guess that is the one thing I may have missed out on over the years. I have a husband that took such good care of us financially, that I never really had to work. I have taken classes, learned piano, Spanish and taken many courses (no degree), but never really achieved the level of autonomy in my relationship I would have liked. I was able to do many things that working women can't but just don't know if I have lived up to my potential. There's no doubt that If I had worked, I would not have been able to do many of things I have done, so I will have to dwell on that positive aspect and chose to be content with where I find myself these days. Things could be so much worse. Be Happy.
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