Sharon Austin:
CLASS OF 1979
Edgewood Regional High SchoolClass of 1979
Atco, NJ
Sharon's Story
I started working in municipal government since I was fifteen (15) years old in the Tax Assessing field - full time summer, part time during school. At twenty (20) I finally was ready to get my certification, but you had to be 21. They would not let me take the test early but one unknown fact about me - I was instrumental in allowing a calculator, not a pre-programmed one, to take the assessing exam (it's compared to the bar exam, in that there is a 1/3 passing rate. Anyway, I got my CTA (certified Tax Assessor) designation and worked in many municipalities in multiple counties in the state. I also dabbled in Real Estate Appraising. In 1998 I became a Bond Coordinator and was really good at my job with my knowledge of the different facets of municipal offices. I loved my job, but couldn't stand the catty women. I would keep to myself, nose to the grind stone and wouldn't engage in any gossip, nor repeat if I heard it. I also stayed out of politicsÃÂÃÂ. So 34 years in municipal government is a long time.
I got sick in 2005 with a hard year of trying to figure out what was wrong. It was the "C" word and I've been on chemo since 2006. I have several very rare and "exotic" cancers: Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma that makes me itch all over and I'm still evolving, Small B-Cell Leukemia but it is either indolent (slow moving) or we think we got it all, and finally Eosinophilia Syndrome which is the histaminesÃÂ in your blood, like a misquote bite. None of what I have is contagious, there isn't a cure, just trying to ease the itch outbreaks, and figure I have a good 10-15 years left, other than being tired all the time and sometimes an itchy, b__chy women, I can't complain cause now I'm only doing one (1) chemo a week, previously it was 3 x's p/wk and last year I was on three (3) chemo's at one time and interferon is the worse. Thank goodness I haven't lost my hair yet. I am ok with it, I never asked God why me, or pity myself; hey it does suck at times, but it is what it is and I'm OK with it. Besides, whining, b__ching & moaning keep a woman young, right?
I am starting to make my "Bucket List"; I already have my shore home and I am very grateful...Expand for more
for all that I have. One of my dreams will be coming true this June 2011 when I will be seeing the Grand Canyon - I can't wait to see it in all its majesty and glory (I almost went before, but the weather was bad for flying and had to cancel).
One biggy on my "To Do" list is to book a Tall Ship Windjammer Sailing Cruise with a professional chef aboard (preferably French) with stops to a private isle for a Caribbean Lobster Bake, snorkeling, rent jet skis, whale watching & swim with the dolphins (although I've done that before, it is something you just cannot do it just once. Of course it has to be for two (2) weeks, I have to go with about 10-20 couples/singles who are fun and good friends to share lots of laughs and smiles along the way. Also, there will be Champagne flowing all day along with incredible appetizers, and the staff just catering to our every whim. Anyone interested?
Now that I am retired, I don't have as much fun as I use to and I miss that. Not that I really have the energy like when we were young; we could party till 3:00am, sleep to 2:00pm and get up and do it all over again...ahh, those were the days and we had a lot of good times.
The boring part is my week is filled w/ Doctor appt's, sleeping, I do meditation and once I can get through all the medical paperwork that is endless, I would like to take up art; I loved art in school; I just have too much junk I have to get rid of and I want to simplify my home and my life.
So I have not had a lot of time to get back to my friends here at classmates and hope to start replying. Being in Student Government, I was able to poke my face more into people's faces that I didn't know and then became friends and I have really fond memories of so many people at Edgewood, and a lot of stories can be told (but not all of them). I'm still very honest (to a fault); I don't repeat things and want to catch up with everyone. So for now, it's one day at a time, and I hope to speak with my old friends soon. I told you my illness because I didn't want people to think I was rude and just ignoring you by not responding. We get by with a little help from our friends, as the Beatles song goes.
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