Nancy C. in Shawnee, KS

Nancy Copeland

Location: Shawnee, KS

Birthday: 6/19

Anniversary: 8/4

I am married to my high school sweetheart Jack.  We dated all through college (he was my brother's roommate for four years!) and got married after I got out of college.  I interviewed to work for Hallmark when I graduated, but I told them that I wanted to move closer to him, so I went to work for Southwestern Bell in Oklahoma City.  I sometimes wonder how many other special people I would have met if I had gone to work for Hallmark instead of Southwestern Bell!

I'm currently working as a contractor for Sprint.  I have spent over 23 years working for a telecommunications company, and I have enjoyed the different things that I have been able to do there.  I'm hoping to become a permanent employee with them again but I'm also gong to consider a job outside of that industry.

My first Hallmark ornament was a gift from my parents for our first Christmas: the 1979 Our First Christmas Together.  They also gave me the Our Christmas Together (the one you can change the dial on ) this year, and maybe the one for 1989.  I bought a few ornaments before and after Christmas, until I moved to the Kansas City area in 1986.  And then the collecting bug bit, and now I have about 2000 (probably only 1850 are different designs since I have duplicates of some of them).  My husband can't say much about my collection because he has over 5000 music CDs. 

I have a friend who tells me that I am a data addict, so I want to know a lot of things about my ornaments, like which artist sculpted it, what ornament is an artist's favorite, what inspired it, and anything else they want to tell me.  I have all of the Nostalgic Houses and Shops series, and Donna Lee signed all of the ones that she designed.  That series is one of my favorites.  I enjoy the big pieces because I like to see how the artists create something that is very detailed and coordinated but also allows them to show their own creativity and interests. 

I went to the second 1993 convention and an event every year that there has been one except for 1998.  I've been to St. Louis (1994), Tulsa (1995), Kansas City (1997), Milwaukee (1999), Kansas City (2001), and Boise (2003).  I've been to a few signing events in the Kansas City area and met some Yuleloggers there too.

We didn't get to be parents, but we enjoy the six nieces and four nephews we have.  And we get to enjoy the great-nephew and two great-nieces that have joined the family.  We borrow other people's children through our involvement in the booster club for the college we went to.  We enjoy attending sporting events, so many weekends (and some weeknights) are spent watching college sporting events.   

I love to do counted cross stitch and I almost always have a project going.  I don't know if the list of ornaments I dream of having is shorter than my list of future cross stitch projects...

This is the first full year I've been a Yulelogger, but I'm a charter member of my local club (I think it's 17 years old).  I enjoy getting to know the people who belong to both clubs and learn a lot from both groups.

ncope75@juno.com