We asked Donna Fluegel, of the Snap Dragon's Lair, to be the first Love of Vintage team member to share a snapshot of her life. Without further ado, here is Donna.
Donna Fluegel of The Snap Dragon's Lair
When I was in high school I had a math teacher I just loved. He had such an interesting life history and I enjoyed listening to the stories of his various jobs and hobbies before becoming a math teacher. My Dad had just one job his entire adult life, so listening to Mr. Matthews made me yearn for something a bit more.
Fast foward 40 years ..... I have become Mr. Matthews! Here is the short version of what my crazy life is like...
My first job out of college was with a major insurance company in the Big Apple. Fresh off the South Jersey Farm, this was quite an eye-opener, to say the least. Then I caught the teaching bug and I whipped inner city 10th graders into shape for fifteen years! While I was teaching I had a side job; making and selling homemade jams and jellies. That messy job lasted about three years and I knew being self-employed was in my blood!
I taught English and Journalism -- a perfect segue into my current job/hobby- taking over the publishing of the national orienteering magazine when I retired early from teaching.
What is orienteering? Since becoming involved with the sport in 1992, I''ve heard this hundreds of times. And, as the publisher of the national magazine and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Orienteering USA, the governing body of the sport, I am forever explaining what this crazy thing I do on weekends actually is.
Orienteering is the sport of navigating through the woods with a map and compass. It's easy to learn but always challenging. The object is to get to a series of points shown on the map, choosing routes -- both on and off the trail -- that will help you find all the points and get back to the finish in the shortest amount of time. The points on the course are marked with orange and white flags and punches, so you can prove you've been there. Orienteering is done in many forms -- running/walking, cycling, skiing and so on.
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| Orienteering |
In addition to orienteering I run regular races too. I mostly enjoy triathlons because of the diversity. My latest adventure was to run a Ragnar race from Miami to Key West.
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| Ragnar Race Team |
Eleven of my craziest friends (along with 6000 other crazy people) tag team ran 196 miles from Miami to Key West. "I'll sleep when I'm dead" was our motto!
Which bring me to Etsy. My husband and I have collected all kinds of vintage. When we decided to downsize Etsy was the perfect place to open shop. I work when I want. I have been self-employed so I am comfortable with the solitary work routine. And I get to have all my Etsy "co-workers" too! We travel quite a bit and Etsy is great for where ever we might be. If there is internet service, my Etsy shop, The Snap Dragon's Lair, is open for business!
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| The Snap Dragon's Lair See Donna Not Run |
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| Orienteering USA |
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| Orienteering USA |
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| RAGNAR Relay Series |
Thanks, Wendy for helping us get to know our teammates. Donna, thanks for being the first interviewee!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea. Donna, you are a Mensch-ette!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful bio of our teammate, Donna. Such energy. Truly you are amazing. Thanks to our blog writers Wendy and Lynne. Great job gals.
ReplyDeleteGreat to get to know a bit about your background, Donna. It's nice to hear what brings people into the world of online selling and catching the vintage "bug".
ReplyDeleteThis is very cool. Now we really will get to know each other. YAY!
ReplyDeleteWe will be doing one member a month from now on -- as the schedule permits. Donna runs so fast it is a wonder she can sit long enough to have a successful shop! :-)
Deletelove her story and donna is friend and a great team mate, Patsy;0)
ReplyDeleteI want to thank Donna and Shelli for this great 1st Edition of our series "Get to Know TeamLove
ReplyDeleteMembers"! Donna you are the definition of multi-dimensional what a awesome woman to have on
our team. Shelli once again your talent amazes me and I am so grateful for all you do to keep this blog interesting, well written, informative, fun, and visually exciting! The very best ladies, and a terrific start to this series ~ thank you both.
Wonderful life you live, Donna! The travels you've been on and the places you've seen are just amazing to me!
ReplyDeleteWonderful introduction to the team members bios!
Fun read, I enjoyed it very much!
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