Who’s the new girl in the Moundsville Office?
By now, some of you may be wondering, “Who is the new girl in the Moundsville office?” Let me introduce myself and give everyone a little background information.
I’m Tricia Pennell (known previously as Tricia Wilson) and I am divorced. I will start by introducing and telling you a little about the two most precious and important people in my life – my sons: Ryan and Gage.
My oldest son, Ryan Wilson, is 23 years old and a Senior Airman for the United States Air Force. I am one very PROUD mom! I could not be prouder of him for stepping up and joining our military to protect the lives of our fellow Americans. He is stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Ryan is a certified EMT and works in the hospital’s physicians’ clinic treating patients daily. He is in his third year of a six-year contract and is engaged to a wonderful young lady, Emily, whom he met during one of his phases of training. She works in the critical care unit of the hospital on base. Ryan is my “rock.” He keeps me intact, reminds me of the goodness in others and never fails to be there for me. He is my “duderbug.” It’s funny how as parents some of us give our children nicknames. And, I’m really not sure how or why I picked the nicknames I did for either of my sons, but when Ryan was graduating from the Air Force basic training, his dad, brother and I flew to San Antonio, Texas to attend the ceremony. Before we got there, I was able to talk with him on the phone. He explained the process of what would occur during the ceremony and that the first time we would see him would be during the “Airmen’s Run.” This is where all those graduating line up in their “flights” and jog along the highway singing their “Jody calls.” There were approximately 750 airmen graduating, so, you can just imagine how many of those airmen were named “Ryan” or “Wilson!” If I yelled that, several boys would be looking to see if their mama was in the crowds! So, I asked if I could yell “Duderbug” when I saw him and he said “YOU BETTER!!!” See, as they grow older, they don’t mind those goofy nicknames as much.
My youngest son, Gage Wilson, will be 16 next week. He attends Bishop Donahue High School and will be a junior in the fall. Gage’s sport at heart has always been hockey, which he started when he was four. He’s been a member of the Southpointe Rink Rats (Canonsburg, Penn.) travel team since he was eight or nine, and plays for John Marshall’s high school team, so, I do a lot of traveling! He also plays baseball for Bishop. He is my little “boo boo” and constantly makes me laugh. He’s very athletic, has a wonderful singing voice, has crazy dance moves and can do just about anything he sets his mind to.
I was born and raised in New Martinsville and graduated from Magnolia High School (the year is not important! LOL!) My parents ran a small farm with milk cattle, chickens, goats and a horse here and there. I have three older brothers, so you could say I lived in a “testosterone nightmare” growing up. Unfortunately, that nightmare continued when I had two sons! (Just kidding – but partially true.) I guess that’s why I know so much about tools and sports. I really didn’t have a choice. Hahaha.
I love the outdoors, riding four wheelers, camping and picking berries. I own a 12-year-old registered Quarter Horse mare. Her registered name is Keo San Sky, but we call her “Sky” for short. She is an absolute blast! I took her on a road trip two years ago to Myrtle Beach for the American Heart Association Beach Ride. It was a lot of hard work, but well worth it. A friend and I hauled our horses in a stock trailer (and for those of you who aren’t aware of what that is: it’s basically a steel box trailer with window openings on the sides and NO amenities. It’s just to transport horses.) So, everything was packed into the trailer, the back seat of a truck and truck bed and off we went. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING from saddles, to enough hay and water for the week, clothing, fans, heaters, feed, buckets, cots, rope, electric fence, and the list goes on and on. Twelve hours later, we were putting up an electric fence, cloroxing the stock trailer and making it our home sweet home for the next five days. Yep – we slept in the stock trailer on cots and strung Dollar Store plastic shower curtains over the windows. It was actually a pretty good set up and very comfortable. This was a trip of a lifetime for me and I’d love to be able to do it again. Not only did it benefit a great cause, but the sheer fun of galloping my own horse on an open beach for five days was the most exhilarating feeling!
I am pretty much a jack of all trades. There’s not much I can’t do or won’t attempt. I knit in the winter months, weave baskets, sew and do pretty much any craft imaginable if it’s put in front of me. Although I love having my nails done, doing my hair and make-up and dressing nice (all those girlie things), I am not opposed to dirt or hard work. You might find me working on a faucet or repairing a weed wacker. It’s a challenge to me when something is broken or not working right to figure out why. I was always taught not to be afraid to tackle anything. If you can’t fix it or figure it out, ask a friend. If they can’t, then as a last resort, call a professional. So, I’m a girl who can go from high heels to cowboy boots in a heartbeat!
A lot of people tease me that I’m a little OCD when it comes to organization. Some have called me the “organizational queen.” This is pretty much truth. I like having things in order, planning ahead and keeping chaos at a minimum no matter the situation. My oldest son just said to me recently that I ruined his Saturdays for the rest of his life! I didn’t quite understand and was a little hurt, until he explained that because of my “organizational” ethics while he was growing up, he now wakes up on Saturdays and begins cleaning and organizing his apartment because that’s what he learned from me. I thought that was pretty hilarious since I basically had to threaten him with an inch of his life to clean his room every weekend! And my youngest son is absolutely amazed when he asks me, “Do you know where my baseball glove is mom?” or “Do you remember that wallet I used to carry a few years ago? Do you know where it is?”, and I reply, “Your glove is….” Or “That wallet is….” He says he doesn’t understand how I can remember such trivial things. I really don’t understand it either considering I can’t remember sometimes when I walk in to a room what exactly I went in there for in the first place!
I was born in October, so I’m a Libra. I love to laugh and joke around and make those around me feel comfortable. I have a pretty huge heart and will help anyone in need.
There I am---in a pretty small nutshell!
