About Liza Wiemer
July 17th, 2009 by Liza Wiemer
Married to Jim (We started dating when I was 17.) Here’s the awesome love story : I worked two jobs during the summer between my senior year in high school and my freshman year at UW-Madison. On my day off, my BFF busted into my house and literary dragged me out of bed to go to Summerfest, a lakefront festival of music. I worked for the festival grounds selling popcorn in a Koepsell’s Popcorn Wagon almost every night until 12:30 A.M. and it was the last place I wanted to be on my one day off. But, my BFF refused to leave my house until I got my butt out of bed. When we arrived at Summerfest my BFF and I headed to the Miller Jazz Oasis to hear Spyro Gyra in concert. I had never heard of them, but she was a huge fan! We were packed in like sardines and some guy tapped me on the shoulder. All of a sudden I was hoisted into the air and was sitting on this guy’s shoulders! Seriously, I hadn’t even seen his face. Apparently he felt sorry for me. My spectacular view was a sea of bodies and someone’s sweat-stained, smelly T-shirt. Forty-five minutes later I was on the ground and I saw Jim for the first time. He was… what can I say… Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. A foot taller than me, muscular, lean, sun-bleached sandy brown hair, and he had a kind smile. I was a shy girl and didn’t say much. Over the course of the next few days Jim came and visited me at my popcorn wagon. He was thoughtful and sweet. He brought me sodas so that I wouldn’t pass out in the heat. (At one point I had six lined up, untouched!) On one of the last nights of the festival we were supposed to meet up at closing time, and then head out to go dancing. He didn’t show. I stood in the middle of the empty, dank Summerfest grounds with tears running down my face. I muttered, “If I never see this guy again, it will be the biggest loss of my life!” Then I started to laugh, totally rofl! What a ridiculous thing to have said – and out loud! I didn’t even know the guy! Later, I found out that security kicked Jim and his friends out because only employees were allowed on the grounds after hours. One of Jim’s friends tried to console him by pointing out that I was a complete mess. After all, I had oil, popcorn, butter, and salt covering my entire body! The story has a happy ending, however. My BFF had the phone number of one of Jim’s friends. She called him up and got Jim’s number. I absolutely refused to pick up the phone, but she threatened to make the call herself. Reluctantly, I dialed his number and Jim was so happy to hear from me. We talked for several hours. At the end of that summer I left for Madison and he stayed in Milwaukee. Four year, four months to the day from our first date, we were married!Mother of Two Talented Teens (Yeah, I’m biased!)Published Author – Extraordinary Guidance , 1997, Three Rivers Press Amazon: http://tiny.cc/Byd98 Waiting for Peace, 2005, Gefen Amazon: http://tiny.cc/8IZA8 Contributor to the NYTBSL Series Small Miracles: Small Miracles of the Holocaust, Extraordinary Coincidences of Faith, Hope, and Survival, By Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal, 2008, Lyons Press. Amazon: http://tiny.cc/rzSfK http://tiny.cc/tCl1l
Teacher – Graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison – Elementary Education (Go Badgers!)Public Speaker - I have spoken all over the world and have conducted radio and TV interviews for Extraordinary Guidance and Waiting for Peace . Yes, I definitely believe in miracles! Those that know me, however, would say that I’m a down-to-earth gal. Whether I’m changing a diaper for one of my pre-schoolers, talking to a teen at 2:30 A.M., speaking to a group of a thousand people, or taking a walk to one of my most favorite spots in the world – the beach on Lake Michigan – I see the beauty in life and try to find purpose in it all! Sometimes it’s not easy. Sometimes it doesn’t make any sense. Sometimes it’s not even close to fair. Life takes us on many different paths – it is a roller coaster ride. We might as well enjoy as much of it as we can! Comments I hear most often from people: I don’t know what to do with my life. I don’t know what my life purpose is. Here’s how I look at things – I wake up every day having very few preconceived notions on what will happen. Sure, I might think about going to the grocery store or the bank, but these errands are minor in the scheme of a day. Time is precious and has little meaning if we are not doing something to make a difference. It could be something small like smiling at a stranger, holding the door open, or working to raise money to find a cure for a disease. There is always ebb and flow in a person’s life. Learn from the past, but look forward. Don’t blame others, but see how you can improve. I’m far from perfect, but I try to find value in everything I do, yeah – even changing stinky diapers or cleaning a child up from a major wipeout in the mud. That is holy work and at the moment I’m doing it – my purpose in life.Latest project: YA novels – I’m excited, pumped, charged!Not so secret goal – To hug a million teens (yeah, you read that correctly) and let them know how awesome they are! Something I’m really proud of - besides my boys (all three of them!) I am an observant Jewish gal – that means I don’t work on the Sabbath – no e-mails, no cell phone, no TV, no driving, and no cooking! Life is sooooo good! Okay, and the pork and shellfish thing – I don’t eat those either. :) Now you know just about everything about me!
NOT A SOCIAL WORKER OR PSYCHOLOGIST
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