My life is a country home potpourri including honeysuckle vines, pumpkin pie spice, cucumber melons, cinnamon sticks, baby powder, and puppy breath. Married for a collective 27 years, the most recent (and only true) man of my dreams has lasted the longest and is most deserving of a medal. Our six children merrily blended into a testosterone laden den of masculinity a little over ten years ago, and they are emptying the nest faster than I can don my stripes and throw down little yellow hankies.

I've always been in love with words - written, spoken, sung, whispered, doodled, screeched, or scribbled. I'm a great listener and an even better talker, reasonably certain my yakkability must easily quadruple my typability with a much more favorable error count. I've also always been an avid reader way back since the days of Dick, Jane, Sally and Spot; Pippy Longstocking; Ramona Quimby and the likes of other children who gave me hope that my very own peer group might exist somewhere in the world of paperback pages. It was a short-lived fantasy, but I credit it with saving me from the shame of an early delinquency.

Now that I'm rapidly approaching midlife and all the gleeful adventures that accompany it, I've gone out and acquired the mandatory pair of bifocals, book club memberships, discount cards, laptop computer, laser printer, gel pens in every shade and scent, printer paper in a vast array of colors and designs, and other odds and ends displayed in their own personal organizer bins.

I've always aspired to be a writer, and now I am about to embark on my illustrious new career.

My passion is ...

...witnessing people discover their destiny and reach their highest purpose.

I know too much about ...

...the way boys think.

My parents always told me ...

...don't ever forget who loves you more than anything.

My childhood ambition ...

...motherhood.

My favorite memory ...

...the first time my family was all together in one place.

Why I write ...

...words are living, timeless expression. They contain dreams, thoughts, ideas, facts, emotions, and humanity. Each day I fail to write I experience loss; I let myself down; the moment passes and grows stale. I write because words have purpose; and destiny demands it.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

..a new discovery, I've been reading Jodi Picoult novels; also my usual eclectic variety of nightstand fare; and misc. blogs and articles, especially relating to midlife.

My first job ...

...genealogist; writer and editor of genealogy publications.

My best moment ...

...is hopefully yet to happen.

My inspiration ...

...human behavior, mother nature, friends, family, and furcreatures.

Relationships & Family > Blended Families Testimonies: Being a stepmother

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I have a lot to say about being a stepmother and blending a family. I could give advice all day long and tell wild stories about the process my family went through. I could talk about stereotypes and co-parenting and family dynamics. But this isn't the right time or place for those things. This is my opportunity to share my own personal testimony about being a stepmother. It's a story I'm honored and very happy to tell you.

My step-mothering experience is like a dream come true, a make believe fairy tale to counter the Cinderella story, and I still pinch myself every now and then to...

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