: About Me

Having retired early from a Federal government job in 2005 (after 29 years), I now find myself with the time and energy to devote to what I love best - writing!

I lived in GA/AL for 43 years before retiring to Florida with my husband and our commune of critters. We are both avid pet lovers and wish we could take in every stray we find. Three of our beloved pets have died since we moved here (two from old age), so we are down to a more manageable amount of two dogs, one very old cat, and a crotchety love bird who thinks the plastic bird occupying the cage with him is his soul mate for life, chipped tail and all.

Animals are my first love, followed VERY closely by writing. I have written two complete novels which sold for a couple of years on-line, and gave me a great deal of satisfaction in having completed them. No fattening of the bank account, mind you, but a great deal of satisfaction indeed. I have hundreds of ideas for more novels and can't wait to get started on them.

Did I mention that I tried selling real estate for the first two years in Florida? What a nightmare that was! I finally put myself on inactive status in January 2008; I don't think I'll go back to selling real estate any time soon.

Happily married, I am also the mother to a stunning 24-year old daughter who brought my first grandchild (little girl) into the world on November 29, 2008. I'm already finding that it really is much more fun and relaxing to be a grandmother than it was a mother. Payback is hell! Yesiree, all those gray hairs my daughter caused me will come back two-fold for her, I'm sure!

I am an optimist, married to a realist. For me, the cup is always half-full; for him, just the opposite. Somehow, we have managed to curb our differences since 1982 and co-exist in relative peace and bliss. Well... peace, anyway.

I was baptized in January 2009 and feel blessed to have finally found a church (Calvary Chapel) in which I feel comfortable and am learning all the things I should have learned as a child. What an eye-opener this has been, and how exciting!

My ultimate goal is to leave part of me behind in my writings. They reflect who I was yesterday, today, and who I will become tomorrow. I hope that some of the stories/articles will warm your heart and bring a smile to your day.

Always remember: "Never regret anything that made you smile!"

My passion is ...

Love for animals

I know too much about ...

Life's little disappointments

My parents always told me ...

To be the responsible one

My childhood ambition ...

Was to become a veternarian

My favorite memory ...

It's so hard to pick out just one

Why I write ...

It releases me from Life's expectations, for a while

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

A romantic saga of a Deep South Family, titled "Magnolias" by Jacquelyn Cook. As for watching... I admit to being an avid "Lost" fan.

My first job ...

A receptionist at Williams Construction Company in Columbus, GA

My best moment ...

That would probably be the same as "my favorite memory..."

My inspiration ...

To leave a part of me behind in my writings - to have somehow made a difference to someone, somewhere...

Relationships & Family > Tips for Marital Happiness The ebb and flow of a good marriage

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THE EBB AND FLOW OF A GOOD MARRIAGE Marriage is like an amusement park. Seriously, if you take a moment and think about that analogy, you will agree. Marriage can be broken down into four life segments, each juggling their own success and failure rates. SEGMENT ONE: The first ten years are like the roller coaster ride wild, exciting, adventuresome, never knowing where the next bend in the rails might take you. You sail through the marriage's ups and downs like a kite floating endlessly through a clear, blue sky. The temperaments, judgments, and opinions are quick to surface, but just as qu...

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