: About Me

I love to write. I have written poetry, two novels, and many short stories, but have never pursued it as a profession. My family knows well that my Christmas letter, if I write one, will be the story of my year set to the tune of a Christmas song or the changed stanzas of Walt Whitman or, in bleaker times, Edgar Allan Poe.

Through the decades of my life, I have gone to college, become a wife, mother, grandmother, and in my 40's, a Licensed Massage Therapist. I stayed home to raise my children because I wanted to be the one to raise them. It may have been a selfish decision, and even though I take no credit for who they have become, I am proud to know them as individuals and as good and decent people.

Along the way my interests and passions have developed through a spectrum that even I find difficult to comprehend. Subjects that I once outright hated have become interesting, and others I once loved have dissipated or resurfaced across the years. Some have stayed with me and I will always find pleasure in them, even if I can't actively pursue them in a way I would like. I will always have a love for family, my dog, horseback riding, sailing, photography, genealogy, reading....and writing.

My passion is ...

Learning.

I know too much about ...

The condition of the world and the dark side of humankind.

My parents always told me ...

Stories. From the time I was little, I would avidly listen to the oral history of our family. I wish now we would have thought to record it.

My childhood ambition ...

To be a jet pilot.

My favorite memory ...

Which year or decade of my life? Each wonderful memory has its own place for its own reason. None outshines any other.

Why I write ...

I can't stop myself. To write is to intertwine all aspects of self in the drive to create.

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

I'm reading "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin and "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. I'm watching "The Amazing Race" for fun.

My first job ...

Vampire. I drew and tested blood in a hospital lab when I was sixteen.

My best moment ...

The moment that I had a flash of what it would be like after death. I started laughing.

My inspiration ...

People. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone knows something that I don't. Fascinating.

Celebrations & Holidays > Christmas How to avoid spending too much on Christmas gifts?

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Nobody wants to feel like the Grinch when heading out to shop for Christmas, and with the adrenaline rush of the holidays, it can be a shoppers paradise loaded with sparkling lights and beautiful decorations. So how can we pass up all the shiny sale signs and not overspend? Before the big holiday push to shop, the biggest decision is how much you can allocate to spend on Christmas, total. Write it down. The amount can change from year to year, so an honest assessment of your current budget is necessary. Make a list of everyone you will be gifting with presents. Estimate funds to be spent o...

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