"What do You Mean, Only 1200 characters!!!!"

O.K., about me.

My local roots are from the south central tobacco country and farm lands of Randolph, Virginia and the big city of Danville, Virginia. These roots technically belong to my parents, but since we spent practically every weekend visiting these areas into my young adult life, they will always be home to me. Besides, my sister and I were born and raised just 1-2 hours north of the "big" city. I am one of 400+ family members and growing! 200+ which I know (have had conversation with :)) and hear about on a regular basis. This is a total from both sides of the family (mom and dad’s). The largest number of relatives is related to granny (my dad’s mom). Granny is 95 years young and is one of 14 siblings. When we get together for a family reunion, thanksgiving, and Christmas celebration, there are 4 generations present! Laughter (lots of laughter!), food (lots of homemade, good food!), and enjoyable conversation are always present.

The trips to church with my grandparents (we still sit in the same pew that we did as kids) from a very young age to the present; the long, deep, faith-filled conversations with my dad’s parents (especially my papa) while walking around the family farm; the anticipation of catching the “largest catfish in the county,” with my papa even when he was very sick and in his late ‘80s (he always took my fish off the hook for me and now, I get to do it for my girls!); and conversations with my grandfather, William, about politics while driving to church, have truly shaped who I am today - the culmination of these wonderful experiences and joyful memories. I am truly blessed to have shared these experiences with both grandfathers well into my late twenties and now that my family has moved back to the east coast, I get to share similar conversations with both of my grandmothers over coffee and/or reading a good book. Nothing compares to being surrounded by family and friends. The laughter. The joy.

And, even though I enjoy a good, intellectually stimulating conversation about politics and religion, (trust me, in a family as large as ours, these conversations are frequently visited) my favorites are those that take place everyday between my close family and friends. As long as I can connect with those around me, including the grocery clerk at the local grocery store, I have had a good day. My husband likes to say, “Honey, you do not know a stranger.” I believe that it is true for almost all of my family members.

Each day I get to support the four loves of my life (our dogie, Bella, is one of them!). And let me tell you, it is always exciting and ever-changing in our home. My husband is a committed husband (especially noted for enduring our oldest daughter’s seven year birthday party, complete with 10 screaming girls!). He has several passions: his faith, golf, and ALL sports, and now hunting! He is an amazing dad and a very patient husband (as you will see). My girls are beautiful, confident and full of life. It is a joy to be around them and their friends. And even though our recent move has shaken up their lives quite a bit, they are adjusting well. We live in a different place geographically and the girls and I have shed many tears from missing our familiar surroundings and friends, however, the constant denominator of family, faith and church have truly made this transition amazing. I am proud of both of them.

Did I mention that I love to write? I have been writing different types of genres, from baby board and picture books, to poetry, to a guide on selling by faith. Yes, I know I dropped out of Creative Writing my senior year of college! My best friend from college, Ann, who is an amazing writer, tried to encourage me to stay in the class and even talked to the professor for me :). You can only imagine! Trust me, if you asked me 10 years ago if I saw myself as a writer, I would boldly and confidently say, “NO!” This is a surprise to me as well! I am still growing and maturing a lot in this area of my life and in many others too! However, the more I write, the more I am led towards writing about faith and humor. These are two of the most important things that I rely on daily for my sanity. One more important note: ADD and OCD run in our family and currently, I am not medicated! So, if I jump around while writing, that’s my ADD. I hope to get in a few entries a week, but if I am delayed, that is my OCD. I think some of my best writing has been at 2 am in the morning when I wake up and write a story at one sitting. Crazy! But, then I pick and pick it to death (OCD). All good, seasoned, and published writers that I have met, suggest setting your work aside MANY times and come back to it MANY times; i.e., to make sure it "feels" right. AGGGGHHHH! I am struggling with this concept! I usually have several pieces floating through my head at one time (ADD :)). They say, "you will know when it is ready." Jeez! I have lots of work lying around. Some mapped out page by page on poster board (storyboards). Who has the time to smooze, AND search through the thousands of editorial contacts? That's my excuse! Maybe one day!

Thank you for visiting my blog! I truly hope you enjoy!