Thank you so much for visiting my website and blog.

I hope you find it _________.  Not sure what to put here, but hope you at least leave it happy in whatever way, shape or form, even if it is in the fact that you’ve found someone who writes, punctuates and spells far worse than you do…

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Like D’Ann, this page (and blog) is under construction or as she likes to put it – “getting enhancements from time to time” – usually while my husband, Mark is away on hunting or fishing trips…  “Darlin’, you look so refreshed.  I should hunt and fish more often.”

This is what I have thus far:

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The Super-Abridged version:

I’m a 40 something Empty Nester, Housewife living the quiet, country life in sooo far N. Dallas that there are more cows and pastures in my town than people and I sort of like it – being from a small town in S. Texas.  I’m not kidding – seriously, we don’t even have a grocery store here – Not even a Dairy Queen.   🙂

I have a great husband of 30 years (Mark), two wonderful daughters (Heather 29 and Madison 22)and a precious Yorkie (Rylie 6).

Right now – I love to entertain, travel, read, write, shop on my iPad (and with my Yorkie at the mall), decorate,  workout, feed my birds, (workout for the birds I feed – a long story – they love to watch me workout in the house every morning…), landscape, volunteer, watch Aggie Football and whatever strikes my fancy at any given moment.

I LOVE to laugh, admire and reflect on life’s ups and downs…

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The little less Abridged Version but not a Saga:

I am in my late 40s and have been married to my husband Mark for 30 years, dating for 33.  We have two beautiful daughters: Heather who is a Nurse (ICU, Trauma and Neurological) and married to her college sweetheart Quinn (who fits right in well with us) a former OU gymnast and works in the insurance industry.  Our youngest daughter, Madison is a 5th year Senior at Texas A&M majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Math and a Certification in Project Management.   She gets the Engineering side from her father.

My professional background (a.k.a. areas in which I’ve been paid to do throughout my lifetime)  includes: Non-Profit Operations and Development, Newspaper Journalism, Marketing, Bookkeeping, Landscaping, Secretarial work and Life Guarding.   I’ve been to college here and there as we’ve navigated through our marriage and am seriously last time I checked one  P.E. class and one Spanish class away from at least an associates degree in Journalism and Marketing.  But alas, life has always taken me in other directions and I have to say that most of my truly formative education is from: “The School of Hard Knocks” and really from just learning on the job mixed with a series of college courses, professional conferences, life experiences, Divine intervention and plain dumb luck.   I am a self-proclaimed high-functioning hyper-active, ADD overachiever —- which my psychiatrist professionally affirmed just a year or so ago and I’m cool with…   LOL!

As for my writing background.  I did write for a local newspaper for a while and in my Non-Profit work, but what I am most proud to say is that I had a fantastic English teacher in High School that also taught Lee Harvey Oswald.  Eeek!

I started this blog merely as a fun hobby.  Some people knit, I enjoy writing as my favorite creative outlet.  I’ve been journaling for years, so now I’m just taking some of it public and I promise my family to work hard not to embarrass them publicly in my pursuits.  At least not too much.  And you have the first right of refusal on any of this – I love you too much to let this get in the way of the big picture things.

I LOVE to laugh, admire and reflect on life’s ups and downs…

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The Unabridged Version:

Again, not sure the best way.  Maybe I should just go through it in 3rd person the most formative experiences and their effect on who I am today:

The Infant Years:

D’Ann was born on a glorious Wednesday morning on January 19th in 1966.  She was officially recorded to the State of Texas as a rather voluptuous and robust size newborn at 9lb 8oz, which she still battles with ‘til this very day.  She reportedly was born screaming and hasn’t stopped screaming since – at least that is what her Mom always said.

D’Ann’s actual first memory was of walking across a busy street alone at the age of 2 to visit a Car Repair Shop while her Mom was busy cleaning the Catholic church with her Altar Society.  She distinctly remembers that the strangers fed her Saltine Crackers and 7-Up, which may partially explain why in her “early years” she had a penchant for hanging out with friends and/or strangers and even the occasional grease monkey, drinking and snacking.

However, in an interesting twist – that very same year she received a two-inch scar on her right big toe that she still has today from allegedly kicking a plow at the family farm.  She doesn’t remember anything about the incident.  One can only assume that 7-Up and Crackers where not served at the hospital’s bar.

She was the apple of her grandfather’s eye.  She distinctly remembers sitting on his lap and asking him if she could have a drag off his cigarette, with her brother (one year older) sitting on the other knee and knowing better.  Anyone that knows her today, knows that she is not a smoker but may occasionally bum a cigarette off someone.  It means she likes you and is feeling the love in the room or back alley…

I LOVE to laugh, admire and reflect on life’s ups and downs…

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To be continued…or “I’ll take stories that make me go WHAT!?! for $500 Alex”…