A little more about me!

I realized that when I read other people's blogs, I often go to their About Me page to get a better feel for them.  So, I decided it was only fair that I have an About Me page too!!  While you could read all my past blogs posts to get to know me a little better, that is not a task for the faint of heart.  After our return from France this summer, a friend printed my entire blog and gave it to me as a gift (a truly fabulous gift), but it was 370+ pages.  I hadn't realized that I'd written a book!  So, if you don't want to go back and read every thrilling post about our French adventures, I understand.  Perhaps it will be a book someday and then you can just read that!

But, let's back up a little bit, as I'm getting ahead of myself.  Who am I?  I'm a wife, a mom, a business owner, a friend, a sister, a daughter, an aunt.  I think that just about sums up the roles I play.  A little more on each might be helpful.

Wife:  I've been married to my soul mate since 1988.  I was just 23 when we married.  You can read a little bit about our love story here.  Sometimes I refer to my guy as St. James.  As you get to know me better, you'll definitely understand.

Mom:  I've got one terrific son.  There are things sprinkled throughout my blog about him.  He has added so much to my life and I look forward to each day to see what new things I'll get to discover through his eyes.  (He's not quite a teenager yet, hence I'm still in love with him!)

Business Owner:  I am a lawyer by training and practiced law for 15 years...then I retired!  Yep, I actually retired at the tender age of 40 and opened my own business.  I own a franchise called Dream Dinners and it's the best darn business I could have ever hoped for.  Wanna know more?  Check it out here.

Friend:  Well, I am blessed with many people that I call friend.  Hey, just see how many I have on Facebook.  LOL!  I love to cook for my friends (as well as for my family) and spend quality time, whether that's hiking, traveling together or just enjoying a lovely bottle of wine and some great cheeses....everything's better with friends!

Sister:  I have two amazing sisters and a terrific brother.  Plus, I have some other brothers and a sister from my dad's previous marriages.  Ours was not a Brady bunch childhood...although my mom often called us the Brady bunch, facetiously.

Daughter:  My mom died in Feb. 2010.  It was a very difficult time for me.  It's one of the main reasons I decided to go to France for two months and to start this blog.  As more time goes by, I may be able to write more about that experience...or I may not...time will tell.  My dad is still alive and you can read a bit about our relationship here.

Aunt:  I have a slew of nieces and nephews.  It's great to have nieces, since I don't have a girl myself.  My nieces have convinced me that not having a girl is probably a good thing (sorry, girls)!  All of my nieces and nephews have convinced me that having an only child is the way to go (sorry, everyone)!  We'll see if that draws any comments from the peanut gallery.

My blog started as a way to memorialize my great escape to France.  I enjoyed writing so much while I was there that I wanted to keep it going after I got home.  I finally realized that writing about food makes me happy.  Cooking food makes me happy.  Sharing food with the ones I love really makes me happy.  And best of all, eating food nourishes me in so many ways!  So, now I'm writing about food...and life...and whatever else pops into my head.  Thanks for reading, I hope it's entertaining.  Leave comments if you like, I love reading comments!  Or don't...that's ok too.