I have a diverse background of experiences along the journey of life, that leads me to where I am today.
I find myself now working a long ways from the orginal degree  in Horticulture, and the other subsequently collected wall hangings bragging of Horticultural Therapy, American Sign Language, and Mental Health Counseling! I was born and raised in rural Maine, went to college in Maine, and then raised my own kids in my hometown village until recently.  I commuted from the village, while working as an administrator in the fields of Rehabilitation and Education until 1997. After 15 years in Rehab and Education, I transitioned to a career in  journalism, which allowed me the flexibility needed, while raising and homeschooling the kids.  I have been freelance writing for 10 years now, moreso in the past 6 years. In addition to working for a hometown community paper, I have also written thousands of articles for web sites. I continue writing web content, as time allows! My favorite New England vacation destination has always been the great state of Connecticut, and was thrilled when I met my husband and took up permanent residency here! I now live in Middletown with my amazing husband, whom I married, after meeting on a missions trip to El Salvador four years ago!  Joe and I have 7 kids and 4 grands between us, some of whom live out of state and are at various stages of establishing lives of their own. We are still actively parenting one middle school son-the rest are college and career age! I am a published non-fiction book author, and several others in various stages of completion.   Joe and I have a heart for those less fortunate, particularly orphans around the world and we are actively involved in a few orphanages at this time. We have sponsored Esther and Roshan, and hope to be able to travel to meet them one day soon. Patch? Oh, I LOVE Patch! I have worn a variety of hats, here at Patch! I have done listings, written some feature articles, and worked as the Middlesex Calendar Editor until that position was phased out. I love the concept of Patch, love seeing the communities networking and being knit together...