Posted 8/1998

This is where you can learn all there is to know about me!
Well, almost all there is to know!!
I will start at present time and go backward, or try.
When you feel you have found out the most up-to-date or current information
that you wish to know you can stop reading.

~

My name is Retia.
I am Fifty-eight years young.
I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida
(Ninth Generation).
My birthday is July 26,1940.
~
I now live in Fayetteville, AR.
and attend the University of Arkansas.
I am married and we will celebrate our
Eighteenth Anniversary
on Valentines Day this year.
I have been married three times.
The first was when I was sixteen.
~
I have six children ranging in age
from twenty-four to forty-one,
Nineteen grandchildren ranging in age
from Two to Twenty
and one Great-grandchild who is Two.

~

This is my third semester at the University.
I am taking Spanish (second semester),
Western Civilization II, Human Behavior and
Social Environment II, and Static's for Psychology.
I have received several awards for
Outstanding Achievements in my education.
Which amazes me because I was a tenth grade drop out.
I returned to school in August of 1995 at the age of Fifty-five.
I spent five semesters earning an Associate of Arts Degree
at the Community College in Harrison, Arkansas.
I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to be when I grew up.
We moved to Fayetteville in December of 1997
and I started classes here in January of 1998.
In March I bought my computer so that I could do
my research and homework at home.
My Son installed ICQ on it so that I could stay in
touch with all my children and grandchildren.
Little did I know at that time how this thing called
cyberspace would affect my life. I have learned a lot,
not only in school but from my children and
from online friends.
In May of 1998 I returned to Harrison to graduate
with my class.
~
I have a wide variety of interests starting with
Arts and continuing through Zodiacs.
I guess you could call it a
Jack of All Trades sort of Interest.
Some say I am a Dreamer!
Thus, my Internet name Lady Dream!
~
I enjoy creating web pages, and have posted on
some of the messageboards.
I enjoy leisurely walks in most setting
but prefer walks on the beach during warm weather,
and through parks and forests in Spring and Fall.
I enjoy most foods and am not afraid to try
something new. I enjoy all music but the type
depends on the mood I am in. The computer
and cyberspace have opened up vast new frontiers
for me and I guess you might say I am an adventurer
of sorts. I like to see what is
over the next rise or around the next bend
or through the next portal, in real-time
as well as cyberspace.
I find life a real turn-on and people fascinate me.
~
Most of the jobs I have held down through the years were
service orientated. I have waitresses, clerked, managed a
Humane Society Shelter, drove a cab in Norfolk, VA.,
created and designed cakes, worked in production at
a poultry plant, Quality Control, all sorts of food
preparation, child care, and tutored other students,
just to mention a few.
~
In 1994, I developed Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I was no longer able to do the jobs I had been doing
and thought my life was all but over. However, I am not
the type to sit back and watch life pass me by so I
started calling doctors to find one that could get me
back on my feet and into the swing of things again.
I also made some calls to find out how to re-train so
that I could once again be productive. That is how
I got started in school. It's been a real adventure since.
~
I have lived in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
Texas and Arkansas.
~
~ Update ~
October 18, 2000

It has been 2 years and 2 months since I posted this page.
I am now 60 and a lot has happened in my life since then,
some of it good and some of it not so good.

Things got so radical that I finally gave up on school for a while. However, I plan to return next semester when things settle down a mite. If that ever happens!

I divorced my husband in March of 2000 and went to stay with friends
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a few months. I enjoyed the visit
and the beautiful country. It is nice to have such wonderful friends
in ones life. On my return I stayed for a while with one of my sons and
his family. That was also an enjoyable time.
They were preparing to move to Washington, up near the Canadian
border and asked me to go with them.
I didn’t think I was ready for that so I planned to move to
Texas near my sister.
The kids are settled up there now and I may go visit one of these days soon.

In the mean time my ex-husband and I began to talk.
We decided to work on our problems "together" and give our
relationship another chance. I came back to Fayetteville and moved in with him as a roommate, paying my share of all the bills while I looked for my own place. Things have gone pretty well, the time we have had since I returned has been wonderful. Now, one of our grown grandsons has come to stay with us for a while. That is a real joy!
In September I went on the road with one of my truck-driving
sons. We spent 17 days on the road in a Semi-truck. It was a
terrific experience, a real adventure and I will never forget
the time he and I had together. I was able to see places and
things that I had never seen before. We went as far east as
Boston, Mass and as far west as Salt Lake City, Utah.

I’ve done a lot of thinking since March about my ex-husband
and our relationship, I realize that the threads of our lives
and love are so tightly enter-twined that it is very hard to
un-tangle them, thus we are bound together for eternity.

On October 2, 2000 we became great-grandparents again.
Our granddaughter gave birth to her second child.
A girl, 5 lbs 15 ozs, and her name is Dakota Laine.

On Friday, October 13, 2000, as my ex-husband was on his way
to work he had an accident. He has a cracked hip and nose,
and many bruises but he is alive. For that I am very thankful!
He was only in the hospital for a couple days. We brought him home on the 14th. Several of the kids were here to help and I feel he is getting much better care here at home than he got in the hospital. I am taking care of him with the help of our grandson, and it is a labor of Love!

All that has happened in the past 7 months has made me realize more than ever that we aren’t promised a tomorrow, that today is a gift that we should use wisely and with great love.

My Ex-husband hasn’t asked me to re-marry him but if he ever does the answer will be "Yes".
Some people spend their whole life looking for that special someone and never find them or try to change them when they do. I love my man just the way he is, always have and always will! I have made some very good friends in my life and I have a wonderful family! I have had the opportunity to spend some real quality time with some of my grown children, grandchildren and my sister!

I have truly been Blessed!