Everyone that knows me, knows that I laughingly state that if Jim had been first, he would have been an only child. Of course I am kidding because each of my children are very precious to me and I love them all very much. Jim almost beat me to the hospital and has been on the run ever since. He has such a zest for life. He wants to know what makes things click and how they work. He is very talented musically and artistically. He and his son Avery live in Florida near me. They check on me frequently and help me all they can. Jim is co-owner of a Marine Stainless Welding Business "All American Welding" in Sarasota and works hard. He has a passion for motorcycles, particularly "Harleys". I bought the boys their first motorcycle (a Benelli) when they were around 6 and 8 and he fell in love immediately. I am proud to call him my son!

My youngest daughter, Nancy

Nancy was probably one of the most loved babies of all, not only did she have a doting mother and father, she had three siblings that adored her. Jim was 11, Bill 12 and Shirley 16 when she was born. So she had an endless team of admireres. One of my favorite Baby Nancy stories and she has heard this so many times, she is embarassed. The day I brought Nancy home from the hospital there were about 6 adolescent boys there. They just were in awe. They passed her from boy to boy. One of the boys held her and just beamed. He stroked her little hand and just said "Oh she is as soft as a muskrats paw"!!! We all laughed so hard, but it was in the middle of "trapping" season in Ohio and that was probably one of the nicest compliments she ever had.

Nancy has kept us all young. She is so full of life and loves the world. She is currently serving her country in the US NAVY and we are all so proud of her. She currently is unmarried, but she has a best fellow, a fellow Navy officer and I believe they will get married when their tour of duty is done. Tony is a career guy, but I doubt if Nancy will stay in longer than her 6 years.

She is so much like her brothers and sisters, so full of love, caring and giving, it makes me proud to me her mom!

Well as you can see I am so proud of my children and love them all so very much. On the next page of my world, I will show you candid pictures or all of us and of course here I will include my grandchildren. They are as fabulous as my children!!!

And not to be left out, our darling dog!!! Liz

Liz came to live with us New Years eve "1997" when she was four months old. She is a darling little pure bred "Maltese", however she is more of a "mutt" when you see her. She does not like to be clean or groomed. When she gets a bath, one of the first things she will do is go outside and roll in the dirt. Since it is so warm in Florida most of the time, we usually keep her hair short. So she has an identiy crisis. Ha Ha... Liz is probably one of the most "spoiled" dogs in the world. First of all, she has no idea she is a dog! She thinks she is a people. Bill and I dearly love her and she is our "baby". She goes everywhere we go and we very seldom leave her alone. When we do we feel so guilty that we rush right home and shower her with treats and love. She has been my constant companion. The first "relapse" I had with my Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, the first January Liz lived with us, Liz was the only thing that kept me going. She laid by my side for hours and just showered me with love and attention. I would just pet her by the hours. I will tell you, Pet Therapy does work! She still does that. She is like my shadow. Where ever I go, Liz is right behind or beside me. She is so polite, though she makes sure that I have the right of way. She is also a diplomat, Bill feeds her, so she makes sure she spends equal time giving him some love and attention too. We joke and said that we could never get a divorce, because we could never settle on who would get custody of Liz. She belongs to both of us and together we are the world's happiest family.

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