I stayed in a loveless marriage for the sake of my children for over 22 years. It wasn't until they actually begged me to leave him that I actually considered it might not be the best thing for them if I stayed. Still I stayed until one night he came home drunk and beat me up. At 2:30 in the morning, I stood in the lobby of a local hotel after having the cops come to my house and take a statement from me and it finally got through my thick skull that I didn't want to be who i was anymore...,or rather I wanted to find out who I was. So I filed for divorce and moved to Florida. I spent a couple of years "finding" me...that woman who had been lost in trying to be someone she wasn't to make the marriage work. Once I figured out who I was and what I wanted, I began dating and eventually met the man I am married to. He is more than the love of my life. He is my best friend and partner and I am happier now than I have ever been in my life...which is a very long time!

I'm very easy to get to know and I'm always willing to help someone in need. I'm basically a very happy person now, although I do find myself sometimes waiting for the other shoe to drop because I am still not used to being happy!

Tom and I have 7 kids altogether but only two live with us--one boy who is his and one girl who is mine. We have one 25 yr old boy, one 21 yr old boy, two 17 yr old girls, one 16 yr old boy, one 12 yr old girl and one 11 yr old girl. No...we will NOT be having another one! Contrary to Hollywood's idea of a good sitcom, 7 is MORE than enough!