Hi Myrna, Well, it does sound like you still have work to do here on this earth! You're right. There is always someone in a situation less desireable than your own. Sounds like turned out pretty good!

Dear Linda, CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING YOUR HOUSE!!!

Dear Linda, Okay, now that I got that out of the way, I was born in Howell, Michigan, but was raised in Wolverine. For those of you not from Michigan, if you hold your left hand palm-out in front of you, Wolverine is approximately at the first knuckle down from the top of your middle finger. :-) I stayed in Northern Michigan, except for a brief stint in Columbus, Ohio, until 5 years ago. I am NOT a fan of the cold and snow, probably because it really gets to me with my fibromyalgia. And I was sick of sitting around with my friends, talking about moving to warmer climes, but never doing anything about it. So, I headed for Branson, Missouri. I wanted to pursue my singing/writing career without being eaten by "sharks" in Nashville. Branson looked like a great place to visit, so I kept traveling south. The further I came into Arkansas, the more I felt at home. Somehow, I ended up in Russellville, where I met my husband. We moved about 20 miles south of Russellville 3 years ago. Since I moved here, I have found out that all of my grandparents on both sides of my family were born in Arkansas. And my 2 maternal great-grandmothers were apparently Cherokee, although they would never tell what tribes they were from. So, I am home. And, I have now been able to see all but 13 States--my husband is a truck driver, and he taught me how to drive and took me with him the first 9 months we were together. I am 5 feet tall, so it was a real thrill to actually be behind the wheel of a Peterbilt and be able to drive it well! I loved it. But, I love my bathroom more, lol. Sincerely,

Hey there, Big shout out from Melbourne, Australia, originally from New Zealand. Both place's are beautiful but NZ is spider friendly and snake free(LOL) and Australia gets the better of the sun. But there's nothing like home. Stormie

Hi Linda, Nice to read about our friends here in Adland and where they come from. Seems there are more than a few "canuck's" here eh?, and I see I'm not the only Edmontonian ;-) I presently work at the University of Alberta, besides the online marketing I do part time. I'm happily married to a wonderful woman, Patricia. We have two little girls (4 & 2) together, I have two girls from a previous marriage (10 and 8 ), and Pat has two out east from her previous (21 and 19). What a houseful we would have if all were together (and would look to others like the Partridge Family..lol) Pat's from Antigonish N.S. I'm a prairie boy from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and moved to Edmonton in 1981. Now for most people when they travel the prairies, they only see flat almost featureless terrain, but truly there's more to it than meets the eye. Getting off the highway and out of the car on natural prairie opens a new world to your senses. The wind, almost always a constant, the unobstructed sun and vast skyline, the whirr and buzz of life becomes apparent, and if you're observant you begin to see it all around you. I feel fortunate actually, having learned to appreciate and find the beauty in such a seemingly bleak landscape, when I go to somewhere like the Rockies or the Grand Canyon can you imagine the effect on my senses? It does get mighty cold up here during the winter, but we do get all 4 seasons. You learn to adapt. There's nothing more welcome to us northerners than the rebirth in spring where the world comes alive after the long winter sleep. We happily shed the heavy clothing and put away our car window scrapers and snow shovels for another year. My favorite season is fall and it's bounty. I love the summers, but the fall is my time where I get to wash out the berry pickin pails, and get my preserving gear out to capture another harvest of natures pure goodness. It's a great place to live, and although I enjoy visiting warmer clime's, I will always come back to the place I now call home. Thanks for this opportunity to share :-)