I grew up in a blended family. When my parents married in 1945, my dad had three daughters from a previous marriage, two of which were still a part of his life. My mom had also been married before and had a son. Their intention was to not increase the size of their family, but God had other plans, and I came along in February 1946. Surprise! After several miscarriages, a younger brother burst onto the scene, and I do mean burst!
Hometown for our family was and still is Nashville, TN, although both parents are gone and I have moved to Portland, OR. My two brothers and their families, for the most part, still live there.
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| Older son and his wife |
I married my present husband in 1981 in Hermitage, TN, at the Hermitage United Methodist Church where we met in the church choir. My husband, Bob, had two children, a girl age 7 and a son age 6. I had a son age 10. Blending isn't easy for anyone but in that time and place, little was said about counseling a family that was combining its forces, and the forces were left to their own devices. We know better now, and are thankful that our children are each grown and
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| Daughter and her son |
successfully settled into their lives and work choices. We have been blessed with three grandsons, a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter and a great-grandson.
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| Younger son with his son |
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| Younger son and his wife |
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| Grandson and His Fiance |
Bob and I attend Moreland Presbyterian Church on the east side of Portland. Bob is active in the music program singing in the choir and playing in a brass group. Bob's love of music has taken him into three community groups, two bands and an orchestra; and in order to catch up and keep pace, I have expanded my musical knowledge from the piano to the recent effort to learn to play flute. In addition to my volunteering at church, I am a mentor mom for our church's chartered chapter of Mothers of Preschoolers ("MOPS"). This will be my third year to lead the mentor mom team and my fourth year to mentor. It is a great joy in my life, and I'm convinced it is God's calling for my life in ministry.
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| Great-granddaughter Christmas 2011 |
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| Granddaughter and her family Christmas 2009 |
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| Meeting great-grandson Christmas 2011 |
We are retired now, but own and operate a small business from our home, Noteworthy Music Stands, which designs, manufactures and sells high quality, decorative music stands. A recent article reflects our pride and joy of our designs and sales; the article appeared in The Clackamas Review.
