INFO ABOUT ME AND SOME BRAGGING (WHICH IS EVERY MOTHER'S RIGHT TO DO!)
ABOUT MY WONDERFUL FAMILY!
I turn 42 this year in January 2006 and I feel and look better than I ever have! 
My WONDERFUL hubby Doug and I started dating in 1980. After we got married, we started our family with the birth of our beautiful daughter Desiree in 1982. 
Our adorable son Marcus came along in 1984. We had a terrible loss of our sweet tiny newborn baby girl Ashleigh in 1986. 
In 1988 we were blessed with our 4th child, a precious son James. OK, here comes my "bragging rights" info about our kids! God blessed us with 4 wonderful and precious children!
Desiree is now 23 She works in an office doing accounts payables for a large company. She is a very hard working and confident young lady who knows what she want out of life. 
She has a heart of gold and a wonderful personality! 
She is and always will be her daddy's lil' adorable girl, no matter how old she gets and she is her moms "best friend"! She is always there for us when we need her. She is a special lady who is our angel on earth! She got engaged on Christmas Eve 2004 to Christian Buss, A guy she met at her old job. We really like 
him and we are so happy for them! The tropical themed wedding was on August 13th, 2005 and it was fun and beautiful! Now they are expecting our first grandchild in September 2006. We are all soooo excited! 
Marcus turned 21 in December 2005. He works full time and has a sweet girlfriend Krissy. He moved out and into his own apartment fall of 2005 and he loves it. He is a very warm-hearted & caring young man who loves to give hugs! 
He is so friendly and loving that you can't help but to adore him when you meet him! He has a great smile and a big heart that he shares with everyone! Marcus is his dad's "best buddy for life!" and his moms "shining star"! James graduated high school this May 2006 and he will be heading off to college soon and mommy will be very sad!! He turned 18 in January 2006 and he has a sweet girlfriend Mallory who is also going to attend the same colleg as James (surprise surprise!!). He has played several sports growing up including being a member of a select soccer team, and he played varsity basketball, baseball, and football in the high school. He is a very athletic young man. He is a very caring young man who loves to make people laugh. James is a "Mommy's boy" who is proud to tell you that and he is his dad's "biggest sports buddy" He has a big heart, wonderful charm and great character! Our 3 childeren have and still do make us very proud and we thank God every day for blessing us with each of them!!!
Our precious baby daughter Ashleigh would have turned 20 this year in April 2006. 
We love and miss her dearly! We thank God for giving her to us to cherish if only for a short time! We will always love her and have her in our hearts forever!
Children grow up way to fast, so enjoy and cherish every little thing about your kids as they grow and mature into loving adults! 
I know, I know...we moms (& dad's) love to brag about our kids and I could go on and on about them but I won't.
I also have great and special parents, Darrell and LeeAnna, whom I love and adore with all my heart! They are wonderful and special! We have a Jack Russell named Skippy that Marcus rescued from the animal shelter. 
Skippy is a sweetheart and we love the little guy.
Doug is a detective in our hometown police department. He is a wonderful husband and a GREAT father!! I work full time as a receptionist. 
I enjoy scrapbooking; decorating our home; taking pictures, specially of family; walking; vacations in Florida; and watching & attending all our kids' sporting events and activities over the years!
It was hard for me to put some of my "before" pics in this site but I worked very hard and I'm very proud of myself and my accomplishment that it makes it easier to share them in hopes that looking at them and seeing the "after" pics will encourage others! I owe a lot of my success to my wonderful, loving and supportive hubby Doug who has loved me no matter what my size is! He is my BEST friend! He is my best support and biggest fan. Also, my beautiful and supportive kids who have been right by my side keeping me going and always telling me how proud they are of me! 
I thank GOD every day for blessing me with a GREAT hubby and the BEST kids on earth! My parents are the BEST! They have always shown me unconditional love throughout my life and I'm very proud to say I'm their daughter! I also have great friends and other special family members who have been a source of support, encouragement and love! Now that I'm at a healthy weight I enjoy getting up every morning and looking in the mirror, but I want people to know that I'm still the same nice, caring, loving person inside! 
Below: Doug & me ( I've lost 115 pounds here) with our 3 great kids Desiree, Marcus (right) and James (bottom left) in 2003.
Below: Doug and me with our precious kids Desiree, James and Marcus. November 2004
Marcus, Doug, Mom-To-Be Desiree, Me and James taken on July 8th, 2006
