Phone:

Melinda (31), Christina (29)

Biography: I left Petoskey in 1966 for the big city (Grand Rapids) and never returned. I attended Grand Valley State College (at that time) until marriage at the age of 20, followed shortly thereafter by the birth of two daughters. The girl's father died when they were 3 and 5 and I did not remarry until 1993.

I never did graduate from GV. However, when my children were teenagers I returned to school to get my A.D.N. at Grand Rapids Junior College (at that time).

After receiving my A.D.N. I continued on at the University of Michigan for my B.S.N. (off campus in Kalamazoo). I graduated from the U. of M. in 1990.

I am currently working at Spectrum Health, Blodgett Campus, weekend option program and expect to enter a Master's program in the fall of this year. Thinking of M.S.W., but who knows.

Sometimes I think I am a "Jill of all trades, mistress of none." For instance, I applied to Cooley Law School in Lansing and was accepted. However, since becoming single for a second time in 1996, I am thinking perhaps making contributions to my 403b (7), supporting my mortgage company, and remodeling my home may take precedence over an expensive education I may or may not utilize.

I swim at the Y, walk my dog Panda-Monium, Panda for short, (we won't go into how she earned that name), around the streets of my Blythefield Hills community and count my blessings. Tops on that list are my three grandchildren, Sarah, top candidate for the most gorgeous 10-year-old in Kent County, Brandon, the precocious 5-year-old computer genious (haven't figured out yet how he replaced my resume with the lovely green smiley face...didn't know he knew anything about MS Office) and Nicholas, the infant prestidigitator. Hey, he knows more about my TiVo remote than I do and can replace an episode of JAG with an episode of The Sopranos in 10 seconds flat.