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42 Years Ago Today....

By Melissa Markham on July 31, 2008 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

In an army hospital at Fort Gordon, Georgia, at 9:17 pm, I came kicking and screaming into the world.

For the next year and a half, my parents lived in Georgia, then Texas, before moving to Lynchburg, VA when my Dad finished his time in the Army. I have been in the Lynchburg, Va area pretty much ever since. We lived in a trailer, and then a house in Forest, VA until I was 9. The trailer is now gone with a huge subdivision in the fields behind where it used to sit. The little brick house still stands. Then we moved to a ranch style home in Lynchburg, but still on the Forest side of town and in Bedford County (though we had a Lynchburg address). We lived there for until I was 15, when we moved about a mile across the road to a home that we had built. When I was 18, I went to the College of William and Mary and spent my summers at home, except for the summer between my junior and senior year when I lived in Williamsburg with a college friend.

I was married 6 days after graduation.We were college sweethearts, but the marriage only lasted a little over a year. Then I returned home to Mom and Dad's. A year later, I met Daniel and moved in with him in a trailer in Moneta. A year after that his kids came to live with us and we moved to a bigger trailer in Body Camp (both of these places still in Bedford County. A year later, we purchased 5 acres of land for 100.00 down and monthly payments in Huddleston (southeastern Bedford County). A year later (after we had chopped down a kazillion trees), we moved into our current home and come this October we will have lived here for 15 years.

Some facts about me:

1. My mom planned ahead. In case I ended up being twins, one of us was to be named Melissa Dawn and the other Angela Dusk. I often thought that I used a pseudonym as a writer, it would be Angela Dusk.

2. My mom's father died on her 20th birthday, 6 weeks before I was born.

3. I always thought it was neat being a Georgia Peach...made me stand out from the rest of my classmates!

4. Melissa means Honey Bee in Greek.

5. I have been writing since I was in 5th grade in one shape or another. I have had many things published over the years.

6. I love being outside (as long as the temperature is comfortable). I love the mountains and I love the beach. I love snow. I love sitting out on a proch as a storm begins to whip up....trees swaying, wind blowing, darkening skies and thunder booms in the distance.

7. Before kids and rising gas prices, one of my favorite ways to unwind was to jump into my 1976 Monte Carlo, roll down the windows, crank up the tunes and just drive.

8. I enjoy doing things with my hands...crochet, embroidery, needlepoint...

9. The gifts I love the most are the ones that show thought and/or are homemade. Some of the most favorite gifs I have received are tennis balls from my stepsons, the complete Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman series on DVD from my husband, a ring from my daughter and a candle from my son.

10. I love to watch movies, read books, play on my Nintendo DS and blog.

11. Before my knee started giving me such fits, I enjoyed hiking and geocaching and swimming and playing tennis.

12. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, my stepsister, Denise, and I share today as a birthday! Dean Cain (superman) and I share the same birthday and birth year! Happy Birthday Dean!!

Today has gotten off to a lovely start. At 7:30, DH called and sang Happy Birthday to me. Moments later, Jack and his friend, Brandon, appeared with breakfast in hand (toast, waffles and a banana). Then Katrina and her friend, Kaylie, put on a puppet show for me and sang Happy Birthday. Jack and Brandon headed across the street and Jack sang Happy Birthday to me over the walkie talkie he had left behind. At 8, my mother called and sang Happy Birthday to me and we chatted for awhile. Kaylie and Katrina hung streamers and balloons in the living room and kitchen for me. At about 9:30, my oldest stepson, Bruce, called to wish me Happy Birthday. I opened cards I had received in the mail from my mom and stepdad, my in-laws, one of my aunts, a neighbor, and a friend from England. Then my mother-in-law called and told me Happy Birthday and chatted for awhile.

And it isn't even 11:00 yet! Daniel is supposed to be getting home this evening about 6 pm.

Now for a few pictures...