Due to some comments and e-mails I have received, I have decided that I need to elaborate a bit on the photo of me at the side. Everyone has been universally complementary of it and if I do say so myself, it is a rather nice picture, however while it is a photo of me -- it is not a photo of the whole me.

You see, that photo was taken when I was a seventeen year old freshman in college. By my calculations, I only have one more year until that was taken seventeen years ago. The girl in that photo is just that -- a girl.

Since that photo was taken, I've met a nice boy and finished college. I finished two graduate degrees. I got married and have lived in several different states from Arizona to Alaska. I've also had five babies and have either been pregnant or nursing a baby (or both) since 1999. I've also gained, ahem, a bit of weight since my college weight of barely 100 lbs.

So that photo is me, but it is only a part of the history of me. I wouldn't really want to be just that seventeen year old college girl again (though I wouldn't mind weighing what she weighed). I'm glad I've grown up since then and become the woman I am now. Thank you all for the kind words about the photo, but some time soon I'll probably show you something a little more recent.