To me, life has always been about finding ways to give back. If there is anything that I can do, with this special life I have to help out others, I am there to do it. Donating my time, money or whatever is asked is a great joy to me. To have Carlisle in agreement with me on this point makes it even more of a blessing. We often look for ways and places that need a helping hand. In our time we have donated books and supplies to many schools around the globe, helped to set up water…

Around the world many families have just celebrated Easter and like so many other special occasions, families reunite and spend much needed time together. At least that is what we aim to do, but as hard as we try... Sometimes things do not always work out.

We are an example of one such family this year... After decades of celebrating holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and the like, this year we couldn't have been further apart. Well physically speaking that is... With Tanya away…

It's easy to forget how little my sweet Corin has seen of the world.  Her father never let her out to see the world.  And once she was changed, he kept her prisoner.  Part of that may have been due to her having such an addictive gift.  One that use to cause me to limit the time I spent near her.  Over the years with practice she has been able to control it more and more.  She has learned such control with her gift that she can now share with me how she is feeling.  It's quite extraordinary,…

This is a picture of me and my friends Jade Conkle, and Nicole Nicolet we were all just recently in a play at our High School called Seussical the Musical it is a play based on the stories of different books and characters by Dr. Seuss.  We played The Wickersham Brothers. I am the one in the light blue singlet and dark blue hat. …

Trudging along the road from Innishannon to Cork, It seemed a much longer road then what it is now, all those long years ago.  I had overheard a conversation in Innishannon that there maybe work and now that the grandparents had passed away, there was nothing keeping me in the village.  Trying to keep momentum and the horrible thoughts of dying alongside the road at bay.   My only chance at survival was to make it to Cork or maybe Cobh.  Maybe work in a workhouse and either leave…

By Margaret Laura O’Shea

Life was not easy for the Irish during the 1840’s, mine was no different.

My father was a shop keeper in a small town.  My mother kept the books for him.  We the children took pride in helping him stock the shelves, sweep the floors, and other such things.

In 1845, the first wave of the great famine hit Ireland.  My father could see that it may be a good time to move out of the area or leave the country…

My mind continually keeps wandering back to the day in forks.  The day we all went to investigate the claim that the Cullen's had created an immortal child.  Unlike most of the missions I went on, Aro had brought almost everyone.  We knew Alice's gift would have alerted the Cullen's.     Aro did not worry about this, as we did not need to surprise them.  should they flee, I would be able to track them down regardless…

24 years ago today, I gave birth to Embry. Now, finding myself pregnant again, I find myself remembering the time I spent preparing for his arrival, and how it compares to what is going on now.

I was careful while carrying Embry, but still battled with gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, almost developing preeclampsia. My morning sickness wasn’t nearly as severe or as long as it has been this time, I just have to chalk that up to my age I guess.  I know 42 isn’t…

This is a picture of me at the Women in the Outdoors Archery day with none other than Miss Kansas 2013 Theresa Vail.  She was one of the nicest people I have ever met.  And boy can she shoot a bow.

Everything five months ago was great! I met an amazing person and we really hit it off becoming friends fast!I was myself around her and believe it or not I told her that I was scared to get close and open up due to the fact every time I did I'd lose that person. Rayanne kept saying she would NEVER walk away. I believed her.. I opened up told her EVERYTHING right down to the deepest darkest darkest moments and such I kept inside. Unfortunately on Friday March 7,…

Embry.

But I am sure you all guessed that.

When he was three, I made the first batch of red velvet heart shaped doughnuts for him.  We had “coffee” (1 part coffee to 5 parts hot chocolate for him) and doughnuts and watched Popeye cartoons.  The following year, he started to ask me about a week before Valentine’s Day if we were going to have red doughnuts and coffee again. It became our tradition to have those doughnuts every year for Valentine’s Day. So, this…

To many of us family means everything.   And my family is unlike any other.  I was an only child.  No siblings growing up but being on the Rez there were always other kids to hang with.   With the pack, it's like a big extended family.  I'm as close to my pack brothers as I would have been with blood siblings.  Emily and Rachel are the sisters I never had.  And Shay, Mak, and Sammy are the next generation of our family.  

Soon our family will grow again.  Its been a few…

My Dearest Love,

Another year has passed and it is time to celebrate your birthday again. This year, I have arranged for a quiet day for us, spent in this lovely cabin on a lake, well hidden from the rest of the world. There is no power here, no cell reception, nothing to distract me from showing you how very much I love you. We will spend your day getting to know one another again, talking, laughing, swimming, sharing and loving.

I hope this day is as memorable for you…

Super Bowl Sunday is a big day to me. I love football! I know, it seems out of character, that I would enjoy the game. I have to thank my son Emmett for introducing me to it, teaching me what it was all about, the combat between the teams. When they started to televise them, you would find me and Emmett in front of the TV glued to every game we could watch.

We got to attend our share of games as well, as long as they were at night or in bad weather. Our Super Bowl Sundays…

I had always wondered what it would have been like if Embry had been a girl instead of a boy. How it would have been to raise a daughter. Although they were older when Sarah died, after some time I got a taste of what it would be like with Rachel and Rebecca. I didn’t raise them, but I saw Sarah with them as they were growing up. In time, after she died, her girls would come to me occasionally to talk. Once I started to take care of Billy, Rachel and I grew closer, more of a friendship at…

I’d have to say the one thing most people may not know about Billy is he is an awesome guitarist. He doesn't bring it out in public often, I get to be the audience most of the time. And…when he sings, I swoon. As silly as that sounds, I do! He has this lovely low rumble in his voice that just makes me weak in the knees!

I remember years ago he would play more…

Everyone who knows me knows I'm a teacher by trade though I've held many a job lately.  Because the school systems are what they are, my field of study (Social Studies:  History, Government, Economics, etc.) is saturated and as a result, I've had to substitute teach if I want to teach.  I substitute for all sorts of classes and subjects and some of my favorites though I have no talent for it is Science and Math Classes.  I have taught all grades K-12 but usually I prefer the older ones. …

Okay so I don’t really live with them, but they are a very real part of our world. I have to admit when Embry came out to me and told me that all of the legends were real, I had the usual mental reaction to the idea of vampires. I freaked out, thinking of all of the horrible stories I had heard over the years. Then, Embry pointed out to me that Dr. Cullen was one. But he was part of a special type, they called them vegetarian. They did not live on human blood.

That was an…

Today has been a sad day for all of us, for today on January 22nd, 2014 we had to say good bye to our 9 year old Shetland Sheepdog Bonnie as we had to put her down because she lost her battle with cancer she will be gratefully miss and with that as I say good bye to my family member, my friend I share this quote I found: 



Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.…

Okay, maybe I don’t run with them, but ever since Embry came out about being wolf, I have been a pack Momma. It was a blessing to finally know what had my sweet boy acting the way he had. But there were unexpected things he was hiding from me that once I knew, became routine.  While the original worries went away, new ones came up.

The first and biggest thing was his appetite! My goodness, I don’t know who was feeding him when I wasn’t, but once I knew, my grocery bill…