I have a BA in English and a BS in Education from Duquesne University. I've been writing since I was 5 years old when my dad's typewriter was my favorite toy. I still remember the very first story I wrote - about a bee and a butterfly who fell in love. After I graduated from Duquesne and was unable to find a teaching position in a very local, oversaturated market, I had to decide what to do next. I was young and unwilling to leave home so I decided to do the logical thing - I went to nursing school. Nursing wasn't a choice I made out of passion for the work - it was a practical decision. And through that practical decision, I ended up opening the doors to countless eye opening experiences that have truly changed me as a person. I have always worked in pediatrics and have seen all levels of acuity - intensive care through transitional facilities to home care. Throughout college and nursing school, I edited and proofread papers regularly. (I once wrote a master's level nursing paper for a coworker while I was still a student - she got an A.) I wrote a fairly popular blog in the early 2000s but gave it up when I grew up enough to settle down and became too boring to have exciting stories to tell. Nursing provides a unique writing opportunity. Clear charting is essential because everything has to be accurately and succinctly documented. I've also written lengthy and detailed discharge instructions and many educational leaflets and brochures for staff and patient caregivers. Writing has always been my passion and it was something I intended to come back to. I'm hoping that this forum gives me the opportunity. On a personal level, I'm married to a man who immigrated to the US from England to be with me. We have a ridiculous love story that started on Twitter with Ayn Rand. I have two little boys, one that is what we call "spirited" and the other the most laid back, calm little man I've ever seen.