Sophie, third birthday, eating the cupcake GRAMMY (me) made for the party

Linda (Canfield) Merrill

All the Good Stuff! Info Form

So, whatcha been up to???

Family

Currently Married? No
Children's Names & Ages: David is 36—living in Colorado and he has given me Sophie, age 3, my only grandchild. Stephanie is 27 and getting married in October 2008.

Education

Colleges, majors, degrees, graduation dates:
    Went back to college at 32 (Riverside City College)
    and became a Registered Nurse. Graduated 1984.
Other educational pursuits:
What did you like the most about college?
     Feeling part of a group with the same goal
What did you like the least?
     Chemistry

Career/Work/Bringin' in the Moola

What's your job? Recovery Room RN
Other fields you've worked in? Critical Care RN for 21 years—open heart and kidney transplant team. To combat the Empty Nest Syndrome, I joined a Travel Nurse Co. in 1999 and traveled all over the U.S. for the next five years . . . to fall in love with Baltimore and the local areas of New York, Philly, and D.C.!! (P.S. The White House is MUCH smaller than it looks!)
How did you end up in your current field? I was in the nursing club in high school and went back to college to finish at age 32.

Hobbies/Passions/Obsessions/Etc., Etc., Etc.

Tell us a bit about the things you love to do!
I love my job and the people I work with . . . but at 57 my body doesn't want me to work the 12- to 16-hour shifts any more. After being a mother for 38 years, I am discovering who I really am and have time to get back to just thinking of myself and that is harder than it sounds. I love my church and being a Christian, helping others around me. Cooking for the fun of trying a new recipe is a favorite thing to do. I need to read every day or I feel my day's not complete. I'm looking forward to retirement which will allow time to spend with hopefully many grandchildren.

March 2008

Me last Christmas with the Love of my Life, Larry, just enjoying Life ... Day by Day

27 year old daughter, Stephanie, with Dan, her fiance. Wedding date Oct 25, 2008