I married the year after high school and soon had four children. Most of my time in those early years was spent raising those children. Working outside the home was limited to jobs here and there, but there was nothing that resembled a serious career. In the 80s I began college, divorced, and began working for the VA Medical Center in New Orleans – in that order. In 1986 I married for the second time. We worked, enjoyed travel and each other, and bought a home in Harvey, La. My husband became ill in 1994 and died in 1996.

After his death, I left the VA Medical Center and moved to Bossier City, La., to be near my daughter. While in Bossier, I worked several years as executive assistant to the vice-president and general manager of Louisiana Downs. I learned more about horse racing than I ever really wanted to know. I bought my dream house and really settled down in Bossier. I intended to retire there, but Harrah’s bought Louisiana Downs, and things changed rapidly. My two sons finally convinced me to move back home. As I still owned a house here, moving home was easy to do. I sold my house in Bossier and moved back to Harvey.

I have been home since November, 2003, and have enjoyed several years working as the purchasing agent for a company in Harahan. In recent years, I have become very involved in the Cenacle Retreat House in Metairie, and really feel a calling to work with retreats for women. Because of this – I have decided to begin semi-retirement in February, 2009, and eventually to retire altogether.

In the coming years, I look forward to working at the Cenacle, enjoying my children and grandchildren, spending time with my cross-stitching group, and of course, traveling more. There are Cenacle Retreat Houses all over the world, and I plan to visit most of them.