Can I do it in 500 words or less? Of course not!

So today I am starting a 30 day blogging challenge, and since there will be many people checking out my blog for the first time I thought it would be fun to try to introduce myself to those newcomers, but maybe tell some of the regular readers something about me that they might not have known already(although I am already having a hard time trying to think of something I might not have shared before).

I was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the western coast of the small island off the east coast of Canada.   I grew up the beautiful Mabou Harbour, and below is the church in the small village where I lived until I was 18 years old.

My husband, Tim and I got married at the young age of 22, and had our first son, Mitchell when I was 24.  And then we had Nathanial at 26.  Shayleen joined the mix much later when we adopted her when we were 35.  Here we are on our wedding day, 18 years ago.

I loved writing from an early age, and I was one of those kids that always had “her nose stuck in a book”.  But even though teachers encouraged me, I never believed I was much of a writer, and still don’t many days.  But it was after I had Nathanial and I hadn’t written a word besides those that I scribbled in my journals that I had the urge or desire to pick up the pen and start telling stories again.  The way I approached it was that I started telling other people’s stories, and gave my opinion in a column in a small paper in Nova Scotia called The Reporter.  I am still grateful for the editor there who, even though I did not have a writing degree, or any experience, hired me to write for his paper.

And then six years ago, we moved to Fort McMurray, and I continued to tell other’s stories, as I worked as a full time reporter for the daily newspaper here.  Again, an editor named Mike, who has since passed away took me under his wing, and I fell in love even more with the written word.  And now I am also lucky enough to have been with the Cape Breton Post now for just about six years as well….telling the stories of my family and everything related to Fort McMurray for a paper on the East Coast, while living in the Northern community so far out west.  Here is my gang last Christmas.

About a year ago, I decided to start blogging a bit more, to explore another avenue of writing that I have come to love very much.  My blog is my personal canvas, and I have shared many of my stories here about my bone marrow transplant, the accident of my husband’s when he was hit by a drunk driver, and how we came to adopt our little girl.  During this month I would like to continue a series of blogs about how I am getting my house organized, and my supper blogs.  My supper blogs are blogs about people that I randomly have over to supper, as long as they agree to tell their story, whatever it may be.

So I hope you will return, I think we will have fun, as the Murphy household always seems to have something go on….and of course, I am over my 500 words.