I am 40 and single. I was born in Houston, moving overseas very quickly thereafter for a brief stay in Norway, then on to Yorkshire, London and the Netherlands. My father was in offshore drilling. We moved back to Pennsylvania when my father died in '76. I have two older brothers, 13 and 16 years older than me! So I really am the baby in this family.

I attended Carnegie-Mellon University for Psychology then Pitt for my graduate degree. In between HS and college I became a competitive ice dancer. I loved it, but the politics were so widespread and insidious. Add to that the fact that such a very small percentage of people actually "make" it in sports, and I decided to go back to school.

I turned professional and began teaching ice dance, which I did until I became too busy in my "other" career. Right out of school I worked as a polysomnographer in a sleep lab for several years, then with mentally retarded adults, before settling on my current career, grief counseling.

My first cruise was on the Rotterdam when I was a (as my mother tells the story) screaming baby 30 some years ago. My second was on the France (which became the Norway) in the 70's.

In the 80's and 90's I cruised quite a few times on NCL, Costa, RCCL and Disney. In 1998, as my "finally un-hitched" present to myself, I splurged and sailed on the PG...well, as the story so often goes, I was hooked.

I started planning for another PG trip not long after that, but wanted to find a new travel agent...I did a search on the internet, and found the one, the only, the wonderful Ngaire. Little did I know at the time how incredibly lucky I was.

Funny/ironic story - I was already hooked on cc, and thought Ngaire would also enjoy it, so I e-mailed her a link. She had trouble opening it at first and said that she appreciated it, but really didn't have time for that stuff. HA!

I have been on the PG twice, the Navigator twice, the Voyager once and the Diamond. Making the rounds, I will be on the Mariner for MINT.

I currently live in McMurray, PA (about 25 minutes south of Pittsburgh). I have two beautiful Ragdoll cats and a 2 year old Husky named Niko. For anyone who hasn't cruised with me yet, be prepared to see his portfolio when you do!! I have no kids, so my pets are my "kids."

I am so fortunate to have met many of the wonderful people on this board, and I can't wait to meet the rest of you!