A Reason to Dream

Stepping out of her safety zone, Carolee went to college at age thirty-six to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing, graduating magna cum laude. Mentored by a college professor and his wife, she set her sights to obtain her degree in four years while she raised her five children. Her mentors’ favorite distraction during that period sounded something like this, ＂keep your eyes on the end of the tunnel.＂ The light slowly got brighter as Carolee approached graduation and she grew in understanding and self-worth. Her nursing career awarded her many opportunities to broaden her horizons as she worked on a surgical floor, lectured for the hospital’s Wellness Program, became a Director of Nursing, Director of In-service and an Infection Control Practitioner. However, the inherited entrepreneurial blood ran deep in her heart and she left nursing and opened Carolee Realty Group to continue to serve the needs of others. After nine years of success, her husband was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). Unable to meet the demands of her career and be a full-time caregiver, she closed her brokerage and began to paint her watercolor illustrations and handcrafted her works. After her husband passed, she decided to travel at age sixty- eight. She purchased a thirty-two foot motor home and towed her car thirty-five thousand miles cross-country to promote her work, alone. Her grown children gasped, ＂You’re going to do what?＂ The voyage turned into the comedy of a lifetime, meeting only one turkey and thousands of eagles. Other interests other than writing, are family happenings, singing (when no one is listening), playing the piano, traveling, reading, computer games, and walking. Her strength of character and her belief in God are evident throughout all of her manuscripts. Thank you for your interest in my work.