Louise Mingua

This is Lou. I am a 57 y/o female, married, with 4 grown children. I grew up in Vermont, which deeply instilled in me a love of nature, and a diverse sense of creativity. From there, I lived a couple of years in Florida, 23+ years in the San Francisco/Bay Area of Califo ia, and now 16 years so far in Arizona.

I left Vermont at 18, totally unprepared for the big world. I had few, if any, job skills, and even fewer life skills, having been raised in a very sheltered environment. But I was determined. That determination got me through over 35 years of hardship and struggle. I never attended college. Yet I worked for some very large companies, and at times managed to eke out a somewhat decent life.

Through the struggles, I always found some way to spend time in nature, and to try to be creative. Unfortunately, in the early years, these past-times often fell by the wayside. My husband now, the sweetest aspect of my life, supports me in my creative endeavors.

Four years ago, I set foot on the exciting journey of setting up my own website, which was followed by a few blogs - both media of which I must spend more time with. I found out I love writing! I'm a member of Helium.com and have a blog on blogspot.com. In the back of my mind, I touched upon the thought of starting my own business. I just didn't know how or with what.

Late last year, I found myself becoming quite ill- terribly fatigued, lost weight, nausea. After varied tests and 3 stays in the hospital, it was determined that I was suffering from a somewhat rare auto-immune disease that is/was attacking my kidneys. Now I'm taking some pretty strong medications - for if I don't, they tell me the disease will kill me. That was a no-brainer, though I detest medications.

Funny how such an event puts things into perspective. I knew that there was much more to life. I wanted to live it fuller. Some years ago, I found jewelry design fascinating, but pretty much dismissed it as something of a dream. Well, now I'm attempting to make that dream a reality. So far, I'm doing this on a shoestring, and with my wonderful husband's support. It is a passion! I'm fiercely independent on this.

My children: 3 girls (one by marriage), and one boy. One daughter remains in Califo ia, a daughter is in the Navy in Norfolk, VA, my son and daughter by marriage live in the Phoenix, AZ area near my husband and I. I have 4 grandchildren, and now that my Navy daughter has just married, that number might increase!

My other interests? Photography, crochet, ballroom dancing, and motorbiking!