In 1987 my husband, Declan summed it up nicely when he informed his friends that he wasn’t marrying into a family, but rather a small country.  Counting me there are 73 people in my immediate family including my husband and 4 children, 8 siblings, 22 nieces & nephews, and 13 GREAT nieces & nephews.

My contribution surpasses some and pales in comparison to others.  I have three birth sons, Nick 31, James 28, and David 25.  Natural channels didn’t bless me with a daughter so in 1999 Declan and I began adoption proceedings.  Nearly two years, and countless miles of paperwork later we traveled to China and adopted our daughter Grace in 2001.  Grace was the 3rd of 4 adopted children in our family and the 2nd from China.  What was so amazing about that experience was that Grace, who was 19 months old at the time and quite capable of making choices, chose to like and trust us almost immediately.  I think Cheerios and assorted toddler cookies played a role in her acceptance, but maybe it was the fact that she had our undivided attention, and our hearts, from the moment we met.  

Declan and I met while working at The Weather Channel.  An engineer introduced us after it was discovered that Declan was responsible for ruining my on-air shows.  The engineer said, “There’s your problem”, and he’s been my problem ever since.  Not to sound corny, but we were made for each other.  We’re both Irish, born on the same day, put family first, and love the science of weather.