I am 61 years old, born on Christmas Day, hence the name "Noëlle". I started college as an art major, but finished as an English major, and have been a voracious reader all my life, starting with "Heidi" and "The Bobbsey Twins" and all the other children's classics. After my sons were born, I went back to school to obtain my degree in nursing, and recently retired as a Home Health nurse, which has been my favorite job in nursing, for the past 20 years.

In addition to reading, my other major interests are cooking, especially various international cuisines, knitting, and working with art glass such as stained glass and making glass beads, and sculpture in clay of the human face and figure. Last year I designed and constructed a large stained glass window for a church in my area.

I am married to my second husband for nearly 26 years, and between us, we have 3 adult sons, and 2 grandsons. My favorite place to visit is France, where they truly understand my passion for well-prepared food and don't think I'm a wacko for quizzing the waiter or chef before ordering an item. I also love to try new and unusual food items, and have a fondness for Chinese style sliced pig's ears, pig knuckles, tripe, and beef tendon in Vietnamese Pho, one of my favorite foods. My husband does not share my tastes in offbeat food.

We are in the process of selling our house in Maryland so we can build our retirement home in Corrales, NM. We plan to move there within a year.