Hello, my name is...

Michelle.

But, you can call me Shell. Yes, Shell. Not Shelly. Never once in my life have I ever been referred to as Shelly {no offense to any Shelly's out there!}.

I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister & a friend.

My husband and I have known each other since we were 13. We've been married since 2002. Together, we have two children, Malia & Aidan. We live in Southeastern Virginia and we frequent the beaches of coastal North Carolina any time we can.

We are proudly owned by three cats - Betsy, Keef & Ziggy - and a Boston Terrier named Frisco. We used to have 15 hermit crabs, but somehow I managed to kill them all.

As for me - because you'll hear more about the hubs & the kidlets throughout my blog {besides, this is about ME and not about THEM} - I'm in my 30s. It's kind of nice, actually. A new decade means a new start, right? I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from Mary Washington College {although it's now called the University of Mary Washington}. For those who don't know, the school is named after George Washington's mother. I never finished my Masters degree, but I suppose a Masters in Elementary Education will always be on the back burner considering I have no desire to teach anymore. But, who knows...maybe I will go back and finish it after all since I am no longer working full-time outside of the home. never say never!  I am returning to grad school in the fall of 2010.  I'm excited & nervous as hell about going back to school, but I believe that this is the path I'm supposed to be on.  I work part-time for a government contractor, but I honestly don't see myself in that line of work forever.  Sometimes, I beat myself up about not following my career path right from the start, but I also think that I am living proof that it's never too late to reevaluate your life, go back to school & accomplish your goals.

I started blogging in 2007 as a way to vent. It's been a fun outlet for me. I've met some great friends, learned about new things & pissed people off in the process. At first, I kept it secret from my husband, but he thinks it's great and I get pretty darn tickled when I hear him tell people about my little slice of the Internet.

What else do you need to know? Just ask. I ♥ email:

shell {at} stutteringshell {dot} com

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Oh, and WHY Stuttering Shell? I don't know. It's not a stab at stuttering, stutterers or anything like that at all...trust me. I'm not that much of a cold-hearted person. In all honesty, the word stuttering was the first 's' word that popped into my head to go along with Shell. Besides, have you ever seen a real live scallop?? It sorta "stutters" when it pops open & closed {again, trust me on this one}.