Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Cate dreamed of becoming an accomplished writer, a sage advisor, and a witty raconteur, who would travel the world and one day marry a handsome prince, bear exquisitely beautiful and well-mannered children, and live in a well-appointed manse that was spotlessly kept by discreet yet loyal help and surrounded by manicured lawns and fragrant, weed-free gardens; and of course, she dreamed of living happily ever after.

Indeed, Cate grew up to enjoy such a charmed life, with the exceptions that the prince was, if not a pauper, then not actually rolling in royal riches; the children shouted rather a lot, wore mis-matched socks, and neglected to comb their hair; the manse had quite a mortgage and needed contstant repair; there was no money for 'help' and thus the dust bunnies multiplied at will; and many of the flowers growing in the gardens looked suspiciously like weeds. And while Cate accomplished the writing part of her dream and often gave advice, held the floor at parties, and made witty remarks, some people took her wit for sarcasm, many rolled their eyes at her advice, and more than a few wished they could get a few words in edgewise.

And she did not live happily ever after. "Real life" often interfered with Cate's "Charmed Life." Which was annoying. And so she decided to present an altered account of her life, with pretty pictures and droll comments, a "fictionalization," if you will, that glossed over the icky parts and put an extra gloss on the nice things. Of which, indeed, there were many.

This is her story.