Marcia Dare

What, you ask, has Marcia Dare been up to these last 40 years? Well, here's a not-so-brief synopsis:

She foolishly got married at 18 (big, big, BIG mistake), wisely got divorced at 21, and then finally went to college while living with her sister who was teaching at WSU. After completing her student teaching assignment in Richland, she high-tailed it to Seattle to hook up with a friend who had promised to travel to Europe on $10 a day with her. Alas, the fickle friend had found a job instead. Too cowardly to travel alone, Marcia decided to look for a job, too. Rather than seeking a teaching position in November, she landed a totally fun secretarial job at KOMO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Seattle. In 11 years, she worked her way from Sales Secretary to Regional Sales Manager before a corporate re-shuffle eliminated that position, and she found herself unemployed. (Yikes! Don't you just hate corporate politics?)

Marcia & Larry

Lauren Camille Asher

Anyway, she and her swell beau Larry decided to marry in 1983. In l987 (on Valentine's Day, no less), she gave birth to their one and only child, a lovely daughter named Lauren Camille Asher, now 17 and entering her senior year of high school.

Marcia has been fortunate to be able to be a stay-at-home mom during Lauren's formative years, while subbing in the school district on occasion. The title she most cherishes (besides "Mom," of course) is "Committed Volunteer." She is currently the Concessions Queen of MIHS, where the volleyball games are known for their gourmet fare. She is also the co-director of a private volleyball club that fields five junior teams. Every spring she hosts the Annual First Hill Easter Egg Hunt that attracts around 250 kids and parents eager to get at the 5,000 pieces of candy and 200 prize eggs. During Summer Celebration on Mercer Island, she helps put on a Junior Art Show which showcases the art of kids from K-12.

2004 has brought her a new role to play-that of caretaker to an elderly parent. Her 89-year-old mom is currently recovering from two traumatic falls, two hospitalizations, two surgeries, and two nursing home stints. Marcia is trying to move her from San Diego to Seattle, but the process is slow because the healing is slow.

While many of her classmates are doting grandparents looking forward to retirement, Marcia now needs to find a job because sending a kid to college is too darned expensive these days!

She is really looking forward to catching up with her classmates' lives and eagerly welcomes any advice on handling teenaged girls, chronologically-challenged parental units, and surviving the empty-nest syndrome.