My name is Heather Craven and Caloden is where I park much of my personal baggage. I started the site, with more than a little help, in the fall of 2005. Up until that point I knew little of bloggers and mostly used my computer to play in Photoshop or harvest the random song. But once I started I was hooked. I like to think that by vomiting out all of my personal crap on the Internet that I am a far healthier person than I was nearly 2 years ago.

Currently I am 37 and a single mother of three kids who kick my ass everyday. I am poorly suited for motherhood and my children will likely need to spend the bulk of their meager inheritances on therapy to mend their childhoods. But despite that fact, I love them dearly.

My son Loren is 14 and figures he will either be a professional skateboarder or snowboarder when he grows up. I continually push him to pick up a book and actually read, but he would rather go outside and play.

Cassidy Jane, now 10 years-old, is the butt kicker of the bunch. She is sassy, beautiful, smart and flat out scary. I have no idea how I will even function once she hits her teens. I wonder if there are any more working convents that will take her when the time comes.

Devon, just 3 years-old, is the benevolent tyrant of the group. Everything in the world is his and his alone. Devon was born with a heart defect that was fortunately detected early enough to allow him to live a normal healthy life. Sometimes when I am just trying to breathe through the days with him I remember this fact and allow myself to be grateful for his presence.

I love them all to pieces. They are all amazing and the centers of my universe.

In June of 2006 my seemingly healthy father died suddenly of massive heart failure. He was riding his bike in the beauty of the afternoon Rocky Mountain sunshine when he collapsed and never regained consciousness. He was in amazing shape for 65 and I am still shattered by his absence. After his death I left my partner and ex-husband, Matt, and moved in with my mother. She and I have always had a rocky relationship and we both find navigating the mother-daughter waters to be a tricky chore; sometimes it works and other times it is a struggle. I am not sure if/when my kids and I will move out of The Manor, what we call my childhood home, so we make the best out of it.

Aside from being a mother I am also a real person. If lived near the beach I would likely enjoy long walks in the sand and pina coladas. But I don't. I live in the Colorado mountains where the summers are glorious and the winters are far too long. I dream of a time when I will live someplace warm and my family will have no need for socks. We will live harmoniously and never need to be anywhere at a designated time. Until then, I will blog away my worries and thoughts. And if you feel so inclined to read them, leave me a note. It is always nice to hear who is out there.

P.S. I am not a good typist. I failed typing in high school and have been paying for it ever since. Moveable Type has no spellcheck program, so bear with me. I'm trying.