The Garden of Friendship was founded with a dream of creating an online group of people (men and women alike) who unite seeking friendship, providing love and support for one another, supplying informative resources and so much more.  On June 1, 2000, this dream became a reality.  Initially, there were three Co-founders in the Garden of Friendship.  Now, only one of the original Co-founders remain, along with nine other wonderful ladies.  The ladies are the Garden Keepers and are responsible for the overall management of The Garden of Friendship.  We hope to make GOF a better place for you!!!  Please feel free to send us any suggestions you may have for the Garden.

If at any time, you would like to contact us all, you can .  Any email sent to this address will be forwarded to each Garden Keeper.

FOUNDER

Hi, my name is Deelight and I have been on the Internet for about 10 years. During that time, I have met a lot of people along the way and developed some friendships that will last the rest of my lifetime. I have never been one to put on a face and pretend to be someone I am not. I am always honest and express myself openly. The friendships I have built have been formed from trust and love for one another. I can honestly say that some of my BEST friends are those I have met here online, women and men I will probably never meet in "real" life, yet we always know we are here for one another, in time of need or to share the highlights in our lives. For me, the Garden of Friendship will allow others to find the same precious gift I have found... where we can love and support one another, share our joys, and support one another through our hardships, also providing many resources to help everyone out in our day to day life.

A little about me...I am 39 years old and the proud mother of three beautiful daughters. Their father and I are divorced and share custody of the girls. They bring so much happiness to my life. Jenna is 12, Amber is 13 and Kayla is 15.

I have a wonderful man in my life...Monty, I don't know how I got by so long without him. He has made my life complete and I love him with all my heart!!! His patience and understanding have allowed me to devote myself to the Garden, and his support will carry me through anything life throws my way. 

I worked in sales and marketing for a computer manufacturer until a car accident in January of 2001 changed my life. After four years at home recovering from my injuries, I returned to work full time in February of 2006.  At that time, the Garden of Friendship was nearly six years old.  With the new demands of my daily life and the challenges of returning to the workforce, my time was very limited and it was then that I decided to step down from helm of the Garden of Friendship, resign as Garden Keeper and take on the title of Founder.

Although I am not nearly as active in the Garden of Friendship as I once was, I do play an active roll in the Garden of Friendship's Graphics Committee and participate in as much as I am able in other Garden events and goings on.  I hope you enjoy being a part of the Garden Family and if you ever want to reach out to me, please do not hesitate to drop me a line, but please bear with me, I may be a few days getting back to you.

If you would like to visit my website, Simply Deelightful, it can be found here. I look forward to meeting you in the Garden and if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me, just click on my name above and drop me an email.  

Huggers to you and I look forward to getting to know you better.  

I am an accountant and am a 53 yr old divorced mother of three wonderful children – Jeffrey (31), Glenn (29) and Alicia (24). I am the proud gramma of Jeffrey (9), Joelle (7), Amanda (6) and Dylan (4). I live in Maryland, USA on the edge of a farm where I grew up. My father purchased the farm in 1962, and I have lived here all but 6 months of my life. Though both of my parents are now not on earth, we are trying our best to keep their legacy intact. My daughter Alicia lives with me as well as my grandson, Dylan. My son Jeffrey and his 3 children live also live on land my family calls “Woodland Echoes” . One of my 3 brothers lives in our growing-up home on the farm. I have a sister in Maryland, a brother in Maryland and a brother in Pennsylvania. My children and Woodland Echoes are my inspiration, pride and joy. If you want to learn more about our homestead, you are welcome to go here: http://devoted.to/alita . My newest website will be a tribute to my Mother, Father, Family and the USA and will be located here: http://woodlandechoes.net.

My first day on the net was June 13, 1997. I was going through a rough time in my life, and my son Glenn told me I should learn to surf and “chat”. OHHHHHHHH I had no clue what I was in for *L*. After milling around the internet for a few years, I managed to find a link on a website that spoke of international friendships. I was hooked the moment I went into the Garden of Friendship’s website. I became a member in December 2000. So many wonderful people! I have so enjoyed my time spent in the Garden and I hope that I have touched at least one person as they have touched me. We laugh together, we create together, we love together (we play in PSP together hehe) .. and yes, we also cry together.

I am currently a member of the Adoptions, TNT, Special Occasion, Tournament and the newly formed Expansion Committees. I was thrilled when I was asked by Cheri if I wanted to be a Garden Keeper. I will try my best to help as many as I can. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of some assistance! *hugs*

Huggers to you and I look forward to getting to know you better.  

Hello, my name is Ann, I have been a very proud member of the Garden of Friendship since March 2005.

I live in the North of England in the county of Cumbria, known as the English Lake District. There are Eleven lakes and lots of mountains. We also get a huge amount of rain but I am used to it having lived here for the whole of my life.

I am married to my best friend and soulmate Ken. We will be celebrating our Golden Wedding in May 2008.

We have two children Andrew 42 and Heather 40. They are both married and have blessed us with 5 wonderful grandchildren who are the lights of our life. Heather & husband David have two children, Ben 16 and Molly 13, Andrew & wife Lorraine have three children Seth 13, Autumn 11 and Oliver 6. They all live within 5 miles of us so we get to see them very often.

I am disabled with arthritis so am at home a great deal of the time. This is fine though, it gives me lots of time to spend doing what I like best - working on my computer. I love to design web pages, write tutorials and make graphics. I also teach html online.

I have served on several GOF committees, Games & Events, Adoptions, Special Occasions, Graphics and Awards. Also the TNT Fun group. I enjoyed each and every one of them but I am currently just a member of Awards which I love.

I was so thrilled when I was invited to become a Garden Keeper. I will do my very best for the Garden and all the members. If ever you feel that I could help in any way or you need a friendly shoulder then please let me know and I will be more than happy to do whatever I can for you.

Hello my name is AussieWendy (Wendy) I joined the Garden in August of 2000, not long after it was started, I was a member for 9 months and then had to resign as my real life got busy with driving my eldest son Christopher to and from work each day, then I was also dropping into Grahame’s grandmother’s each day, to do her housework, cooking and bathing her. After fixing Nana and her companion up for the day I would then drive home and do my own housework, by then it was time for the kids to come home from school and dinner time. I would then leave home again at 10pm each night to go get Chris from work; Grahame was working at the time and could only help when he was at home. I rejoined the Garden on the 5^th December 2001, it was the best decision I ever made.

My family and I now live in a little rural country town called Kitchener, in New South Wales, Australia; I’m the mother of 6 children, 5 still living at home. Christopher 24, Nathan 22 (not living at home), Amanda 18, Jason 16, Stephanie and Brandon 13. Grahame and I have been together for 24 years but only married in March 1999.

At present I’m a member of the Recruiting Committee, Membership Pride Committee, Special Occasions Committee, I love being a member of these committee’s.

In July 2006, I was asked to become a Garden Keeper; this is such an honor, and one I’ll always treasure.

Hello! My name is Cheri and I have been a member of the Garden since October 10, 2000. It has been a most wonderful experience and I have made many friendships here. I love meeting people and to help them out in any way I possibly am able. I also love to give people a good feeling and try to do this every day.

I have been on the internet since November of 1998 and have loved every second of it (except when my PC was not working right ~S~. I have belonged to several organizations and have narrowed them down to the Garden Of Friendship, which in my mind is the best one on the net.

I am 50+ years old and I am on the computer as much as I can be. I do have to sleep just a little though. I have 5 wonderful grown children who range from ages 25 years to 37 years. I also have 16 grandchildren and one due in the middle of July. ~VBS~ I also have 2 great grandson and a great granddaughter.

I have always loved doing crafts such as crocheting, sewing, cross stitch and such, but have to admit that since I have been on the computer and into graphics, those are almost nonexistant now. I also love plants and have quite a few house plants. I like to get them as a small plant so I can nuture them and watch them grow.

My website has change drastically over the years as I learned how to make my own graphics. I do my own html which I learned right from the start. If you would like to visit my site, Whispering Wyllows, it can be found here

If ever I can help you out in someway...a graphic or maybe just to talk, please feel free to send me an email. I will answer you back as soon as I possibly am able.

I am 58 and married to a wonderful man that came into my life 14 years ago. He is a truck driver and delivers new cars all over the country. Since he is gone all week I have lots of time to myself. I have 2 grown children from a previous marriage. We will be celebrating our 10th anniversary the 17th of June. I have 4 grandchildren, 3 girls and one boy. Mitchell is autistic but doing rather well, Jim has 4 grandchildren as well, Two girls and 2 boys.

I enjoy gardening; I love all flowers and plants. I also have orchids in the house that I tend. I also crochet, and do some crafting. I do watch my grandchildren often as my health allows.

I was diagnosed with Lupus in 1991 along with Fibromyalgia and Sjogren’s syndrome. The SLE Lupus is in remission at this time. So since I can’t work I have to do other things to keep my mind active.

I got my first computer back in 1995 and started playing around off and on with it. Then in 1998 I went online and have been here ever since. While surfing the web one day I happened upon the wonderful site. It was called the Garden of Friendship. It was a new site and I joined September 18, 2000. This is a great site and I have met so many great friends there. I now have friends from all over the world, and enjoy every day with this group. I have been so many different committees, but the ones I really love are the Membership Pride Committee, Games & Events Quilters Club and Awards Committee. There is so much to do here that there is never a dull moment. I also enjoy playing in the different tournaments, like cribbage, backgammon and Dominos. I have learned to play Pinochle too. I have gotten so much better in my graphic making and do a lot of that in the different gifts that I make for the members.

When asked to be Garden Keeper, I was so honored. I will continue to give the same quality of love to all the members that I have in the past, what a great joy they are to me. So if you need anything please just call on me, I’m always there for you.

My name is Jus Kuntree, and I've been a member of the Garden Of Friendship since September of 2001. I got my first computer in 1998, and was totally lost as to what to do with it! Making baby steps, I began to learn new things, and eventually was able to create my first website. Without that old computer, I would never have discovered this wonderful group of people. I've made so many friends that have become very dear to me, and have found a new "family" of heart here.

I used to work in health care, first as an x-ray tech, then decided I wanted more patient contact, so went back to college and became a nurse. Now, due to medical problems, I stay at home, but have a very full life.

I live in southeastern Kansas, out in the "Kuntree", with my wonderful husband Michael, who is also my very best friend. Living with us, is our daughter Ashley, and her daughter Savanna. We have a son, Jeremy, that lives in town, with his beautiful wife Cricket, and their three children, Tayllar, Seth, and Kjersten. A sense of humor is mandatory around our bunch!

We live on part of the farm that I grew up on, and has been in the family for several generations. There is quite an assortment of animals that keep us entertained. Between them and my granddaughter, life is never boring! In addition to our domestic residents, we have an abundance of wildlife in our area. Many evenings we sit outside and enjoy the antics of the farm critters, as well as the whitetail deer that come to feed in the pasture. You never know when you'll look out and see some wild turkeys strutting by, or catch a glimpse of a coyote, fox, or bobcat. There have even been a few cougars spotted in the vicinity. I was fortunate enough twice, to catch a glimpse of one, but have seen their tracks on several occasions.

Some things that I enjoy are, fishing, camping, hunting, photography, gardening, crocheting, cooking, genealogy, doing craft projects, and playing in PSP. I love spending time with my family and friends, and doing things outside.

I felt so honored when I was asked to become a GK, and will do my very best to be a good one. The Garden Of Friendship, and it's members, are very important to me. If there's anything I can do to help anyone, don't ever hesitate to holler.

My name is Leanne and I've been a member of the Garden of Friendship since June 2005. I've been married for 25 years to my "bestestestest" friend, Vince, and we have two sons. Steve and his wife Tammy live in Missouri. Brian and his wife Danielle live in Sacramento.

I was born and raised in Southern California. I lived in London, England, for three years and brought back the best souvenir ever ... my youngest son! My husband and I relocated from Northern California to Arizona in late 2005 for my health. Some of my favorite hours are spent watching the wildlife around our property, and taking photographs. I'm a military mom and take great pride in my country. I love to travel and have had the pleasure of visiting 8 countries outside of the United States, and 36 of these United States. I've had the same best friend for over 50 years. We met when our moms signed us up for kindergarten! People who know me know that I love a good laugh, cook a mean lasagne, and that my favorite colors really are red, white, and blue!

Computers have been a large part of my life since I first laid hands on one in 1980! I worked as a programmer/analyst/manager until several years ago when illness forced me to retire. I needed to keep busy and soon found myself researching family genealogy and our Scottish history, which has become a passion. I lead a small group of people that send carepackages to the troops in Iraq and started a small website in support of the troops in 2003. Finding free graphics that were appropriate was really frustrating! Could I make my own?

I soon found PSP and explored tutorial land, visiting various sites over the next few months. Something called the "Garden of Friendship" kept popping up. I finally paid attention and had a good look around. It took me about a month to get up enough courage to apply for membership and I can't tell you how absolutely delighted I was to be accepted! I really love making new friends and getting to know people better through the various groups. It's simply awesome!

I was extremely honored to be asked to be a Garden Keeper and will try very hard to be a helpful one. If you ever need anything ... from a graphic to a friendly ear ... please don't hesitate to email me! Big huggers to you!

My name is Marre age 50, I am married 29 years. I have two children a Son who is 28 and a Daughter who is 23. I am originally from Scotland but moved to the USA in 1978.

My hobbies are collecting hummingbird Crystal and anything that has to do with the flower "Roses". I enjoy reading, playing the piano, knitting, latch hooking, Scrapbooking and spending as much time entertaining with my family as I can :)

Back in August 2001, my daughter came across this group on the internet and she was interested in joining, at that time she asked me to as well.. So we did and we have had the best time ever.. The Garden of Friendship is full of wonderful people. There is never a dull moment :) and there is always something to see and do..

The Committees I am in are Helping Hands, Welcoming, and Quilters, I also run the GOF Quilters Club.

I was just given the honor of becoming a Garden Keeper and I will do what I always have done being a GOF member.. be there for anyone who needs cheering up and give a helping hand.. all you need to do is ask :)

I am from Alabama. I am 43 years old and married to a man that I met over the internet. We have been married for 7 years. We have a 5 year old son who is my pride and joy.

I work with mentally challenged and disabled adults at a Training Center. I am the Day Hab Supervisior and Medical Coordinator.

I also volunteer for a local Rescue Squad. I have been a volunteer with the Rescue Squad for 14 years and I love every minute of the work that we do. We do all types of search and rescue work.

I joined the Garden Of Friendship in January 2003 and I have enjoyed every year that I have been here. I have made some wonderful friends since I joined. I was asked to be a Garden Keeper in January 2007 and to me this is a great honor.

I am 40 something years old. Born and raised a California girl. I live about 40 miles east of San Francisco. I have been here my entire life except for a few years when I lived in Northern CA near Redding. We plan on moving when we retire to a less populated area where there are four seasons and some snow in the winter, maybe eastern Oregon or Idaho.

I am married to Todd. We have two teenage boys together, Weldon and Sam. I also have a son from a previous marraige, Michael, who is married (no children yet).

I have been working at the same place for over 20 years. It is an industrial painting company. I am the office manager/controller. I am in charge of the accounting and finance departments, computers, website and anything else no one wants to do.

I enjoy hiking, cross country skiing (which is not easy considering the nearest snow is a three hour drive away), quilting, gardening and all kinds of craft projects. I make a different christmas ornament every year to give away as gifts.

I have been a member of GOF since 2003 and enjoy working with some wonderful people. I was thrilled when I was asked to become a Garden Keeper. I look forward to contact with more members than I have had in the past on my two committees, Special Occasion and Quilters.

I have seen the dedication and love that the Garden Keepers put into this group. Everyone here is like family and I am so proud to be part of it.

~Tammy~

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