THE UNEXPECTED LIFE STARRING... ME! I never dreamed I'd star in my own dramatic production, on or off the stage, but sometimes you get things you didn't expect.  The unexpected life.The drama!  The plot twists I never anticipated. The cast of characters and those in the crucial roles of support (that make my continued existence possible) expands with each friend I am blessed with.The best part? My show never ends!  I've been starring in this show, off and on, my entire life (although the drama portion of the show increased significantly in 2009.)  Though at times it has been pretty intense, the curtain never closes and I've never discovered the intermission--I get to keep living and learning, rising above the antagonists (BOO!  HISS!), and seeking the fairy tale ending I've always imagined for myself and am not willing, even now, to let go.I'm doing my best in my role as Andrea Merriman, star of my own personal dramatic production; and although The Academy doesn't formally recognize situations like mine, and there isn't an Oscar for living my life, the events are quite infamous in their own right.  It has been something to live it. Hopefully you'll find it interesting reading.But more than anything, I hope you catch the moral of my story, because when all is said and done, what means the most to me is what I've learned from my role. That's really what I'd like to share:  the life lessons I've tried to learn and hope I can pass on to others as a result of starring in my own unexpected life, because I'm a "star" who believes that "out of small and simple things, great things are brought to pass."I hope that by choosing to embrace the production I've been cast in (although I didn't choose to be cast in it) and enduring all my role has to offer, that in the end, the small and simple aspects of my performance (aka. my small and simple life, unexpected as it may be) will make a difference in the world.  For the better."To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest!"But enough about what the star wants you to realize from watching her performance and reading about her show.  Here is what YOU might want to know about THIS show:It began in California. I am indebted to the beautiful woman who opened my show and then allowed me to be adopted by my two wonderful parents who prepared me for the role of my lifetime. My orthodontist dad made sure I had star quality, straight teeth;  my mom sewed a lot of my costumes; and both supported me, my hopes and dreams, expanded my horizons to nurture many more and made my show possible.  I'm forever grateful.The cast of characters expanded to include my two younger sisters and two younger brothers. It was a traveling show, relocating to Arizona, Missouri, and Colorado for performances and had a brief run (during my college years, 1985-1990) at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. My show returned to Colorado for the 19 years following my college graduation for a continued performance.In 1989 I added a leading man to my show. The original casting had a good run, almost 20 years, but made choices that made it impossible for me to continue with his performance. So my show took to the road again, relocating from Colorado to Utah for a new debut, when I got divorced and my show changed to a one-woman show again in 2009.I've also been blessed with four understudies:  three sons and a daughter.  Teaching them, training them, getting to have them in my show, the cast parties, family dance parties and everything that comes with being their mother is a dream come true for me.  I've loved every minute with them and look forward to working on our production together now and forever.  I love them more than anything.  Everything I do, I do for them.Feel free to join me "backstage" via this blog.Thank you, and enjoy the show! To read my story from the beginning, click here.