I visited my grandfather in Denmark when I was a little girl, and he'd tell me stories in the evening of his travels. My grandmother didn't speak English, but she sat with us. I looked over at her while he was speaking, knowing she didn't understand a word he was saying, and the look of pure love in her eyes for him was truly amazing.

I don't remember ever wanting to "be" anything when I grew up, but I wanted to have what I saw in my grandmother's eyes that day.

My first marriage was a disaster. We divorced when I became pregnant. It was difficult being a single mother, working full-time and caring for elderly parents.

My neighbor and best friend at the time hit it rich. He asked me to move to California with him and marry him. He said he'd treat me like a queen and give me the world on a silver platter. I hesitated because I only loved him like a brother, but he told me I could learn to love him as a husband.

I was driving home from work one day and the song "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins came on the radio. It's a remake of a song I knew from the 60s, and I immediately thought of my grandmother and that look in her eyes.

I told my friend to go on to California without me. I didn't want to feel comfort and luxury - I wanted to feel passion for my partner in life.

Several months later I met my husband. Three years later we got married. We've been together for 18 years, and I still get all warm and tingly when he enters the room. Just the sight of him makes my heart smile.

Follow your dream. Don't give up, and don't settle for the next best thing.