| A Brief Timeline of my new life 1997 - I was 26, married and the mother of two very young children. I got married out of HS and never had attended college before. I was in a somewhat abusive situation which was escalating. I was not allowed to drive and was very isolated. I enrolled in college so I could get a good job eventually. I forsaw my kids struggling like we had and I just didn't want them to settle for less in life. 1998 - After a very succesful semester, I started realizing I was much more intelligent than I had ever been given credit for. I grew up feeling stupid and then married someone who confirmed it constantly. I decided to end the marriage (I had been wanting to for years but had no confidence) I took the kids, moved to MS, enrolled in college and got a job, an apartment, a drivers license and a car. I was already better off than I was in CA. 1999 - My new found independance was taken from me during a horrible car wreck. I was in the hospital for 4 months and lost everything. I spent most of 99 recovering physically and learning how to walk again. My children were sent to live with their Dad while I recovered and ended up being abused by family members. When I got them back, I had to help them heal emotionally. 2000 - Life was starting again, slowly and painfully. I had to drop out of school. I had numerous surgeries and was in constant pain. Financially times were hard. I took a full time job at Walmart to make ends meet. 2001-2003 Self discovery and hard lessons can describe these times. I was promoted twice at walmart and learned some very hard lessons about people and coworkers. I also learned how to have a good work ethic. I made some good friends and it was a positive experience overall. I also made friends with some crazy women who inspired me to lose weight, keep healthy, and have fun enjoying simple pleasures. I grew emotionally by leaps and bounds at this time. A lot of past hurts were healed. The boys started coming out of their shells as well. 2003-2004 In early 2003 I went to NY for the wedding of a HS friend. I saw people my age who had masters degress and running companies, while I was running the night shift at walmart, living in apartment, and driving a clunker car. It inspired me to want to return to school and make better choices. I don't regret the time I spent partying...I never did it when I was a kid and needed to learn why there are better things in life than partying. At this time Joe and I met again..I ended all my casual dating and the one destructive relationship I was in. Even if Joe and I didn't work out, I knew I wanted more than what I was getting from other guys. 2003 - Joe moves in October 2003. We get a house November 2003. We are engaged December 2003. 2004 - Joe wins his disability claim from the government in the spring. In August 2004, I returned to college and was selected for the Scholarsbowl team. I finished fall with honors...Life is good... 2005 - I quit Walmart after much mental anguish. I did not want to quit, but knew that I would not be able to devote herself to both work and school much longer. I finished the spring semester with honors. |