What I Know

I graduated high school in 1996.

This pretty girl was born one week before my graduation.


Therefore, I went through my senior year of high school being pregnant. I graduated with honors and in National Honor Society...which was extremely comfortable walking across the stage of our National Honor Society night receiving my award and honors ribbons nearly 8 months pregnant...NOT! But the fact that I was receiving this award, was still in the NHS, and would soon be graduating with a 3.9 and already being accepted to the University was a pretty tough accomplishment if I do say so myself.

And when Jenna was just 3 months old, I began college. During these 5 years I endured a lot of challenges. I divorced, took a little time off of school, worked forty hours continuously through college, had another baby and got married again, enrolled back in school, and had another baby right before I graduated with my BS in Early Childhood Education with a 3.7 GPA and having made the Dean's or President's list each semester.

I remained strong, focused, and determined that I would graduate and make my family proud. And I did it! All before I was 24 years old I became and wife, mom, and teacher. I had accomplished everything I had set out to do.

I started teaching when my 3rd child was 6 months old. And as I continued this journey I was all along saying "what's next?". So another 2 babies joined the family, I quit teaching for awhile to focus on raising my family, opened up my own in home daycare, and continue to be a wife, mother, and teacher everyday.

But is this it? What am I working towards now? For the last 3 years I've kind of been in a small depression. Things in my marriage haven't gone the way I had always expected, raising 5 kids is quite a challenge, and working from home makes me feel stuck a lot of times. So I have often found myself asking "Is this it? Is this what I worked so hard for?".

Well, after a great talk with an "old" friend last night I woke up feeling stronger, focused, and determined again! I felt a spark this morning that I haven't felt in many years. She helped me see there is more and it's never too late to start something new.

So today I wake up with a new view of life. More determined than ever to pick myself up by my boot straps, grab the bull by the horns, and get my butt living again!

Big changes are coming, only time will tell, but I will not let anything stand in my way. I'm ready to LIVE again! And it feels great.