I thought that my next blog post should be a little background story about the lady who is writing all this. Me. :) Who am I and how did I get here. It is a rather long story, but I will make it a quick read. I have honestly thought about writing a book about my journey, but if that happens it will be a while.
And FYI...punctuation and I aren't always the best of friends. I write how I would speak and I love to use ellipsis's incorrectly. I do not apologize. 😅
I was born in Ohio, but raised in Kansas. I had stayed (if you want to call it that) with my biological mother until I was about 3 or 4 years old... moving around a lot. Bad things happened and I was removed from those situations. My parents had been separated for a long time and the state tried to figure out a way for me to go back to my mother or live with my father, but they couldn't make it happen. Foster care it was!
I had some crappy homes and I had some wonderful ones. I lived on a farm from the age of 4 to 8 and it was one of the best times of my life. I was loved and had a true family...I believe that they are who helped mold me into the person I am today. Not all foster children get blessed with placements like that. When I was 8, the state started talking more about adoption and they found a woman who would be perfect for me. A science teacher who loved cats and was looking for a daughter like me. The adoption was finalized when I was 9, and I spent 4 years in a confused bliss that ended with a broken heart.
At the age of 13 I was put back into the foster system. They placed me back with my previous family on the farm, but I had gotten used to the city life that apparently I asked to leave. (Something I do not remember doing). My next homes were not the best and I started getting into activities that one shouldn't be involved in. Thankfully I didn't dive too far down that hole and in 1995, at the age of 15, I was placed in another home that has also helped me become who I am today. It was just us two, so I got the attention I craved ,In 1998... I messed that up.
The age of 18 found me on the run. Some friends and I ran away and eventually got caught in Georgia. I was flown to Wichita Kansas and was placed in a girls home until I was 19. They had a program to teach you how to live on your own and how to save money. I was the first one to complete their program and was able to buy my first car and looked forward to being on my own. Then I met a guy who wasn't the best for me, got put in jail for a few days and ended up running away AGAIN, this time at the age of 19 and to a town a few hours away.
I wasn't a bad kid. My previous trip to Georgia caught up with me and I had to deal with the consequences of those actions.
Life continued to happened after that. A 4 year bad relationship, moving from house to house, friend to friend, learning to do things on my own at the age of 23... jobs, bills, all that good stuff. Moved to the area that I am at now in 2004 and started to better my life. No more involvement with people who drank too much or did too many drugs. No more involvement with the law because of others bad decisions. Just me, my 3 cats and wonderful friends who helped guide me. Then May 22, 2011 happened.
F5 tornado touches down on one side of the town and leaves destruction a mile (or more) wide through the center... all the way to the other side of town. Life changing moment.
I found love and lost love afterwards. Became fearful of every storm that passed through. Who I was before that day I couldn't get back and that fact upset me greatly. But, I do believe that most things in life happen for a reason. Had the relationship lasted, or if the storm never moved me...I might not be where I am today. Happy, in love and with a beautiful son.
So, here I am. 38 years old and trying to give my boy a life of love, peace and stability... something I never had. Our past does not define us and we have so many chances to make life better for ourselves. That is what I am trying to do, always.
