Background - Growing up

I was the world's biggest geek growing up. Thick glasses, retainers and everything. I am glad that I didn't realize until I was older what a geek I was. I may have been scarred for life, now I just look back and laugh. Probably because I am still a geek and just don't realize it.

In a large family you always have instant friends, so I always had someone to play with. I have 4 sisters and 1 brother, and we have so much fun together. I am the second oldest, one older sister, me, then two sisters after me then little brother then one more sister. I would have to say that I talk to my sisters more than any other friends. Maybe it's because I truly am a geek and don't realize it, but I love talking to them. Who else can you call at 11:00 at night because your husband is still at work and you are scared?? (Thanks Warwa, love you!) They are some of my best friends.

I grew up in a pretty normal middle class life growing up. But really what is normal? Nothing truly extraordinary or catastrophic. We have lots of silly stories to tell and as I think of some I'll have to share. With 5 girls in one house there was a lot of silliness. My poor brother didn't have a fighting chance, he was so picked on. Even now he fears his sisters. (I think that's probably wise with all the tormenting he endured.)

I think we were all a challenge for my parents in different ways. My older sister never really pushed the boundaries and I tried as hard as I could to stretch them as far as possible without getting in too much trouble. I loved collecting friends in High School, my mom would always comment that I didn't really fit into a group. I brought a few friends in from each group, which made for some rather interesting parties. I guess I didn't realize that you were supposed to pick a group a stick to it. There were so many great people in all of them, how could I choose just one? I was always looking out for the underdog, because I had always been somewhat of an underdog, I knew how it felt, and didn't want anyone to feel left out. That is how I made a few of my best friends.

The summer between 6th and 7th grade a new family moved into our neighborhood. They had three daughters and a son. The oldest was my age. The first time we met she told us that they had moved something like 10 times so far in her life. To me this was unfathomable. I had lived in the same house since I was about 3 months old. She was very reserved, and didn't like to make friends because they wouldn't be there for long, they never were. All summer I tried so hard to become her friend. By the end of the summer we were inseparable. We would ride the same bus to and from school, after school we would get off the bus, and pretty much spend the rest of the afternoon together. I think she was my first "Best Friend." Every weekend we would have sleepovers and it was so nice to have someone you could be silly with, talk about guys with, and share your deepest darkest secrets.

They lived there a little longer than most places. They stayed all through Jr High then the summer between 9th and 10th grade they moved to California. I was so sad I thought I would never have a friend like her. Through the years we have kept in touch, I don't think it will ever be the same, but hope that we will be friends forever.






























After High School I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had taken a dental assisting class my Senior year of High School and I was working in a dental office, and was happy with that. The week that classes started at the community college I decided that I wanted to go to school. I had enjoyed working in dental field, so I decided to go into dental hygiene. After taking 3 semesters of classes, I found out that the wait to get into the hygiene program was about 2 years. When I learned this I became very discouraged. I took a semester off and decided that I wanted to go to school for cosmetology instead. I found a cosmetology school in the area (International Institute of Hair Design) and started going to classes in the evenings. I was still working at the dental office during the day. I had been moved to front office (receptionist type position) when the two front office women just didn't come back to work after our Christmas break.