Uh, yeah, I have issues....

...not really, but I have always had a problem keeping with something I've started. Everything. I have half finished projects EVERYWHERE!!! But, I digress....

The real reason I'm here is that I've been thinking a lot lately about my life as I approach the big 3-0. I was talking to a good friend of mine about it (she recently hit the milestone herself) and she told me that she sat down one day and tried to write out everything she's done (more or less) in the last 10 years. It seems like your 20's fly by, but when you actually think about everything you've accomplished (or, let's face it, fucked up) then you realize how busy you really have been! So, here I go-this will be a WIP for a few days....

20~I have been pregnant for about 2 months when I turned 20-still haven't told my parents. Went on a road trip with Scott for a few weeks while processing the whole thing. We finally tell everyone and he moves into my apt. with me on Hollywood St. in Converse Heights. I get a job at Snelling Personnel Services as the receptionist/office organizer/AR/AP person. Life kinda sucked as Scott was abusive and a violent alcoholic. I left him many times. Maddie was born December 18th at 4:54 am!

21~Life continued to suck due to Scott and my developing PPD. I had no contact with friends and barely any with family. Late in the summer we moved up to PA with his family. It lasted about 3-4 weeks. I finally had enough and packed Maddie up, rented a car, and drove 13 hours straight at 4 am to come home. Moved in my parents who were in the middle of a divorce! Fun stuff!! I lived with my mom and brothers for a month(?) until Dana and I found a house to move into. Oh, I also got a job at the Sandwich Factory. I met Shelley who became Maddie's care provider while I worked. I met some of my best friends to date at the Sandwich Factory-Amarylis (who I've technically known since elementary school), Sydney, Keesha, and Nancy. Maddie turns 1!!!

22~Still working at the SF...I loved that job! Right downtown, met TONS of people. Finally started dating again. Let's see, Shannon from Rockers, Tim from EMS, Casey C., then Jason-who incidentally, I had a major crush on in middle school! We had a great time together, but he was in the middle of a divorce, and it just was bad timing. He's now married with two kids! I guess it went from Halloween through the beginning of the next year....I become manager of the SF around the same time. Oh, Dana moved out, Elaine moved in, then she moved out, then I moved back to Converse Heights.

23~tough year....I got mugged in the parking lot before work-oh, went from the SF to Jack's (owned by the same people). Started seeing J.F., but that was not a good idea. He was a junkie, and I had a kid, plus he was in the middle of his own relationship crap (I am not a good picker!) but he was sweet and hot, so there. Then, I dated David for a while, got laid off of Jack's and started working at Rocker's and Venus Pie. I stopped seeing David because he didn't want any more of a relationship than just casual. Let me intervene and say I was only intimate with 2 of these guys!!! I quit Rocker's after a week because I just could not handle two jobs. 9/11/01. Dated John Gallant for a while-he was such a sweet heart, but too young for me. Then Bender. I was so in love with him, but he ended up being a scum bag. We had been friends for years (met at the SF-shocker!) we split up a while later-he liked to go on tour with Widespread Panic and met several chickies along the way. Not a good time for me. This was around New Year's. We tried to stay friends, but I despised looking at him after that. Moved to Inman. Started hanging out with Zach a bit, I really liked him a lot-we are still great friends, but, as with most guys I was attracted to, didn't want someone with kids. Whatever. I met Tim through him, actually. They played in several bands together.

24~Tim and Kat broke up. He started showing an interest in me. I held back for a while, though the whole summer, I would go up to the Nu-Way for lunch to see him (he worked there)after school-oh yeah, I started school again! We started dating and got pregnant right away (I swear, I was on BC, but it just damn doesn't work with me!!). We moved in together, but didn't know I was pregnant. I was taking the Seasonale only 4 periods a year stuff. Woohoo for being pregnant for 3 months without knowing it!! Virginia was born via emergency c-section January 27th at 8:04 pm-she was quite early. Had to stay for a few days, but she was fine.

25~Started school (again!). Lucky me, in between summer semester and fall semester, I had appendicitis! July 25th-also the day I quit smoking. Started working at school for the cooperative program for the SC School for the Deaf and Blind. I helped visually impaired students with their classes.

26~more school, started working back at the SF! Yay!

27~Start interning at the Upstate Workforce Investment Board. Finish school. Move from the WIB to the Onestop Career Center. In Feb. Tim and I split up. I lose my job in March. Move out of the house and into my friend Shelley's house. Get a job at Earthfare in Greenville. I love this job. I'm newly single, working with a bunch of cool NEW people that don't know Tim. Spartanburg was too Tim-oriented. Everyone knows everyone.

28~Tim and I start talking again-being friendly. We go see X-Men together. We spend the summer figuring out what went wrong, and what to do to fix things. Six months from the time we split up, we got back together. I find our current house out in the country and we move in. I'm starting to realize that while I LOVE working at Earthfare, it's just waay to long of a drive. I get a job less than 5 miles from the house at a little coffee shop.

29~still working at the coffee shop. Tim gets promoted at work and we have to put Virginia in Daycare. We can't afford it. I quit the coffee shop and work at the Broken Teapot for my friend Sydney-who I met while working at the Sandwich Factory. I work there starting just Friday and Saturday nights, but now it's spread to Thursday-Saturday. I started babsitting this year too, but I'm pretty burned out with it right now, so I am sticking to just the Teapot. BUT, I may be working for Americorps after the summer. They pay a living stipend, pay almost $5000 towards Student loans or towards more education plus $300/child for childcare a month. I would be working with a non-profit org. helping them with grant writing, volunteer recruitment, fund raising, program development, etc. Very exciting!!