About me
My bio - that depends - do you want the high-gloss, Cinderella version? Or the nitty-gritty, down-to-earth-, real-life version?
High gloss- I was born on March 25, 1967, in Flint, Michigan (yes, the land of poisoned water). My mom worked on the line (assembly line) at AC Spark Plug in Flint. My dad was a journeyman welder at Anderson Guard Rail just up the road from AC. Well, that's the end of the high-gloss version! My mom died when I was 11 years old (in between my fifth and sixth grade years), and my two brothers and I were left in the care of my alcoholic father. We transferred to the local Catholic elementary grade school that my mom had arranged previous to her death. My dad actually upheld this request, thankfully. After my mom's death, his drinking increased, as did his abuse toward my brothers and me. Eventually Social Services was called in, and we were made wards of the court. After living in various foster homes, we were separated from each other and moved in with different relatives. At this point I was in high school. When these arrangements did not work out because of harassment from my dad, my younger brother and I were taken in by two teachers from my high school, two angels who saved our lives. I went on to graduate from Michigan State University, where I majored in English (Secondary Education - no irony there!!), married my high school sweetheart, had two amazing children, and traveled the world because of my husband's job. I could not teach because we moved so often which allowed me the opportunity to stay at home with my children - priceless time I would not change for anything! Because my mom died when I was so young, motherhood is a gift from God that I have never taken for granted, and I treasure every moment I have been given with my children (now 24, 24, and 22 - I also have a daughter-by-choice - a much longer story for another time!). Unfortunately, there was not a "happily ever after." My husband was unfaithful to me, and our marriage ended. I did not want to raise my children in a dysfunctional home, but staying with their father was not in my best interest. Because I had not been teaching, my certificate expired. I moved home to Michigan, and while working part-time in a bar and at an accounting firm, I renewed my teaching certificate and earned my Master's Degree in the Art of Teaching. I got hired to teach English at Powers Catholic High School in Flint. Not only was I getting to teach at my Alma Mater, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach there while my parents (the two angels mentioned earlier) were still there. In addition, my own two children were attending school there. Three generations in the same school at the same time. Wow! How cool!! I remarried during this time, to someone who was the complete opposite of my first husband, and later I realized a lesson hard learned - that sometimes things in moderation are best - whether it be exercise, food, love, or relationships. We divorced after five years of marriage, and I was "off to a nunnery." (Yes, I am an English major!!!). I was ready for a nunnery, until I met Tim. A friend of a friend - a devout Catholic, with a college degree, who had never been married, who is a hard worker, who is loyal, who is a man of integrity...... and the rest is history.... for now. I am still teaching at Powers. I love spending every day with teenagers! I get the opportunity to share my love of the written word with them on a daily basis. Because we are a Catholic school, I get to share my faith with them every day. I supervise our Rotary Interact Club, so I get to share my passion for service with them every day. I am a Kairos retreat leader, so I get to share my life graph with them, a story that teaches them to trust in God and believe in yourself. I supervise a trip to Italy every other year where I get to share my passion for travel, history, art, and other cultures with them.
And here I am today, a woman of many experiences, a woman of much survival, a woman who believes in the strength of women, and the strength of men, the love of humankind, and the grace of God. And it is with all of this in my heart I write.......