I wanted to grow up and be a wife and mommy. This was my childhood scripting and the only thing I knew. When I was in High School, I excelled in academics and told I “should” go to college. I did. While so young, 18, I did feel a career calling and capable. I moved 800 miles away from home 2 weeks after I met your dad. He wrote me a love letter every day while in College and I couldn’t stand being so far away from him. I struggled with the “career” or “wife” role for some time and then after my first semester I decided to quit college to move back home, closer to what the love of my life was at that time, your dad.

The school counselor had a conference call with me and my mom. But I still quit and moved home, married your dad and 6 years later gave birth to you. I had a slow but growing career at a local bank at that time and thought that career calling, wife and mother were something I could master. I was inspired by Jane Fonda’s work out book on child birth and recovery that told me I could! I believed it. . .

When I was 7 months pregnant with you, your dad lost his job. The income was soley up to me. I had some mathematical sense and budget discipline and figured how we could live and he could not work. But, in the long run I knew we could not keep our house or lifestyle and make it work.

I decided to go back to College and make a better living. Your dad and I fought and it didn’t work out. I found myself a single mother with bills, and wanting to make the best life for you and me possible.

I never chose work over you, while it may have appeared that way. You, you were the motivation for me taking care of myself to take care of you. . . . and I just so happened to excel and get on a wonderful career path. . . not in place of you, but because of you.