A long road...

No pictures today, just words. 

When I was 17 years old, I had big dreams of going to college and becoming a lawyer or engineer.  I recieved a scholarship to Florida State University.  I was in love with my high school sweetheart and knew that one day we were going to get married.  My future was developing right in front of my eyes and it was going to be perfect.

Through junior and senior year of highschool, things happened.  After senior year, my love and I moved into our own apartment and I started college.  Not too long after that, I dropped out of college, him and I split up, and I started my downward spiral.  Turns out, I was not handling those things that happened.  I was not well.

Shortly after my 19th birthday, I found out that I was pregnant with my Daniel.  I was naive with excitement.  I had no idea what was about to happen.

Daniel was born on March 23, 2003.   Daniel's father left in June of 2003.  There I was, a 19 year old, single mom to a new baby, no college degree, working part time as a waitress.  I was lonely, scared, depressed, and struggling to make it in every way imagineable.    

The next few years were filled with laughter, tears, mistakes, struggles, anxiety, sadness, love, and me and my little boy just trying to make it.  It was nothing close to easy and I was nothing close to the greatest mother in the world.

Christmas night, 2007 was the changing point.  I sat, all alone, in my apartment with a bottle of wine.  And I cried.  And I cried.  Was this what I did to myself?  Did I screw up so bad that I had to be alone on Christmas?  And did I dislike myself so much that the thought of spending time alone was that miserable?  I had enough.  I was going to make my life what I and my son deserved. 

So, I quit all of the bad habits that helped me hide my pain and sorrow and I dealt with it.  I dealt with guilt, fear, anxiety and sadness.  I dealt with it and I fought it off.  I started taking more pride in myself and I stopped allowing other people to take advantage of me.  I started respecting myself more.  I started forcing myself to hang out with myself.  And I started liking me. 

I went back to school and I tried, hard this time.  I was not going to let myself fail.  I was not going to fail my son. 

At this time of self revolution, I got fired from my job.  I was a manager at Cabos.  I was terrified at first.... how was I going to keep a roof over my son and my head and food in our bellies?  Little did I know, this was the very very best thing that could have ever happened to me.

After about a month, I got a job at Score Federal Credit Union.  A new start, a new hope. 

I worked as a teller, I went to school, and I raised my son.  I continued to push myself.  I steered clear of anything that could have started me back down the wrong path.  I stayed strong.  When something bad happened, I did not allow myself to drown my emotions, I allowed myself to feel them.  Every bit of them.  And I did not hide.... I did the exact opposite.  I took chances.  And through tragedy, I found strength and confidence, that I never knew I had.  And, I found my husband.

I fell in love, had my second baby, and continued school.  And I did great in school. 

I graduated college in April, right after I got married.  I graduated on the Dean's list.

And yesterday, I got promoted.  On Monday I will start training to be the Assistant Accountant at Score Federal Credit Union. 

And yesterday, Daniel came home with his report card.... he got A/B honor roll.

Its been a long hard raod, but we have made it.  Very few people have gone the complete road with us.  Some people I needed in my life for that time.  Some people I would have been better off without.  I am thankful for each and every one of the people that have been in my life for the last 9 years, either for a short time or the long haul.  You have made me what I am today.  Without the struggles, there would be no acheivements.

My Daniel and I have an unbreakable bond.  And I am so glad that he came into my life.  He saved my life, and now we get to accomplish great things together.  We made it.  We made it.