Big Dreams...and the Reality I Found

 At 18 I really thought I had my whole life planned out.

• I was going to college.
• While at college, I was going to meet the man I was going to marry.
• We would graduate and get married.
• I would find a job writing for a local television station.
• He would get promoted and we would move to some fun city with an obscene cost of living.
• We would live either in a little apartment or find the perfect old house.
• I was going to be able to quit my job and write full time (books, blogs whatever) and make enough $ to do it full time.
• We were both going to be successful.

It was going to be perfect. My priorities were clear.

Almost 14 years later, this is very obviously not the case. Life happened. Choices were made. Some good things changed my path along with some very bad things.

• I went to college.
• I did not meet the man I was going to marry at school.
• Actually, I'm not married. I might not ever get married. In which case I already am well on my way to being the crazy bird lady: 

                                           Anyone want a 1 year old cockatiel??

• I did escape Toledo, but I only made it as far as the Northside of Indianapolis. I do currently have an old house;

But it is in Ohio, and required a little TLC

                                            I filled the better part of 1.5 of these dumpsters on my own

• I do write, but it is nothing hugely profitable. I can't live off of it. I have paid for a vacation or two when I have been really focused on it.  I know that I need to keep on things more. I know I need to write more consistently and get my blog back into shape. I'm working on it slowly, and it needs much work. Although, it would be easier to write if Charlie would share the laptop:

                                            why is he on Facebook?

Life hasn't been perfect. I haven't done all the things I set out to do.

Had you told me at 18 that my #1 priority would be this guy:

Norm after a long day of lawyers and shopping

Followed closely by these guys (the 2 other people in the picture with me):

                                           Adam might be hammered in this picture....it was taken at the beer tent

And that they would sometimes push me to want one of these:

                                             Tequila makes everything better

Or even a whole one of these (if tequila is not readily available):

                                          Mine....all mine.....

I would have thought you were crazy. Like I would ever sign on for a life like this?!? Well guess what. I did. Welcome to being a grown up 18 year old me.