My introduction
Proud single mother of two, first and foremost. Volunteer firefighter and EMT, Jill-of-all-trades. I love my family, like my neighbors and despise the direction of my government, to be frank. I come from a colorful family, in all senses of the word. I am the eldest of my father's 10 children, which I loved growing up, but I don't intend to be quite so prolific.
Daddy was a rolling stone who taught me how to work hard and play hard, Mom was a nerd who instilled in me the importance of education, faith and passion. Both taught me to think for myself. They produced a die-hard romantic geek who graduated early, started college at 16 and worked hard. Then, following some boy meets girl, I let my young and foolish heart take the lead and ended up taking the backwards route of family first, then career.
It was a risk worth taking, of course, but one which soured the plans I had for myself when I was left to raise my children alone. I was forced to put my education on hold until this year, when, despite a reputable 3-year run of self employment, a slowdown in the industry brought me to revisit my academic strategy. (cont'd in "A few more things..." section below)