- Living with both my parent's
- My parent's divorce. I was seven.
- My mother remarries a monster
- Moving nine times by the ninth grade, attending one of the schools at two different times
- Losing my dad due to not being allowed to see him. I was about twelve. Not to mention losing our grandparents, aunts & uncles and cousins.
- Adoption, our name changes and we lose so much. This was in 5th grade. Imagine explaining that one.
- Dave plus Sara Jayne. A mom at sixteen.
- Shoved into a foster home in La Crosse because I was pregnant. Didn't stay. Went back to the family I nannied for in Wausau until Sara was born. I could not return to my mother's home.
- Went home with Sara January of 1979. To my mother's home. Lasted 4 months. Truth be told should save you. Not destroy you.
- Kicked out at seventeen with a four month old
- Learning to live with strangers. And no one missed me. Those that should have just didn't. Its like I disappeared and never existed.
- Back home and very short lived. Back to the family that took us in.
- Meeting my dad again. Best day ever!
- High school graduation 1980
- June 28th 1980....married at 18.
- Grandpa's here. Do not tell grandma....hiding my relationship with my dad from my mother. The fear was implanted by her.
- Dave is sick and the birth of two more daughter's, Erin and Casey.
- A very rocky marriage. He was sick. We were young. Legal problems. Drugs. Divorced at age 27.
- Managing life alone was impossible. Moved to my dad's with three kids.
- Geno called me out of the blue. Moved back up north.
- Moved in with Geno. I felt safe with him. The greatest thing for me and my girls. And for him.
- 1992, Geno gets lung cancer. Lobectomy on my 30th birthday. Worst day of my life.
- May of 1993, our adult adoption. My dad helps us get our name back.
- 1993 Geno and I get married. Best day of my life.
- I buy 3 acres in hopes of never renting again.
- In 2000 Geno is in a terrible accident leaving him total care for over 1 year. 18 months total healing.
- 2007 Me and PTSD. Who knew? Never felt so alone.
- April 19th, 2013 Dave dies at age 52.
- February 13th, 2014 a semi tire blows up in Genos face. Another terrible accident.
- Learning that Agent Orange was the reason Geno had non-reoccurring lung cancer and many other issues.
- Leaving 2 jobs to take care of my husband. Tube fed for 11 years now. A TBI, Vascular Dementia.
- Aspirated Pneumonia was nearly the end. Finally quit my fulltime job after juggling caretaking and working. I was exhausted to say the least.
- April 17, 2023. We lost my dad forever this time. I'll never get over it. I'm better, but never over it. I lost my best friend. My home away from home.
- I'm still here. By the grace of God I still look up. And now for all the crap in between and how I maintain. Ambiguous grief. Grief. Surviving by learning not to survive. Loss. Gratitude. Happiness. Loneliness. Craziness.