Well Rested

The madness is finally over. Only another 329 days until the unofficial start of Christmas begins. Enough with that for now.

Over the Christmas holiday, I receive an email from my half-brother who lives in Florida stating that our father was in the hospital. My brother and I do not speak to our father. He heard the news through one of his maternal family members from back home in the Mid-Atlantic. I know my brother probably couldn't get much information about the hospitalization, etc. I know my father has to be really sick for him to be hospitalized. He absolutely hates hospitals and doctors. I am actually surprised that my father has lived this long.

The last time I acutally saw my father was before I went off to college. It was not a good time. I had to call the police and have him arrested. He has hated me from that point on. We never got a long since I can remember from my childhood. We are two completely different people. If he is to pass away, I will not attend any service for him. My father's family hates me just as much as he does because I decided to better my life and not stick with the family. I will cry when I know he has passed on, but that's only because I have some of his DNA. After that, life goes on.

Merry Christmas

Staying home for the Christmas holiday so I can work both jobs. I do have off Sunday and Monday. Looking forward to spending time with my boyfriend and his family. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas. I'll wish the Happy New Year part when it approaches. -Monica

Gluten Free Beer !

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/AnheuserBuschOffersSorghumBeer.aspx

On Monday night, I have decided to completely give up all wine, gf beer, and other gf liquors. I can not handle liquor what so ever. I had a frozen strawberry shortcake with dinner. There is very little liquor in this drink. Well, I started to turn red and get warm just after two sips. I will not go thru this any longer. So, I have cut out alochol all together.

But to my gluten free friends who can handle gf beer, cheers!

Another Weekend

There is nothing like being sick. I have a sinus infection that will not leave. I have had it since Thanksgiving weekend. This weekend I worked and rested. I did bake a little for a party on Tuesday. I have a doctor's appointment soon.

I decided what I am going to about the company holiday gathering. I will be taking a half day off from work. I will not go to the company holiday gathering. However, I will be using this time to visit a former supervisor from my job in college and taking her out to lunch. I know I am avoiding the gluten-filled situation by not going to the company holiday gathering. I am one who usually does not avoid things. It is hard for people to understand this. I can't risk myself getting sick and then not being able to work my part-time job.

Gluten-Filled Holiday Gathering

We just found out where our company holiday gathering will be this year, a local BBQ tavern. I feel selfish for saying this, but doesn't anyone here at work think about me. I mean, we have a very small staff. It's not like I am just a number with my work. A BBQ tavern is not the best of places for a person with a gluten intolerance and celiac disease. It's just not asking the cook/chef not to put a bun on my sandwich. There is another whole issue about cross contamination. I get sick from one measley gluten containing crumb!

I am going to try to ask if I can skip the get together. I have tried this in the past, but it does not work. So, what I am supposed to do? Just sit there and watch everyone eat and drink until their heads and stomachs explode? I think not! I need to come up with a way to get out of this. Calling out sick is not an option as I have a monthly report due that day.

I have tried explaining my condition to my peers. Do you think anyone actually listens? Nope. Time after time, pizza, sandwiches, cookies, gluten containing items are ordered for meetings. I have spoken up before about ordering something that I could eat. The answer is why don't we order a salad for you. If I wanted a frickin salad I would have said so. When I know we are having a meeting in advance, I bring one of microwable gluten free meals. Amy's gf (gluten-free) veg lasanga or Amy's gf mac n cheese are good. Nothing like homemade, but it's gf food. I can't exactly bring my own food to this place.

If anyone has any idea how to get me out of this, please leave a comment.

Snow and Lights

It snowed today. Granted, it melted as soon as it hit the roadways, but it did accumulate a little on grassy surfaces. Thankfully, the sun is trying to come out today.

Last night, we went to Bright Nights at Forest Park in Springfield, MA. I enjoyed driving around looking at all of beautiful light displays. There were several worlds sponsored by different companies. There was a toyland section sponsored by none other, Hasbro Games. There was another section sponsored by a local landscaping business which displayed dinosaurs. Overall, it was well worth the trip.

Starting with tomorrow, I will start posting about how to shop for sheets, etc. I realized over the weekend while working at my part-time job, people are absolutely clueless how to shop for sheets. There are people who don't know their size of their own bed.

Another Gray Day

It is still gray outside and now it is raining. Thankfully, it's not snow. I like playing in the snow, however, people up in Southern New England do not know how to drive in it.

Who stole the sun?

Has anyone seen this object lately? It's been missing from our New England skies for what seems like forever.



I lost count what day we are on for grey clouds, drizzle, and fluctuating temperatures. Once in a while, I do enjoy a day with grey clouds. However, this is too much for me to handle.

Non-Sequitur

I love this comic on so many different levels. This is true for a lot of people out in the world! This is one of my favorite comic strips. It's right up there with Garfield and FoxTrot.

Weekend

Thanksgiving dinner was gluten free and delicious. Karina's dark chocolate brownies were a hit with my co-workers and my boyfriend's family.

The day after Thanksgiving was certainly interesting. I arrived at the store at 5:30am. Yes, you read that correct. The store opened at 6am. When I arrived to work, there were people already waiting there to get in. I can think of a million things better to do than wait for a store to open before the crack of dawn.

Overall, it was a busy weekend. So busy, I ended up getting sinus pressure/cold. It is a combination of the flucuating weather and working so many hours as to why I am sick. The weather is so wacky right now, we had a few days in the forties, then we go up to the mid sixties for a few days, then right back down to the low forties. No wonder everyone is so sick right now. This is New England, we are not supposed to mid sixty degree weather in November!

Well it's back to counting those beans.

Holiday Season

While out this holiday season, please remember these few items,

1. Be patient with your local sales clerk in your local retail stores. Remember, they are human
too. It is not their fault that the store is out of the roasting pans, gravy boats, knives, chargers, glasses, or other items needed to have that Martha Stewart picture perfect holiday dinner.

2. Understand that the sales associate does not control the prices or coupons limitations. There are many different factors that control the prices of items. The sales associates do not control this. If you don't understand, go into your local library and lookup retail management and the economy. This should be a good start for you.

3. Do not ask the sales associate to turn off the Christmas music. Yes, Christmas music is playing over the speaker system and local radio stations. Once again, the associate does not have control over the Christmas music. Trust me, the associates have already mentioned this to store management. Just deal with it and enjoy it.

4. Be patient with other shoppers. Not everyone is as organized or as perfect as you. If you have nothing nice to say to another shopper, keep your mouth shut. The associate does not want to become a referee. Most likely, the associate will want to tell you both to shut the hell up.

I will add more as time goes along. If you have any suggestions to add to this list, please leave me a comment.

Thanksgiving

One more day to Thanksgiving. I am actually looking forward to turkey day this year. I am not nervous about eating at my boyfriend's parents house in regards to my gluten intolerance. I am really looking forward to devouring my desserts; dark chocolate brownies, maui wowee bars (both recipes from The Gluten Free Goddess), and gluten free appie pie from Whole Foods.

During this time of the year, most people think about what they are most thankful for in their lives. Below, is my list what I am most thankful for this year:

1. The support, attention, and love from my boyfriend, family, and extended family in getting
myself healthy.
2. The fact that our jobs allow us to have a roof over our head, food in our stomachs, and heat to
keep us warm during the upcoming cold New England winter months.
3. That I have my mom and my half-brother to call family after not speaking and losing contact
for several years.

What are you thankful for this year?

Cleaning the Fridge

I like making sandwiches at work. I don't like making them at home because I never have enough time and they taste fresher when I make them at work. My coworkers have learned not to ask me what I am making.

I think I have found a new sandwich I like:

2 pieces of Whole Food GF Cinnamon Raisin bread, toasted
1 can Tuna Fish, drained
Sweet Relish, to taste
Mayo, to taste
Black pepper
2 Tomato slices
2 slices of your favorite cheese (I only had American on hand)

While toasting bread, mix the drained tuna fish, mayo, relish, and pepper. Once the bread is finished toasting, put the cheese on the bread. Then add your tomato and tunafish. I actually like this as 2 open faced sandwiches.

The other sandwich that I like is taking the bread from above, toasted, and adding ham, mustard, tomato, and cheese.

Voting

Today is Election day. This was my second time voting since I turned eighteen. I registered in 2004 for the presidential elections. Prior 2002, I was resident of another state. Voting was not practiced in my household when I was growing up. My father had a lot of issues, but voting and religion (won't discuss this here) were his big issues. We really never spoke about those two topics in our household. My father didn't vote because if you registered to vote you may have to serve jury duty. What he didn't realize that if you collect unemployment, you may have to serve jury duty also. He collected unemployment several different times...what an idiot. He also would not allow my mother to vote either. Talk about controlling and manipulating. No wonder why mother divorced him.

I really didn't understand what voting meant until after the 2000 presidential elections. After the '00 presidential elections, I registered to vote. Now, I look forward to voting. Next year, I will make sure I vote in the local primaries. I couldn't this year because I moved and filed to late to vote in the primaries. More than ever, I see and understand the importance of voting. This is one of the ways to let your voice be heard.

Not so good, then great

Saturday, I went to work to finish up some loose ends. While I was working, we had a cheerleading competition. I was being lazy, so I went up to the concessions stands for something to eat. I had 3 hot dogs w/ no buns of course. Everything was fine. Then I decided to go a nearby restaurant for a quick chocolate milk shake. Well, something didn't agree and I was sick for the rest of Saturday night. Not sure what did it though b/c I have had both of the items many of times before....just not one right after the other. I'll have be more careful about missing my foods.

On Sunday, we went to the Boynton Family Restuarant for some gluten free pizza, beer, and dessert. The pizza and chocolate mousse cake were delicious. As for the beer, well let's just say that I can't handle any type of beer. My boyfriend loved the dessert. He thought the pizza was good just a little too much sauce for him though. I liked the pizza so much, I bought an extra one to go. The restaurant just started carrying their gf menu. I know I will definitely be back there soon.

In March, Nickelback is playing at the DCU Center. I definitely want to go. Not sure if I want to go by myself or with someone else. Regardless, I know where I am going to eat before the show. You guessed it, the Boynton Family Restaurant. It's only a couple of minutes from the DCU Center.

Christmas Music

I go into work (my part-time job) on Thursday night. As soon as I walk into the store, I hear Christmas music. As I hear this, I am thinking Halloween was two days ago. Don't get me wrong, I like most Christmas music, however, playing it in the first of November is just insane. Let's put the Christmas music on after Thanksgiving. That makes more sense.

Since my last post, I have been keeping myself busy by working both jobs. We went to Trader Joes a few weeks ago. I love that store. I like all the odd items they carry that your normal mega market doesn't. This weekend, we are going up to Worcester to get ourselves some gluten-free pizza and beer. I have found two liquor stores in my area that carry gf beer. I am willing to try the gf beer. Let's hope I don't turn bright red after two or three sips. Most of the time when we go out to eat, I order water. I can't even handle soda or most fruit juices w/ high fructose corn syrup.

Since I have turned 21, I probably have had a total of 20 drinks in a 4 1/2 year span. The closest I come to liquor would be a frozen strawberry shortcake. Very little liquor. It's more like a thick milk shake. Smokey Bones and a local restaurant make these frozen strawberry shortcake drinks.

Weekend

This weekend was nice and relaxing. We participated in a local walk and went up to Trader Joe's. I love that store. Spent a lot of money, but it is well worth it.

I can't wait for Friday. We are going to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I am excited. I have never seen them in concert before. It should be an awesome show.

Not much else, besides the fact that I determined which side of the family my gluten intolerance comes from. Of course, it comes from my father's side of the family. Even though I haven't spoken to any of his family in almost ten years, I was able to put together the puzzle pieces why my father was always so sick. I will guarantee that my father has the gluten intolerance. To make his situation worse, he won't see a doctor for anything. He will probably kill himself from drinking too much alcohol, especially beer. Waiting for the day I see his obit in the local paper back home.

There are many times during the day that I feel stupid around my co-workers and people in general. It seems to me that everyone has their special subject in which they know all too much about. I on the otherhand do not have that special subject in which I know too much about. Sometimes I feel like jack of a few trades and a master at none. Everyone around me seems to be a master at one subject.

I have been in the accounting field for almost 3 years. When I am around other accounting people, I feel absolutely dumb founded. These people understand the complexities of the accounting world. Granted, I understand that some of these people have been in the industry as long as I have been living. Sometimes I think that I chose the wrong major/job for myself.

It is kind of depressing knowing that I don't have one special talent.

Calmer Pace of Life

October is starting off well. It's been relatively calm for me for the past 10 days or so. It's calm by my standards. For others, my calm life is too hectic for them.

In little over a week, we will be going to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers! I am so excited to see this concert. I can't wait.

The gluten-intolerance is getting easier and easier as the days go by. We had a conference one day this week and lunch was the dreaded, pizza. So I positioned myself as far away as possible. While everyone enjoyed their pizza, I sat comfortably eating Amy's vegetarian rice lasagna that I brought to work with me. It is quite good, but expensive though.

It is almost time to go ring up some sales. Lucky me.

September has been along and tiring month. It has been non-stop with both jobs. The day job has been busy as we just did a big hiring spree. Accounting professors never tell you the student how much doing payroll stinks.

Feeling Awful

I have been feeling awful since last night. I know what is causing this feeling, my dinner from Sunday night. We went to a restaurant that has a gluten free menu. I ordered a pan seared chicken breast stuffed with apples, pecans, and sage, basmati rice, and grilled asparagus. The stuffed chicken breast was dry and the stuffing lacked flavor. It needed bacon and/or cheese. All I know is I will not be going back to this restaurant again. We went there one other time before my diagnosis, and we were not crazy about the place. Everyone raves about this place, but to us, it is just overrated. A lot of the wealthy people eat this dining establishment. I am coming to realize that we both prefer "hole in the wall" establishments.

As of right now, I am miserable. It is hot in the office, there are no windows to open up, and I feel awful. What a great Monday.

Peanut Butter M&M's Rule!

I finally found peanut butter M&M's. This type of M&M is kind of tough to find in my area. These are one of my favorite candies. M&M's and 3 Musketeers are my absolute favorite and are gluten free.

I found another cheese that I am starting to like, smoked mozzarella. I used it last night on my balsamic glazed chicken. I found the recipe in one of my favorite Food Network TV personality's cookbook, Rachael Ray. I can't wait for lunch today, leftovers. I am of a rare breed, I actually like leftovers. I guess that comes from growing up dirt poor and learning how to make ends meet with inexpensive food.

Food Appreciation

Since learning of my gluten intolerance, I am starting to appreciate cooking for myself and my boyfriend more and more. With the help of some gluten free cookbooks, gluten free blogs, and other blogs, I am starting to understand that there is more to cooking than just satisfying your hunger. I love the smells and seeing the happiness on my boyfriend's face just to have a home cooked meal. I actually now look forward to cooking on my nights off. Thank you to everyone for your cooking ideas.

18 days 'til Autumn

Only 18 more days until Autumn (September 23rd). The first day of autumn has to be my favorite day of the year. The nights start to get cooler. The air is crisp and refreshing. The leaves on trees start to change colors. High school and collegiate football starts (Go U of D).

When I was younger, this was my favorite time of the year because school started. This meant less time with my father. This was always a good thing. During the fall, I would do my homework in my bedroom with the windows open blowing in the crisp air and listening to alt. rock. School was the one place I could get sanity, especially as I got older. Back home, fall meant harvest and the start of big hearty meals.

Years later, fall is still my favorite season of the year. I enjoy the fact that there is less and less day light each day. No need for air conditioning during the fall. I also enjoy the colors of fall, the nice deep purples, red, browns, oranges, and yellows. Everything in the fall just seems so much deeper and I am happier during this time of the year.

Long Month

This past Saturday was my first day off since the end of July. I know I took a vacation in the middle of August, but I don't really consider that time off. It is time off from work, but it is not time off from doing things. Once in a while, I need some time to do absolutely nothing. I had that chance Saturday evening. It felt so good.

Saturday night's rest was well needed as I would be working my part-time job all day Sunday and Monday. As with any holiday weekend, the retail stores love to huge sales. Well, the retail store I work for joined the other retail chains. For the most part, the guests were polite. However, there are always a few bad apples. These bad apples expect us, the associates, to make special exceptions because they are so and so and they spend so much money in our store(s). I try my best to work with them, however, there are times I just want to tell them to get the hell out of the store. I think Nickelback's song Rockstar (great song, by the way), sums up how some people act today.

Interesting

I found this article to be quite interesting. The two places that I have resided are in the top 25.

http://health.msn.com/centers/highbloodpressure/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100142599&GT1=8503

Gluten

There were six pizzas and a salad in the conference room. This was our dinner lunch for working 2 shows. Of course, I could only have salad. I looked and drooled at the pizzas especially the veggie pizza. I had to leave the office b/c all I could smell was PIZZA!!!!! It's going to be a rough night. All I want is pizza. :-(

Vacation

Only four more days until we leave for our vacation!!! I am actually looking forward to this vacation. We both deserve this treat especially after dog/house sitting for his parents this week. House/dog sitting was easy, but the commute from their house to my work was a little much. It took me an hour with no traffic to get to work.

I am looking forward to visiting my mom and going to 3 baseball games within 48 hours. It should be a lot of fun. However, I am not looking forward coming back to a bunch of work.

http://www.slate.com/id/2146628/?GT1=8483

The above is about allergies and how far we need to go. I am not neurotic, but I am careful. I don't like being sick. What are your opinions on the article?

I think people should respect other's allergies/intolerances, etc. but using tax payers dollars to cut down a tree? I am torn with this one. If it was an adult who was allergic, I say keep the tree intact. The adult is most likely capable of not going near the tree. Since it was a child with the allergy, the parent needs to make sure the child is in their sight at all times. I know this may difficult for some, but that is part of a parent's responsibility.

As for the child not being able to bring his snack due to possible airborne allergies, the easiest solution is give your child fruit. He/she can have the crackers, etc at home as a snack. Maybe I don't understand the difficulty here because I am not a parent.

The Cookie

I went to D'Angelo's last night to pick up dinner for my boyfriend. There were two people ahead of me, a woman who was ordering and a UPS man. I figured let me get the chips and cookie while these people are ordering. As I was walking back from the cookie bin to get back in line, the UPS man says, "Do you really need that cookie?" I am dumbfounded for a second or two. I'll tell him, no this is for someone else. He states, "You are pulling my leg." Then I give him the I can't have gluten speech. He then has enough nerve to say, "You are pulling my leg again." By now this guy deserves a punch in the face! Of course, I am not quick witted so I could not have put him in his place. He then asks me what the symptoms are of this intolerance. I don't exactly want to get into the details of all the symptoms in the middle of a D'Angelos. All I could muster out was, there's a lot of discomfort. Thankfully, after I said that, it was his turn to order.

I know the UPS man may have been joking, but you DO NOT under any circumstance say that to a perfect stranger. Where was this guy's class? He was still in his uniform. When you are in your company's uniform out and about the town/city, shouldn't you at least put a good smile forward for your company's sake and reputation and not say anything mean?

Don't have much time to write as this month I have to cram about a month's load of work into a two week space. It's my fault because I am going to vacation.

Went to see Bon Jovi & Nickelback on Thursday. Both bands put on a great show. Chad Kroeger, the lead singer of Nickelback was just awesome. He really knows how to work the crowd. Next month, we are going to see The Rolling Stones and in October we are going to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I can not wait to the Chili Peppers.

Will write more when time permits.

A Difficult Road Ahead

About two weeks ago, I started feeling sick again. I reviewed my diet and realized that the dairy products are making me sick. During this two week time period I had cut out most dairy. I would sneek in a few bites of ice cream during this time. However, this past Friday night, I really realized that my body can not handle dairy products. I was craving cheese so I had a bunless hamburger with gorganzola cheese in the middle. Let's just say thank you pedialyte for my speedy recovery.

I am not sure if this is a side effect of the gluten intolerance or if my body has a casein intolerance. It is very common for people with gluten intolerances to become intolerant to dairy products for several months. I have no problem giving up gluten. It's been quite easy. I have decided that I must cut out all dairy products. This will be extremely tough as I love eating cheese and ice cream and drinking milk. Ice cream always solved most of my problems.

On another note, boyfriend and I were talking this weekend and we both agreed that we are not happy in this relationship. We stopped talking after this point. We are not sure where to go from here.

Driving to my part-time job last night was interesting. What normally is a 30 minute drive (with some speeding involved) turned into a 90 minute drive and that's with me knowing some short cuts. If it weren't for those short cuts, it would have taken me over two hours to get to my destination. The cause of this massive delay was due to a truck fire on route 4 north.

Despite the minor aggrevation, I realized last night that I do my best thinking while driving. Not sure why, but I am able to solve most of my problems during this time. I had a lot of time during last night's commute to think about where I am in life. I realized that I am pretty happy with my life in general, except for the relationship part. Lately, I have been getting the itch to shake up my life. This sort of feeling comes every so many years. Maybe tonight there will be another massive delay and I will have some extra time to think about what needs to be shaken up in my life.

He calls me at 4:30 to inform me that he forgot to make an appointment for an oil change. What am I, his personal assistant? He has all day to make this appointment. Can't he do it from work? He has a phone at his desk and has access to the internet to look up the place's phone number. He went into work at 4pm. I know he did not have anything else to today, he never does. But because I am nice and stupid, I went ahead and made the damn appointment. Watch, he'll want me to take the car or come with him. He can be such a pain in the ass and a baby.

I would like to try to talk to him about these annoyances, but I'm never home and when I am, he's having one of his mental days or does not feel like talking about our problems. It's starting to get to the point where I want out of this relationship. Mark my word, there will come a day (real soon), that I will just explode at him and it won't be pretty.

Last question for the day before I go to my other job, how does one handle having financial power over their significant other?

Time to go beat up some pillows now.

Update

It's only been a few months since I last updated. The past few months have been trying on myself. I was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. If you are not sure what this is click here: www.gluten.net . I know and understand that there are far worse diseases/cancers to be diagnosed with. This intolerance has taken over my life. I have to constantly watch what I eat. I am becoming good at diciphering food labels. One thing with this diet is that I have lost weight and inches. Before this intolerance I was about 155lbs and around a size 10. Now, I am not sure about the weight part, but I know I a size 6/8. Not bad with no exercise.

Besides the intolerance, I just have been working. Work seems to take up most of my life. I actually like working because I don't think about problems in my life. Some things have been going through my mind lately and I am just not sure what to make of them. I have been in a relationship for quite some time now and I am starting to question it. There are things that he does that I do not particularly care for. Those things are not illegal, just annoying. I just can't picture him being a stable father. He would never do anything to harm the child but he does not like change, being messy, and can't handle complicated matters. Those items basically sum up one's childhood.

We have been dating since I was 18 1/2 years old. He is my first serious relationship. Something in my mind keeps telling me that I need to explore and be a 25 year old. I understand that there are many people who would love to be in my shoes--dating someone for a long time or just dating someone period. I miss being on my own, living an independent lifestyle. We have been living together for the past 1 1/2 year(s). I want someone who can fend for himself; make his own meals, pay his own bills, balance his own checkbook, etc. I know all of these things seem trivial, but when you work 60+ hours/week and still have to care for yourself and someone else, it's tough. Alot of times I feel like a mother not a girlfriend. I ask him to do things around the house, those items usually don't get done. When I try to talk to him about how he needs to help me around the house, he usually says, I am not in the mood to talk or I am having a bad mental day. These mental days need to stop. It's too hard to explain his mental days. They just happen and lately, it's been often lately. I feel selfish for writing these things down, but honestly, I feel kind of relieved. Must be running...it's almost 5pm.

Busy Weekend

What a busy weekend. I took Friday & Saturday off to go to Worcester to watch the NCAA Northeast Regional Semi-finals & finals. Unfortunately, the all 3 games were very one sided. But I still had a great time though.

On Sunday I worked at my part-time job. I would love to take some customers and put them in my shoes as a sales associate/cashier. Maybe if I did that, they would have a better understanding of why I can't move faster or why we don't have a certain product in. What really gets me is when I have a customer who is looking for something to finish their bedroom. This is what happens: The customer will buy a bedding ensemble in 1998. At that time, they will not buy the entire set. Which is absolutely fine because bedding ensembles are ridiculously expensive. The real kicker is the guest will come into the store (2006) looking for the finishing pieces. Now seven years has passed and the guest still expects us to have the same merchandise. How dumb are these people? Don't they know or understand that products/times/fashion, etc are constantly changing.

I am so excited for tomorrow. I have the day off and we are getting digital cable and high speed internet. I know, it's about time.

Wow, my very first post. How exciting.

Let me tell you a little about myself. As you can see from the title of my lovely blog, I grew up in a rural setting in the Mid-Atlantic. At 17, I decided it was time to move to the big city of Providence. I must remind you, my hometown only had a flashing light. There were 3 farm stores (Mastens, Southern States, and John Deere), 1 package store/tavern, 1 hairdresser, and one corner store that had everything. So to me, at the age of 17, Providence was a big city.

During college, I met my boyfried. One of the best things that has happened to me in my short span of a life. We have been going strong for over six years now. I am currently working as an accounting clerk. My official title is Assistant Business Manager. Fancy title, mundane duties.