Me in a Nutshell

Here is my story….in a nutshell:

Youngest child in a large farming family. Grew up living on the same farm, going to the same school with all the same people. Maybe I was a trouble maker…maybe. Or perhaps a bit of a rebel….maybe. Overall I was a good person…kind of.

Anyway, pregnant @ 18 forced me to grow up fast! It didn’t take long for me to realize that what I wanted in life I was not going to find in that small town. However, what the heart feels & what the head knows is not always how the body acts. So pregnant again @ 20. Finally realized enough was enough. It was time to make some serious changes in my life because what I now knew what that it wasn’t just my life anymore. Each and every one of my actions had (and will continue to have) a direct consequence and impact on someone else’s life. This was my motivation. I was finally strong enough to follow my heart and listen to my head.

2009 was a big year for me! I ended an extremely negative relationship and started making changes to better my situation. I enrolled in College taking a Recreation & Leisure Services diploma program. It was a start. During my time at college I learned a great deal about myself and my vision for my future. I, of course, was not your typical college student although age wise I fit in. I worked hard and persevered through the hard time while relishing the good times. Lucky for me I have such a large, supportive family. They were helpful and lended a hand whenever I needed. I couldn’t have done so well without them. During my time studying at college I also took some highschool classes on the side. I was determined to graduate from high school before college – and I did June 2010! I then graduated from college at the top of my class in May 2011. Rather than graduation being an ending for me, I knew that was just the beginning.

It was then that I had big choices to make for me and my kids. I decided to once again follow my heart and listen to my head. I moved my kids and myself and for the first time ever – left my home community. This was probably the scariest and hardest thing I’ve ever had to do (yes worse than natural child-birth!) My kids and I are now in a much larger city where we know no one, no support system, no friends, no family. I’ve moved us here so that I could pursue my education further. I am now studying at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario (Canada!). A selfish move, maybe, but in the end I know it will be best for me and my kids in the long run.

So that is my story, as I said, in a nutshell! So yes, I am young, and yes I am a mother (of two!), and yes I am raising them on my own. Some days I feel like I can take on anything, some days defeat me but it all makes up who I am and shapes who I will become.

And now you know 🙂