Once upon a time.....

My life is nothing grand, but it's good. I knew if I started writing this blog that I'd want to be completely honest, to tell it like it is and never sugar coat anything. The problem with that is that I'm the kind of person who, for my whole life, has sugar coated everything and held back a lot in order to keep the peace, and not hurt feelings and mainly because I worry too much about what everyone thinks about me. I can say with all honesty that the only person in my entire life that I have been able to open up to without feeling judged is my baby sister, Amanda. Thank God for her!!! I will be 32 in November. I was raised in a loving but strict home. My father passed away when I was 7 and my mother married my stepfather when I was about 10. He was a pastor, which made us pastors kids (PK's). We were raised by the book.....and by that I mean the good ole' B I B L E. I, being the oldest (and favorite) developed an insane type-A personality. Be on time, which meant half an hour early. Be good, which meant be afraid to make a mistake for fear of dissapointing my parents or worse God and thus being damned to "H E double hockey sticks". By the time I was in college, I was pregnant. I set out on the road to become the worlds most perfect parent.....which meant of course that my daughter would always wear pink, would always have her signature bow in place, and would NEVER and I mean NEVER eat a happy meal. To this day she still wears her hair bow. At the age of 25 I was married to a complete MORON that I (of course) met in church. We were divorced in less than two years. He commited suicide almost two years ago and that shook me to the core in a way that I do not think I have fully grasped yet. Anyway, more of that later. The day I decided to leave my husband my two girlfriends came over to help me pack anything that was mine before I entered into my "marital contract". I moved away from home to Slidell, LA to start fresh and gain some new prospective on life. A lot has happened in the time between moving and now and those are the years that I feel have really defined my life thus far. I used to live MY life for everyone else, but not anymore. I've struggle and scraped by at times BUT I survived. I guess you could say, "I started at the bottom now i'm here".......yeah, I just said that ;) Life isn't perfect and I've learned to roll with the punches. I hope to inspire other women to find their voice. I hope that I can make other people laugh....at me or with me, doesn't matter. After almost 32 years I can finally say that " I have arrived" at ME.....and it's a real fine place to be! Be Good, Do Good and enjoy wine, xoxo- Amberly