​As a young lady growing up I had a my life mapped out.  I would get married to the man of my dreams, have children, be a teacher and live happily ever after.

​​I never imagined the detours to come in my life. 

​After all, what did I really know about life?  I was a teenager. At the age of 16 I was living on my own and married by the age of 17. My first child was born when I was 18. However, this was not the picture perfect fairy tale I imagined. In fact it was the complete opposite.  In addition to all of the other challenges we faced as a young couple, this man would pound on me every chance he could. Before long our children became targets as well. I would cry every night and write in my journal asking “Lord what did I do that was so wrong that you would allow this to happen to me?"  After all I was a Church Girl who made a few mistakes but wow this punishment was extreme.

I graduated with my MSW in 2015. I should have been excited, proud, and hopeful for the future, but instead I was broke, unmarried, living with my verbally abusive relationship and 2 months pregnant. I would have never thought I would allow myself to get pregnant before I was married but here I was sitting on my couch, holding my belly, depressed.

Staring at my degree.

No More Miss Fix It
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When I found out I was pregnant one-month before I graduated, I felt so guilty. I knew I was bringing my daughter into a world with parents who were in a toxic relationship, had no stable living situation, were depressed, and completely financially strained.

I knew when I pregnant that I would be a single mother, but I gave his father a chance. We lasted close to two years.
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At the age of three, James was diagnosed with ADHD, and ODD. It was truly a challenge, even with the help I was receiving. I was on my own. Going to therapy appointments two times a week at the beginning at least. He was involved in Intermediate Head Start which was a Godsend. I am still in contact with one of the persons who was a part of his foundation there. When he started daycare, he had good and bad days. I was called 1-2 times a week to come “deal” with my child because he would have screaming tantrums. Sometimes I would have to come sit with him while the class would go for outings if he was starting to have a bad day. He was eventually kicked out of day care and I had to take FMLA.

December 2007, in Johnstown, PA while sitting at my kitchen table, I decided a change was absolutely necessary. I wasn't sure what at that very moment, but I knew I wanted more out of life. Even with the college degree I had under my belt, the job market there was not going to get me where I wanted to be.

I started applying for jobs where my mother lived, in Lancaster, PA. My mom was all about the possibility of having some of her grandchildren within her daily reach. I stopped showing up to work and began putting in applications, three hours across the state.

I didn’t really have a plan. I decided, I would just figure it out when the time came. ​