A great Time in my life!

A great time in my life would have to be when I met my husband. I was at a friend’s party having some drinks we lived in Lemoore California where it was mainly military people. We were eating drinking and listening to music it was in March 2002. I saw a good looking guy sitting on the floor with two young girls climbing all over him and he was playing with them. I asked someone who he was and who the kids were. I was told that his name was Spencer and that he two girls were his daughters. I was a little disappointed. I said “so I guess he is married then” and I was told that his wife left him and the kids a few weeks ago. I thought what woman would leave a guy like that and two beautiful children. After talking to some other people at the party I ended up finding out that his wife had been cheating for their entire marriage of eight years and that she had left with some new guy. She went back to their home state of Wyoming. She had left the kids with him. I thought about him a lot that night and the next day. The next day I went to my friend’s house the one that threw the party and I said “give me that guys number” he said I don’t do that kind of thing but I will call him and ask if he would like me too. He called him right in front of me and asked him if he wanted me to have his number. I said just let me talk to him and I got on the phone right then. I told him I thought he was hot and that he seemed like a great father and that his wife was wrong to leave him the way she did. We exchanged phone numbers and talked on the phone for hours and hours that night. We decided to go out and have a drink a few days later and the rest is history. We spent every day together after that and we were married on June twenty-first 2003.  Meeting him was the greatest moment in my life because I have been happy every since.

Three important people in my life.

     My husband is an important person in my life. He is my best friend and has been a great father to my children when they needed one most. My husband’s name is Spencer. He is about 5’9 and has a very slender build. He has brown hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen. He is a very easy going person. Where I stress over something he just let’s it slide like it is no big deal. Our personalities fit perfectly. He is the most important person in my life because he came to me when my children and I needed him most. We were not in a very good place after leaving my abusive ex-husband. Spencer taught me to love myself again and what true love really is.

     My friend Rose is an important person in my life. Rose is about 5’8 she has blonde hair that is short and very thin.  She is very heavy set and is very quiet and has low self-esteem. Rose is an important person in my life because she has taught me that true friends look beyond the outer shell of a person. She taught me that not everyone is perfect and that it’s ok.  Rose even though she is nothing like me has turned out to be one of the best friends I have ever had. She does not parent like me. She is not clean like me. She has an abusive husband that she stays with anyways. We are just complete opposites yet we have been great friends for years. Rose has taught me a lot about myself and I believe I have taught her to be stronger and to value herself more.

       My father is an important person in my life. My dad is 5’8, and he is heavy set. He is balding on top and what hair he has left is almost white.  He dresses in jeans and old t-shirts and is a very giving man. Growing up he took my side quite often. He saw the unfairness that was going on in our home and did his best to try to help me. He is man who avoids conflict so this was hard for him most of the time.  My dad taught me that everyone deserves a chance and just because people can do bad things it does not make them bad people. Everyone deserves a second chance.  He taught me that hard work may mean you have to sacrifice but that it is what men do for their families.  He also taught me that people can change and become more caring, loving people. My father is a good man.

    

Crescent City California

Crescent City California on the fourth of July is one of the best places on earth.  Crescent City is located in northern California on the coast a few miles from the Oregon border.  It is located in the beautiful redwoods (the tallest trees in the world) and is a small town filled with great people. We camp there every year for the fourth of July and it is such a relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city life. There are plenty of camping spots or you can stay in a hotel or motel. There is great dining and plenty of attractions as well. Trees of Mystery is a few miles away, home of the famous Paul Bunyan and his blue ox babe.  Undersea world is located in crescent city on the wharf and for a small fee you can take a tour, pet live sharks, starfish and sea urchins and watch a seal and sea lion show.  Down on Front Street there is a wildlife sanctuary where you can see baby seals and sea lions that are recovering and waiting to be released back into the wild. On Front Street there is a great indoor pool, it is called the Fred Meyer pool. They have a heated pool and a waterslide. About a half a mile down the road is a beautiful lighthouse that you can get to when the tide is low and you can go inside to explore. Everywhere you look there are sea urchins and starfish to pick up and play with and large ground squirrels who have decided showing off for humans is a quick way to get fed. They will actually climb in your lap and eat the food you give them.  The air is clean and the streets are not crowded. The people are friendly and welcome you with open arms.  On the fourth of July they have a great parade and the entire town gets involved, I know because growing up I was in it every year.  They parade through the streets for over an hour throwing out candy to all the kids and then everyone goes down to Front Street for the festivities. They have live bands, great food, face painting, helicopter rides over the Pacific Ocean and lots of dancing. It is just a great family event and a wonderful break from the busy southern California lifestyle.

Blog entry week 12

I found the book fast food nation to be very interesting to say the least. I think most of us know some of this stuff. We just choose to act like it doesn’t really happen. I found many parts of the book disturbing. I never realized how many people were affected by something that seems so normal to us.  Fast food restaurants have ruined many people’s lives. Yes I believe we all make a choice to go through that drive through, however it has been made so easy for us. The cost of eating out at these unhealthy fast food restaurants can often be much cheaper than getting healthy food from the store and cooking at home. I do not think it is the fast food companies fault entirely, yet they do have to share some of the blame. If your best friend is an alcoholic and they are trying to quit drinking and you offer then some alcohol and tell them everything will be fine, are you not somewhat responsible? A good person would not put that temptation in front of them. Yet we have a fast food restaurant on every single corner.  After reading this book I am definitely more aware of what I am putting in my body and I do not eat out nearly as often as I did. I hope as a country we can all learn to be healthier so we can live longer and have happier lives.

Blog Entry 11

Blog entry week eleven

The truth was… I have been swimming in the ocean on the shores of Japan.

How is the semester going for me? Well it has been tough. I have quite a bit of stuff going on at home and we are trying to have a baby so school is becoming harder than expected. Lots of bed rest doctor’s orders and most instructors don’t seem sympathetic to the situation so I have just been doing the best I can. I have a husband who is in the navy and he is very busy, and on call at all times. I have three kids ages from 12-15 and they keep me very, very busy. I have college full-time and quite a bit if duties at our church as well. I love to be active. However with all the baby stuff it has become difficult. My husband and I have had over five miscarriages and are considered very high risk so my doctors are very strict on what I am allowed to do at this point. I am however still determined to finish this semester and make the dean’s list again as I did last semester. The payoff for me will be obviously my degree and transferring to a university. Most importantly showing my children that dreams do come true and no matter your age or the length of time you have been out of school, you can still accomplish anything you set out to accomplish. My children and my husband are my motivation for my success. My children are always asking how I am doing and we are always comparing grades, I have always taught them that C is average and they are not average. So I expect more out of them. I myself have to live up to those same standards as well. My husband is in college at a university and we are always in a competition over who has the better grades. That keeps me motivated because I like to win.

5 Lies and 1 truth

1)      I have six children.

2)      I have been swimming in the ocean on the shores of Japan.

3)      I used to be a dancer.

4)      My husband is ten years older than me.

5)      I was adopted.

6)      I have a baby corn snake.

Favorite movie and song

Here is a link to the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w5s6V8rQH4

hopefully it works, I have never done this before.

Lyrics provided by http://www.kovideo.net/

Source

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

 Played in the movie mannequin

-Artist: Starship

-peak Billboard position # 1 for 2 weeks in 1987

-Words and Music by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond

Lookin' in your eyes I see a paradise

This world that I've found is too good to be true

Standin' here beside ya want so much to give you

This love in my heart that I'm feelin' for you

Let 'em say we're crazy I don't care about that

Put your hand in my hand baby don't ever look back

Let the world around us just fall apart

Baby we can make it if we're heart-to-heart

And we can build this dream together

Standing strong forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us nothing's gonna stop us now whoa no

I'm so glad I found you I'm not gonna lose you

Whatever it takes I will stay here with you

Take you to the good times see you through the bad times

Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do

Let 'em say we're crazy what do they know?

Put your arms around me baby don't ever let go

Let the world around us just fall apart

Baby we can make it if we're heart-to-heart

And we can build this dream together

Standing strong forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us nothing's gonna stop us ooh

All that I need is you

All that I ever need

All that I want to do

Is hold you forever forever and ever

And we can build this dream together

Standing strong forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us nothing's gonna stop us

Build this dream together

Standing strong forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And we can build this dream together

Standing strong forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us nothing's gonna stop us

Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop us Now (Mannequin) LYRICS

I have a friend named Rose. She is in her thirties and is married with two children. One of her children is mentally disabled. She has been married for fourteen years. When I met Rose I thought “this family is white trash” and never planned to associate myself or my family with them. Rose is not a very clean person and I on the other hand have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) with cleanliness. Rose did not celebrate her children’s birthdays with parties and their clothes were always worn and never fit. Rose did however have a nice car, and her husband drove a new Shelby mustang.  When I moved here I did not have many friends and still don’t, but she was kind to me and welcomed me into the neighborhood. Over time I got to know Rose and realized that she had a terrible marriage. Her husband cheated, he mistreated the children and treated her terribly as well. This made it even harder for me to be her friend. You see I am a very outgoing, assertive type person and looked at her as being weak. As I came to know Rose I learned she had a terrible childhood. Rose was abused sexually and physically and mentally growing up. She grew up in a home with very little money and little involvement from her parents. I slowly realized this life was all she really knew. Abuse was normal to her and because she did not have nice things as a child, she didn’t think her kids should either. Rose had a large family and had two brothers that were mentally disabled and they were never given any special care, so she did not know her son would need that extra care. As time went on I found that Rose had a HUGE heart and was willing to do just about anything for anyone, (which was part the problem) and was a great person. I was able to teach her to be stronger although she is still with her husband, she has made a huge improvement in her ability to speak up when she feels something is not right. Rose has taught me more than she could ever know. I judged her before I gave her a chance and she turned out to the BEST friend I have ever had in my entire life. She is so positive and always sees things in a good way. That is something that took me almost thirty years to accomplish. I looked at her as weak when in reality she has always been strong, sure we still parent differently and I would have left her husband years ago; but Rose taught me that even though life can really suck and it is not fair, you can still see the world as a good place and still trust people. She also taught me one of the most important things in life, not to judge someone before you give them a chance. Had I went with my initial thoughts I would have never met the greatest friend I’ve ever known.

Interview of a classmate

Interview of a classmate

The person I interviewed was Paola Barajas. Paola is 19 years old and this is her second semester at Oxnard College. Paola was born in Los Angeles California. She is the oldest of three children and has a younger sister and brother. Paola went to Oxnard high school, and attends Oxnard College because she lives just across the street with her parents. Paola is an adventurous, understand and determined young lady. She goes to college full time and works part time at Wienerschnitzel. Paola’s role model is her father. Paola is enjoying the freedom that she gets from attending college. She likes to be the one to decide when and if she goes to class.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/17134182408366080644

My first essay

The day I finally decided to leave my abusive husband.

        

    March 10^th 2001 was a normal day for me. It was around 9am and I was on my way home from work and was planning on doing some cleaning before I went to pick the kids up from daycare. It was a warm and sunny day and I had spent the earlier part of my morning at work and was just ready to get home. When I pulled into the driveway everything seemed normal so I opened the garage and parked my van inside. I had just bought a van, it was an older van and nothing special but to me it was like heaven. I had three kids under the age of five and a van was exactly what I had needed. The week before I had a new stereo put in the van and I was very excited about that because I love music and my kids and I love to sing in the car.

      I went into the house and sat my purse and keys on the kitchen counter and began doing dishes. I turned the radio on as I usually do when I am cleaning the house and got to work, on days of overdue cleaning. Within about ten minutes the radio shut off, I went to inspect and realized my power was out. I tried the phone and it was out too. I went into the garage to smoke a cigarette; I smoked in the garage because I never smoked in the house and had recently moved into this new house to get away from my abusive husband. I tried to avoid hanging around outside of the house because we lived in a small town about 90,000 people and everyone talked so I knew my chances of him finding me were more likely if I smoked outside.

    While in the garage I heard the side door knob turning, it was locked and found it odd that someone was messing with my garage door in the middle of the day. I stayed quiet and hid on the side of my van away from the door. I did not try to get in the house because the door leading into the house was right next to the door leading out of the garage and I was afraid whoever was at that door  would open it as I went by it. Within about two minutes the door was opened and it was my husband, he smelled the smoke and knew I was in the garage so yelled for me to come out of hiding and I did. I never tried to run from him because he was 5’9 pure muscle and the star running back from our high school (where we met) and a state track champion. I knew I could never outrun him and it would have probably been worse for me if I had tried.  He walked up to me and said he loved me, I said “I don’t care I do not love you anymore you need to leave” and that was it for him. He grabbed me by my hair and began to drag me across the garage up the two stairs and into my house.

      He knew where he was going which only lead me to believe he had been in my house before most likely while I was at work. He drug me down the long hallway past all three bedrooms and into the kitchen where he proceeded to tell me he had cut all the power and phone lines to my house so I could not call for help and if I screamed nobody would hear me anyways. He continued with his ramblings of how much he loved me and that he had told me before that I could never leave him alive and that he would kill me first. He then asked me why I wouldn’t just stay with him so we could be a family. I explained that I was not in love with him anymore and that the years of abuse had finally taken its toll on me. He started talking about my new van which was totally off the subject and at that point I knew he was on something.

   

           Throughout our relationship he had sold crack and I had long suspected he used but now was seeing it was true. He went on about how he heard that I had a new stereo put in my van and that I probably would listen to my country music in it and he would not be able to listen to his music. I told him he would never ride in my van so it didn’t matter and he slapped me as hard as he could across the right side of my face, breaking all the blood vessels in my right eye and even some in my left eye. He then proceeded to drag me back down the long hallway by my hair and to my bedroom. He threw me on the bed and accused me of sleeping with other men in that bed when he said it should have been him. He then began to attempt to rape me.

       Normally I wouldn’t cry because I had too much pride to give him that satisfaction but I was in so much pain I could not hold back the tears. He started to pull my shirt off and I asked him why if he loved me so much would he treat me this way and want to cause me so much pain? He responded by saying that he did love me and that he wanted to make love to me. I told him when I am crying and saying no that it is rape, not making love and for some strange reason he actually stopped. He got up just sat at the end of my bed listening to me sob.  Usually when something like this would happen, I would yell at him saying he was crazy and that I did not love him, even sometimes saying there was someone else even though there never really was. I was just trying to upset him and he would beat me, then apologize and run out the door knowing the cops would soon be on their way. This time was different I could tell by the look in his eyes he wasn’t just going to leave he had bigger plans. I had to stay calm and think my way out of this. I tried to reason with him. I explained how for years he had been cheating on me and abusing me and stalking me and when

you really love someone that is not how you treat them. I told him I was hurt by the fact that he 

could do that to someone who was the mother of his children and how I never had a fighting chance 

based on his strength.

         He thought about it for a minute then he looked up at me and said then why don’t you have someone beat my ass. I said you don’t understand it is different when the person you loved and married and had children with puts their hands on you, it is nothing like having a stranger do it. He looked up again and said okay then you hit me and show me what it feels like. At this point I knew that there was no reasoning with someone like him but I had to get out of this situation before he ended up killing me. I said to him I won’t do it because you will just hit me back, so how can I be sure you won’t hit me? He didn’t respond so I said, I could tie your hands up first so that I know you can’t hit me back and he nodded and said okay that is a good idea. I had another set of keys to my van on my dresser and I knew if I could just keep him tied up long enough I could get out of the house before him.

      I had him sit in a chair as far away from the door as possible and used a neck tie to tie his hands behind his back. He sat compliant the entire time, I then said I really have to use the bathroom and I walked towards the bathroom grabbing my keys on the way. He was facing away from the bathroom so he did not see me leave the room, however I am sure he heard the door to the garage slam shut behind me. I ran to the garage door and opened it manually because my power lines were cut and jumped in the van as quickly as possible. As I was backing out of the garage he came running into the garage after me. I drove off as quickly as possible and began driving to a friend’s house to call the police. When I got to my friend’s house they saw my face all swollen and the blood vessels broken in my eyes so they took me to the hospital, the cops met us there. The doctors were amazed at how much damage had been done from just one open hand hit to the face. They insisted on doing a CAT scan to check for brain damage. While I was at the hospital the cops were at my house trying to see if he was still there. He was gone by the time they got there and they issued a warrant for his arrest. He already had 6 warrants pending for prior abuse; the cops had been unsuccessful at catching him for years. He would run from them, hop fences and by the time they got the dogs or helicopters to the area he was nowhere to be found. I knew they would not catch him this time either.

     The CAT scan showed that there was no brain damage and I was told I could go. I was too afraid to go home and I certainly was not planning on taking my kids there. I had been with this man for over five years and I knew he would be back and most likely soon. He was not afraid of the cops because he knew he could outrun them even if they were an arm’s reach away which he had proven numerous times before. I also knew that he probably had my keys to the house and the van because they were in the kitchen and I had taken a spare set to get away. I was told that it could take a few days to get the power and phone back on in my house because he had actually cut the wires not just unhooked them. I knew that I had to go home to pack stuff for myself and for my kids so that we could stay somewhere for a few days. I asked a friend of mine to go with me and bring her boyfriend. Her boyfriend looked like a biker and had a long beard; he was about 6’2 and 350 pounds so I figured he might scare my husband away if he had decided to come back.

          When we got to my house it was thrashed, my husband had gone through the place just throwing everything around. My friend and her boyfriend stayed for about thirty minutes but they had started arguing so I just told them I would be fine and they went home. Within minutes my husband was back, he was crying and telling me that he was sorry and he left earlier and went to a marriage counselor to try to get help and said he had a receipt to prove it. He asked me to go with him to another appointment he had set up for the both of us that same day at 4:30pm and it was 4:00pm already. I knew I had to use my brain again to outsmart him and more importantly I had to deliver him to the police because it would never end otherwise.

       Trying to talk him into turning himself in was out of the questions so I came up with another plan. Luckily for me my husband was not real smart and I don’t mean that in a rude way, he really was below average in the intelligence area.  I told him that I didn’t believe he went to a marriage counselor and asked for the proof. He pulled two cards out of his pocket along with a receipt for $30 for a therapy session. One of the cards was a business card for the therapist he saw and the other was an appointment card for our session that he scheduled for that day. He kept saying he loved me and that we could save our marriage, that he had talked to this guy and there was hope for us. He kept saying I know that you still love me.  I said to him, I don’t know if it will help but I will go and then I told him to get in the van and we drove to the address on the business card. We parked the van and went into the lobby to check in and sat down waiting for our names to be called. Those ten minutes felt like hours. The woman behind the desk said the therapist was ready to see us and we both stood up, I turned to my husband and said I want to talk to him alone first. I was praying he would not catch on to my plan. He nodded and said that’s fine. I walked down the hall to the man’s office, thinking at any moment my husband would realize what I was doing and come up behind me.

        I went into the office and shut the door. The man introduced himself and asked me to have a seat. I looked at him in disbelief and told him to call 911. He seemed confused, so I asked him if he had met with my husband earlier and asked if my husband had explained that day’s events to him and he said yes. I was furious, I said what kind of person listens to a man explain how he beat his wife and then encourages him to bring her in for a therapy session. I walked to his desk grabbed the phone and said do I push 9 to get an outside line? He looked at me in disbelief and just nodded his head. I then dialed 911. I explained who I was and where I was and that my husband was in the lobby. Within three minutes I heard helicopters and my husband running down the hall past the office I was in while the cops were yelling his name and telling him to stop.

         I waited in the office for a few minutes afraid to come out right away and proceeded to yell at the therapist. I told him that my husband had beat me, held me hostage and had told him all of that and instead of calling the police he had the audacity to schedule us an appointment. I then went on to explain that my husband had numerous warrants for the abuse. He apologized and I left his office to speak with the police officers. My husband was still running and they had dogs and helicopters on him, I sat with the police until I received the confirmation that he had finally been caught. The dogs had chased him into the Sacramento River and he cannot swim so he surrendered. The next few months were filled with court hearings and meetings with the district attorney’s office and finally his sentencing. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for the assault, cutting of the wires and holding me hostage and the judge issued a ten year stay away order so that he could not come around me or my children. In court he kept turning to me and saying I love you and that he was sorry.  I asked my job to relocate me to southern California where I knew no one and moved here to start over. I am now happily married to a good man, for years I never thought they existed and I am finally really happy. It took me almost 6 years to leave my ex-husband but after that day even though it was only one of the numerous times he had abused me and not even the worst. I somehow had the courage to leave for good.

People and texting today…

People and texting today…
I have decided to write about texting and driving. Almost everybody does it or has done it at some point even if they are ashamed to admit it. I do not think that people really understand the consequences of such a simple everyday thing. When we hear our phone go off there is this urgency for most people to read what was sent to them or answer it, after all it could be an emergency right?  However if you answer that call or text, you might be the one in the emergency. How important is your life? How important is the life of the family in the car in front of you? Maybe there is a newborn in that minivan in front of you or a pregnant woman. Is that text so important that their lives don’t really matter? It is a fact that texting while driving kills. If you don’t believe it then ask the people who can’t talk to their kids or loved ones any longer because someone had to answer that text. What is so important that it can’t wait until you get to your destination? The answer is simple, nothing is that important and if you think it is then pull your car over, be responsible and respond to the text with your car in park. Don’t do it while driving it is just NOT worth it.

Reality television….

Reality television….
       My opinion on reality television shows would be they are for the most part ridiculous. I am in my thirties and I guess that stuff just does not interest me as much as others. I can see the appeal to teens because my children come home talking about these shows after school (I do not let them watch them). I think some of the most disturbing stuff I see is this jersey shore show. How can watching people hook up with anything that walks or talks be entertainment and getting drunk and being inappropriate in public be seen as entertainment? I just don’t see this as being a good show for kids to watch and I would never waste my time. Reality shows can vary from one extreme to the other as well. You have for instance the next great baker show, which I do watch; it is about a group of people competing to become the next great baker. This show is not inappropriate nor does it teach negativity and promote illegal behaviors. I think some of these shows are targeting the younger audience and know that they would rather watch people partying maybe because they can relate due to their age? I just don’t really understand it. I think if it is a show where you can actually learn something then it can be beneficial, if it is just fighting and screaming and drinking then it’s not worth putting on television.
       I do believe that it has an effect on our society today. I know for my children personally they see these shows and think this is normal and fun and because it is so popular right now they are under the impression that it is a cool thing to be doing.  I turned the television on the other day and Jersey shore was on the screen, it was taking me a few minutes to get my remotes together so that I could get the television to my previously recorded shows that I watch, my daughters were standing by my door and were watching this show. On the screen “snookie” was drunk on the beach and was falling all over the place until she finally was arrested for being drunk in public and taken in a police car to the police station. My daughters ages 13 and 15 were laughing hysterically. Then my 13 year old made the comment about how funny this show is and that all her friends watch it and talk about it at school. She is only 13 years old, what are kids her age doing watching something like that? So my personal conclusion would be yes, these reality television shows do affect our society today and depending on which reality show you are watching it can be a very negative impact or a positive impact. Unfortunately we cannot control what the networks put on the television but as in my own home and in yours, we can control what comes onto our personal televisions and what our children watch.

Fast food

 My history with fast food started at the age of about two years old. I grew up with both parents working and we ate out most evenings, usually at fast food places. When I was younger we would go to restaurants more often and sit down together to eat, as I got older probably about the sixth grade I started going myself and with friends to fast food places to hang out and socialize. Living in a small town even on the weekends we would all drive to a fast food place and hang out together. We went to McDonald’s the most often and the other places we went were to taco bell, Burger King and Wendy’s. My mother did not cook often and I found myself as a teenager even looking for open fast food places on holiday’s which  (not an easy task). I think I ate at McDonald’s about every day. I would usually eat a double cheeseburger with extra onions and a large fry and a coke. I never really thought about how I felt at the time, but thinking back I think I felt fulfilled and happy at that time.
       My fast food habits now are very different from when I was growing up. Not too long ago they were still quite similar. I found myself even as an educated adult still eating out every day. I took my kids through the drive thru because it was easier and often less expensive than actually cooking meals at home. I was the one eating out most often; I ate at fast food restaurants every single day at least once a day sometimes twice. I frequented Burger King and McDonald’s the most. In 2009 I had gastric bypass due to my size, afterwards I was forced to eat healthier. I began cooking meals at home making sure we were eating baked not friend and got into a great routine.  I am actually embarrassed to say this but as of the past few weeks I have found myself heading back to fast food places, since I have started going back to school it seems to be convenient to  run through the drive thru once in a while and grab a quick snack. I know how unhealthy it is to eat at these places and not just because of my weight gain prior to the surgery, because we have all seen the studies on fast food restaurants and how unhealthy they are for you to eat at yet it just feels like they suck you in anyways. I feel like if I get something grilled or don’t drink a soda it’s not as bad, the problem is unless you are the one cooking the food you do not really know what is in it. I think that the fast food industry is huge and unfortunately most people in our society see it the way I always did, it’s cheaper and easier and so we keep going to that drive thru and putting that food into our bodies and our children’s bodies and we probably will continue even as sad as that sounds.

About Me

    My name is Wendy and I was born in Beautiful Crescent City California in 1979. It is on the coast on the California/Oregon border. I lived there with my parents and two sisters until I was 10 years old. I am the middle of three daughters. At the age of 10 we moved to Redding California, needless to say I was not happy about the move and begun acting out. I was what you would call an out of control teenager and lived on the streets most of my teenage years until becoming pregnant at the age of 16. three days after my 17th birthday I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Justicce. She truly saved my life because I was definitely headed in the wrong direction.
      I am now 32 years old, I have three beautiful children two girls and a boy. ages 11 to 15 and have been divorced and am now remarried to a wonderful man of 8 years.we are currently trying to have some children together. My children are my world. I am now in my second semester of college at Oxnard and before attending here I went to college in Redding 13 years ago. My major is Psychology and I am enjoying being back in school although tough at times to juggle my family and college. My passion is to help people and I really feel with the degree I am getting I will be able to do that. I am not as close to my parents as i should be and my mother died last semester to brain cancer so it has been a rough last couple months' for my entire family, especially my father.
    In the future, I hope to have more children, still be happily married, I hope to be successful in life and just be happy and have everyone around me happy as well. I have a long road ahead of me but if my life has taught me anything it has taught me that i am capable of whatever I set my mind to.