I lived most my life with my mom and step dad. There my step dad gave me an older stepbrother, from step dad’s first marriage. My mom and step dad gave me my younger half-brother. My step dad is a truck driver so he did not have much of a chance to spend much time at home. However, his ex-wife lived with us off and on. So I felt like I had two moms. She moved out for good when I was starting high school, or late junior high, I think.

My step dad sexually abused me when I was in elementary school. When my mom finally found out, I was 13yrs old, long after he had stopped. I moved in with my real dad. My mom and step dad went thru therapy, but I got nothing. I learned to cope on my own. However, I sought out acceptance by men/boys the wrong way for years. I lost my virginity at age 15yrs old.

Well my dad could not hold a job while I lived with him. When I was 15yrs old, my knees got so bad I needed surgery. My dad had no insurance to cover me. So I moved back with mom and step dad permanently.

Well, I stayed out one night, without calling mom. When I was 16, where I was, I was with a man that paid attention to me, and then took advantage of me. My mom proceeded to ground me for 2yrs! That saved the rest of my teen years! All I could do was to go to Alateen, Alateen functions, and hang with Alateen friends. Alateen is a support group for teens that have a family member that is addicted to something. That was a Godsend! I made real friends in Alateen!

Well I turned 18, and was on the right track we all thought. I graduated after much trouble of making up credits I missed in the first of couple of years of high school. I graduated on time, with my own class of 100, being the 100th graduating class of Elk River, Minnesota! I graduated June 10, 1988.

Well I was still going to Alateen then. My closest friend, Eve, was driving me home after a meeting. This was the only time I did not wear a seatbelt in her car. We decided to get some pop at the local Tom Thumb. We were talking, and she missed the first turn into Tom Thumb. This was in Otsego, Minnesota. Therefore, she had to go around the corner to get in another way. Well at this corner, she had to turn left. She failed to see an oncoming pickup truck, which hit me, and pushed the car into a deep ditch. I hit the windshield with my forehead, cracked it and slid below the dashboard. This all happened June 25, 1988.

I ended up in a coma 24hrs, ICU 2wk, inpatient rehab 2wk, outpatient rehab 6wks. Then they said that was all the better I would get. Sent me on my way!

For the next 12yrs I was on my own, lost, and making some terrible decisions. I lost much of what I learned in Alateen. I lost most of all Eve. She only got a twisted ankle in the accident. However, her mom, and Eve's guilt kept Eve from me. I have never seen Eve again. Therefore, I was on my search for attention, and love the way I searched when I was 15yrs old. I ended up pregnant, and married to one of the men. I had three kids by him. We moved to Rockford, Illinois. He could not hold a job and got violent. This lasted about 6yrs.

May 1997 (started tbichat about this time); I had enough and moved my kids and me back to my moms and step dad. My kids having terrible behavior problems all the while and I totally lost in life. My parents helped best they could without taking over. This lasted 2yrs. It did help me some to start finding myself.

I then found a place to live in, in Mellen, Wisconsin. By my dad, my kids were six, six, and seven yrs old by now. Well my first summer there, I thought I could trust my neighbors and their kids. We lived near a 14yr old neighbor boy, and a 9yr old neighbor boy molested my daughter in front of her twin brother.

During the year in Wisconsin, my oldest boy was diagnosed high functioning autism, aspergers syndrome. We were on our way to finding the right help for him.

Well the next summer I met my recent ex boyfriend in tbichat. We decided to move my whole family to Oregon, to where my ex-boyfriend lived. This relationship was a start of me and my family finally finding happiness. The relationship did not last long. However, this man started me thinking about me, taking care of me, and healing me.

After what was a very hard break up for me, (I tried suicide) I found the Lord, after ex disappeared from Oregon. I was then forced either to go back to my old depressed ways, or to look to the Lord!

The Lord has brought my family and me along ways in the past three months. We have a house, we have medical insurance, kids go to great schools, we have plenty of food all the time, and most of all WE ARE HAPPY!

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