A Whole New World...

I started blogging in 2002 at a time when blogging was new, when Blogger was the platform, and before Dooce was infamous. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon this medium, but I can tell you that it got me through one of the darkest chapters of my life. I haven't blogged in ages...I think it's been somewhere around 15 years. I've written here and there, but I haven't really embraced this art form in quite some time, and as you might imagine, SO MUCH HAS CHANGED. First and foremost, let me start by saying that life is really, really good. I've had some major uphill battles, some really REALLY dark moments, but I just spent nearly three hours reading every single one of my old posts, and I just don't even recognize that girl. I can honestly tell you, I love myself now. I'm really comfortable with who I've become, I'm very grateful for where I am right now, and I owe so much to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (That's not even a joke...that's totally real.) Collier and I were married about 13 years ago. We bought our first house, a townhome, and raised the children there. We sold our house and moved downtown for a little over a year, I quit drinking, and then we purchased our second home - our forever home - about five years ago. We live in a beautiful 4,000 sq. ft. home on 3-1/2 acres out in the country; my dad built a home on our property, and he and my stepmom live here, too, along with Collier's mom, Chynna, and Chynna's 3-year-old. That's right, I'm a Nonna. (Don't ever call me grandma.) I just finished my undergrad last week; I now have a BS in Healthcare Management. I've been working for Providence for seven years in the Telehealth department, and I'm really thriving as a Program Manager. Darien lives in the Pearl District with his girlfriend, and both of my children are in college working on their undergrad degrees. We had to put our little Ollie Pop down today. Oliver was the dog we purchased right after moving into our first home. When we got him from the Humane Society, they said they thought he was between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2, and that was 12 years ago. He was always so scared of me, even though I could not have treated him better; Collier was his best friend, and Collier is really missing his little Ollie Pop today...I hate seeing him so torn up. I'm writing because my life is different, I have more time, I want to be able to capture things that happen, and I really miss it. My grandson just got home from daycare, so I need to go give him a big hug. He's excited for his prize (thank you, Dollar Store).