A Brief History of My Life, Part 1

Since I'm doing this, I might as well do it right.

I grew up in a small town in the San Joaquin Valley in California. You may have heard of it. Growing up, my life was fairly uneventful and I left as soon as I legally could, having joined the Air Force at eighteen.

I didn't really know what I wanted out of life, but community college (all we could afford), wasn't it. The Air Force, as it turned out, wasn't really it either, but the four years I spent in service were good ones and helped shape who I am today. It's also where I met my husband, who will be retiring from the Air Force in another three to four years.

Life has been pretty good, if not unexpectedly so.

Let me explain.

I never thought I'd have kids. Or, if I did think about it, it was in a vague sort of way that kids come with marriage. As a girl I never planned out how many children I'd have, what sex they'd be, and what I'd name them. I never had make-believe weddings, either. No, that just wasn't me.

But it is now.

I have three children, and I sometimes can hardly believe how different the life I'd planned for myself is from the one I'm actually living. In a lot of ways, it's better; way better. And sometimes the pressure of raising three children into functioning, society-contributing, good and healthy adults is frightening. There are no tangible rewards to it. Sure, there's Mother's Day, but as I've learned, that just means I plan everything out (not just for myself, but for my own mother and my mother-in-law) and hope it gets executed in some reasonable fashion, and yes, on occasion, I get the heart-strewn drawing from my middle daughter (the sensitive one); but mostly it's a never ending series of battles, big and small, piles of laundry that never get done, and endless trips to the bathroom. Each day is more challenging then the last, and it's just the kind of job you never master.

And it's great.

So, I may complain about my kids. I may get frustrated and upset and come here ranting and raving; but I love them. I love them so much, and I wouldn't change a single thing about them. They were never apart of my grand plans for a grand life, they are my life.

John Lennon said it best, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."