Nine Years..

I can’t believe it’s been nine years.. Nine. Freakin. Years.

Nine years ago I made the best decision of my life. I packed up everything I owned into a U-Haul and moved 1,000 miles away from everything I’ve ever known.

Long story short.. My children’s father and I were together for 8 years. The majority of the time that we were together, he was in jail or prison. It got to the point where the ladies that worked in the lobby at the jail knew who I was. I would literally bring the playpen with me and set up shop while I waited for him to get released. The bail-bonds people knew me by name. It was bad. He went to prison for a year in 2008. That was a rough year. I got robbed (more than a few times), lost everything, and had nowhere to go. I ended up moving in with a guy that I had met while working at Wing House. He was one of my regulars. He offered the girls and I a place to live, rent free, while I got on my feet again. We agreed that it was the best option for us.

When my ex got out of prison, we moved out of my friend’s house. He went back to jail a few more times. The last time he got out, I told him that if he went back, I wouldn’t be there when he got out. He didn’t get in trouble for about a year, then he got caught driving on a suspended license. He was scheduled to go to court in August. I talked him into turning himself in. He went to jail. That was August 1, 2011. I didn’t waste any time. I started planning my “escape”. I had gotten a job at U-Haul in June. I had started saving every penny I could. I wasn’t able to save much because I still had bills to pay. My friend from work helped me figure out my plan.

By the end of September, I had saved around $700. I paid for the U-Haul. I got boxes from work and the local grocery store, and went home and started packing. I don’t think I’ve packed so fast in my entire life. I was ready. Ready to leave my entire life behind. Everything I knew was there, in that small town. Friends I’ve known my entire life were there, in that small town. But it was time. I needed to go.

Fast forward a few days. October 3rd. The night before I had taken all of my children’s father’s stuff to his brother’s house and dropped it off. I called my loan company and chose to do a voluntary repo. I dropped my Xterra off at work and gave my keys to my manager. I told him that they would be there to pick it up. And I left. I started driving and never looked back. I had two kids and two cats in the front of this U-Haul, driving away from the only life I’ve ever known.

Now, fast forward nine years. I am thriving!! Literally. I can’t even begin to imagine where I would be if I hadn’t have made that life altering decision. I, honestly, would probably be dead. And that’s not even a joke. So many of my “friends” from that time of my life have passed away or have gone to prison. I am so lucky to have made it out of that. Especially alive. I am so thankful everyday. Not everyone gets a second chance at life. But, for some reason.. I did. And I’m here to talk about it!

So, Happy Anniversary to me. The day my life started over!!