let's start at the very beginning

i decided that i wanted to write down my history BEFORE i was a wife and mother...seems like so long ago :) i was just thinking about how i've talked so much about my life at present, as if it appeared out of nowhere. so the story begins...

i was born in landstudl, germany december 23, 1977. my parents were stationed there with the air national guard. apparently, my birth was quite long and difficult, as were the first 8 months of my life. since i've had my own children, i've had the pleasure of hearing about my lengthy birth without pain meds and my constant crying for months on end on multiple occasions. i was no easy baby as legend has it. but, we were back in the states before my first birthday. my parents and i moved around in louisiana and mississippi for a couple of years, before settling in meridian, mississippi when i was 3. there, my little brother, andy was born in march of 1981. i remember my childhood as one filled with long days outside with my brother, lots of visits to my grandparents' houses, fun memories with family and friends, and all things good. basically, the way everyone should be able to remember their childhood.

in the summer of 1991, my dad took a job with federal express in memphis, tennessee. my family moved to germantown, right outside of memphis (where my family and i still live). it was the summer in between my 7th and 8th grade. in one of those fabulous coincidences, my parents knew a couple from their same small town in louisiana, franklinton who lived in germantown. and miraculously, they had a daughter my age. my parents ended up buying a house in the same school district where their daughter mandy attended. so, i had an automatic friend!!! luckily, mandy was a great kid who actually befriended me after her parents made her :)

so, mandy introduced me to all of her friends during the summer, and i had quite a few new friends before i started the school year. my first year in germantown was more wonderful than anyone could have imagined. and i solely thank mandy for my wonderful experience! i attended germantown middle school for 1 year, then went to germantown high school all 4 years.

i'll leave this "history" lesson on that note...i'll tell my stories of high school and college in another post!!!