A Decade in review:

The year leading up to 1999 were years of new discoveries - we traveled every chance we got. Quick trips to the East Coast - My 1988 Dodge Omni carried us farther than I would trust my current van but perhaps it is the youthful optimism and sense of invincibility that helped us make it. We camped in Upstate New York and befriended the local store owners who gave us free pizza in exchange for C asking the man's partner to marry him (I assume they were joking around), stayed overnight in an empty campground in Pennsylvania, drove through Boston to visit Salem, visited Niagara Falls. Not in that order, we kind of inched East, testing the little car's limits and taking longer weekends each time.

June of 1999 - we dropped the lease on the little house we rented (in MI), moved all of our stuff to the in-laws and hit the road. Our travel took us down to West Virginia where C nearly got head butted by a buck in the campground while I hid in the tent both laughing and a little worried as he flailed around on the picnic table. We spent a day or two with his family, woke up to a flat tire and once that was repaired, headed into the deep South.
Once there, we spent about a week in St. Petersberg with friends, who we later relocated with to Minneapolis. The only event of note while there was my forced (pressured, signed up against my will) participation in a wet t-shirt contest (with a bathing suit under the shirt!!). Somehow I was one of the finalists but flipped the audience off and ultimately walked off laughing. Crazy times!

Our trip took us through the humidity of the Southern coast where I could barely sleep in the tent while dressed but didn't feel safe not being so. In Texas we experienced some shady activities while sleeping in the car at rest stops. Looking back, I think we were in danger at one point but didn't allow ourselves to be as vulnerable as we could have and I think the perps backed off, we drove away soon after, paranoid about their intentions. I came very close to having a heat stroke between Texas and New Mexico and we were forced to break out the credit card for the first time and get a motel room. Again, looking back, I should have gone to the ER but didn't out of fear of a big bill (no insurance at the time). After that, we headed back North up through Colorado - I didn't want to play with that heat any more. Besides, we were traveling and camping, one drive through a campground in NM proved that camping down there would be a whole new experience that I wasn't ready/prepared for at the time. Heading North was absolutely the right choice! Colorado was a wealth of free camping, ice cold rivers to glean water from and great views. We next hit up Oregon, Washington and Northern California then with under $100 (besides the credit card) left, we decided we better head home. We logged a month on the road and I yearn for that experience often.

Once back in MI, we were sure that we were ready to fly the coop. Traveling was the first step, moving the second. BUT! There became a slight road bump. I had become pregnant! Over that year we had been pretty lax about protection, tempting fate to do what it needed to do. I've never been one to plan for something like that - it never seems like a great time to have a child but NOW that we've started the wheels in motion to plan a move - to either St. Pete or Minneapolis, this baby in me is throwing a wrench in our plans. Despite the unexpected, we moved forward with plans (mostly).
Thanksgiving came, C and our friend L moved out to Minneapolis and got us a place in Uptown. I drove out in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve (my first real day to explore the city was Christmas Day which was great because it was so quiet and surreal) and so it began.

2000 - I was able to land a job at the 24th and Hennepin Walgreens pretty quickly and soon was hired in to the Animal Humane Society which, at the time, was more in my line of work and experience. By my 8th month of pregnancy, in May, I was still lifting dogs onto the exam tables and squeezing into cages to vaccinate and such. I refused to quit and sit around. Two weeks before I had Ariana, my mother-in-law drove out to pick me up and brought me home to MI to prepare for the inevitable. C came out THE DAY I had Ariana which didn't make me very happy or feel very supported.

2001 - Our stint in MI lasted a year and we were able to get back to Minneapolis and move ahead in our lives. This time we landed a 2 bedroom in a 40 unit building, we quickly took over as caretakers which gave us free rent but didn't cover expenses or utilities. I took a job at Whole Foods to cover that. Around this time, C and I's relationship started souring. I'll refrain from details but it was both of us that caused it and the pressure of being parents probably only made it more tough.

2002 - I landed a position at a high end Veterinary Hospital and spent 3 years there. It was my first living wage job I had while living here. We decided to drop the care taking gig and move into a beautiful 2 bedroom duplex in Powderhorn (a block from where I live currently). We spent about a year here and at the end, went our separate ways.

2003 - I moved into a house in Phillips with 2 other mamas and their kids, my first time ever having roommates. I had my second teenagehood for better or worse (actually it was better than my first considering I never really had a first and now I was in a city with lots of trouble, good and bad, to get into). C and I were back and forth. My roommates changed over to a man and his daughter half time and his good friend. I still worked at the veterinary hospital. I started biking for the first time since we moved to Minneapolis. Due to relationship and financial stresses - this year was a blur so I can't really be sure what else took place...

2004 - This is the year that I experienced dating for the first time. And even then that only consisted of a FWB and a couple of no touch dates with 2 others (?). But I was actually getting out there and doing things - The Bat Annex, Mala, going to shows both at venues and in punk houses, I met a lot of new people and felt involved for the first time ever. This year is also a blur - see above.

2005 - I moved on from Krookid/Icebox, the house I shared with roommates. Ariana and I got a 1 bedroom in Stevens Square, I rented in while she was back in MI visiting. C was visiting one evening and he and I were robbed at gunpoint within a week. Within a week of that incident, I adopted Pepper, our Olde Bulldogge. I had chosen that complex/company because they allowed pets anyway but the incident prompted me to move on it sooner than planned. That summer, I was having a hard time paying childcare, bills and rent so I planned to move back home for a while to regroup. I left the veterinary hospital and prepared to move (my car died soon after so that was a good move, my job wasn't busable/bikable and I would have been screwed). I backed out last minute because I wasn't able to go through with it. But now I needed a new job! Luckily, I landed a long term temporary job at Target HQ which turned into a paid position (lower pay and less cred) in the mail room. I eked that out as long as possible but ultimately couldn't do it, I had to move home. No child support, no financial assistance from anywhere except my job and that wasn't covering the basics.

2006 - Home. Back in MI. Living with the in-laws. I had to beg Barnes and Noble for a $7.15 dollar an hour job. That's how bad the job market is there. Soon after I started at the bookstore, I landed a position at a domestic violence/homeless service provider in my hometown. I had also begun school - full time. Life was busy but great overall. But living back there long term makes me unhappy. No diversity, no culture, no events, everything is car oriented. C moved back home after a visit to see us. We began doing a cleaning job on the side as well. At one point, I was working 3 jobs and still going to school full-time. The first job to go was Barnes and Noble - driving 20 miles to work there wasn't worth the pay. I could barely afford the books I was selling!!

2007 - September I moved back to Minneapolis, in with a mom, her daughter and her boyfriend. Rented a room for Ariana and I. It was a good experience overall but I was pretty depressed a lot of the time I lived there, mostly due to living in such a small space (the winter of '07 was the worst!!) and to some situations that took place. I landed a job as a server/barista at a small cafe 2 blocks from my daughter's school. This worked well for us because she could come to work with me and walk to school. When you parent alone, you need to get creative and this worked for us. She could also come to work with me when I didn't have childcare. It was a pretty straight shot from my house (about 10 blocks or so) so we were able to walk or bike to and fro rather than wait for the bus. We quickly became good friends with my co-worker and her daughter (same age as Ariana). I still consider both women to be my good friends although we don't see one another as often now that the cafe is closed and I moved out of the other's house. I can't say it was the best year of my life but I did meet some awesome people and I really enjoyed living with S other than the small room issue.

2008 - I was able to get back into school full time, my schedule at the cafe allowed me to still work and go to school and deal with Ariana. Not too much else to note. Things were going pretty well. I think this is the year I rode my first (and only so far) Babes in Bikeland - placed 65th out of 200+, I can deal with that! December 2008, I moved into our current apartment. The first apartment Ariana and I had to ourselves in years...and it's big! I was able to get some starter furniture from friends as all of my belongings were (and are still) in storage in MI. Other notable issue around this time is the case of the missing paychecks, our cafe starting having financial problems and our checks were coming later and later, for a while, we were working while not knowing if and when we would be paid. Tips were our income for a few weeks and we all shared tips so they were small. This put a cramp in getting necessities for my new place as well as providing a christmas for Ariana.

2009 - January, the cafe closed on the 12th, my car wouldn't start on the morning of the 13th, the windchill was 20 below most of the week and I started a night class the next day. STRESS! Once I got through that week and got my unemployment claim filed, things moved on. I started a work study position at the college on the 20th. This allowed my to continue my classes, to work and to still get a small unemployment amount to stretch $$. I began volunteering at S. S.'s, started an Americorps position with them in June but had to leave it in October due to the pay but I continued doing overnight shifts in the men's shelter. Last month, I was offered a part-time staff position at a normal pay rate. I am also working another 4 months at my grant funded position at T and starting classes next week.
I look forward to the year to come.