Born and raised in Southern California, I was blessed with a childhood filled with Disneyland and beaches. I was fortunate enough to live in the same home until I was 19, despite my parents’ divorce when I was 12. Their divorce had a significant impact on my relationship with both of my parents, perhaps for the better. Certainly, I would have preferred that our family had stayed together but I strive to find the silver lining in life.

When I was attending California State University, Fullerton where I received my B.A. in Communications, I became aware that I was incredibly insecure and thought little of myself.

In becoming a wife and soon-to-be mother, I realized the necessity to seek professional help for my distorted thinking. Distorted thinking is any number of ’emotional traps’ that prevent a person from addressing negative emotions.

This step to nourish my emotional well-being came at a critical time in my life. My Mom, who was my best friend, was battling Ovarian Cancer. She fought it for five years before passing away in 2008. The professional counseling I received along with my Faith and the support of loved ones is what carried me through the devastation of her passing.

With the help of professional and medical assistance through those tougher years, I have been better able to embrace all that I am. We recently moved out of Southern California to Central Oregon. The move to a slower paced life has added to my stability. This blog is about sharing my experiences and learned insight to hopefully help others, and keep myself, from falling into the pitfalls we are privy to in our daily lives. As a bonus, I’m including my love for creating and accomplishing bucket lists, since they help me create a richer life for myself and my family.

As a wife to an incredible husband, a mother to four beautiful children, and a woman of Faith, I receive daily opportunities to debunk my irrational thoughts and live to the measure of my full potential. I’m striving to stop standing in my own way and begin moving forward as a confident wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend.