The Edge of Seventeen...

 No, it's not a Stevie Knicks song... its a Monday Show and Tell Link Up! I saw this over at Mrs. K and Captain J, and decided to link up. My life has been so full of studying and things are so mundane lately, I figured a good link up might give me something interesting to write about! This week's topic is

"When I was 17..."

1. When you were 17, tell us what kind of car you drove, where you worked, and what you were usually up to on the weekends?

I drove a 1990 Plymouth Sundance, which was affectionately named "Limpy". It was a piece of crap car, but I loved it! I had a seasonal job working at a haunted house, and I also worked at Wendy's. On the weekends, we'd cruise State Street (classy), hit up the movies, or just go out and goof off. There isn't much to do in Salt Lake City when you are 17, especially not in 1998.

2. Show us a picture of you when you were 17 {roughly}.

This is a picture of me with my best friend (I'm on the right). We wore uniforms to school, so that's why we are so stylishly dressed!  

3. When you were 17, tell us what you wanted to be when you "grew up."

My goal was to become a High School History Teacher. I also planned to be graduated from college and married by 22, and a mom by 25. Instead, I was academically suspended from college, ended up working in insurance, got married at 26, graduated with a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice at 28. Now I'm 31, still working in insurance, getting an MBA, and I still don't have any children... Funny how things never work out like we think they will!

4. When you were 17, tell us the kind of boys that you dated. Did you have a type? Do you have a relationship you remember well? Tell us about it.

I only had one serious boyfriend in high school and we dated all through my Senior year.  I remember that relationship very well... It was full of fun, drama and craziness, like a lot of teenage relationships tend to be. We thought we'd be together forever, but luckily that didn't happen! We were way too young and not very compatible. He and I still converse from time to time and he's happily married with three kids now. I used to love "bad-boys"... you know, a little more alternative, trouble-making and edgy. Now I'm married to a straight-laced Airman. How things change!

5. When you were 17, tell us where you pictured your life 10 years from then. Did it turn out the way you expected it to?

I figured I'd be married, a mom, and have a career set in place. I'm married, but the other two haven't come to fruition yet... and I'm okay with that. I think if my 17 year-old self could see me now, she'd be most surprised that I became a military wife and I have left my hometown. That was something I would have never pictured for myself. I also would never have pictured myself getting two Masters degrees, so in that respect I exceeded my own expectations! When you are young, you think you can map out your whole life. Now that I'm older, I have no idea where I'll be in ten years! All I hope for is that wherever I am and whatever I'm doing, I just hope I'm content and happy.

 
 

Wednesday Walkabout!

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for the Wednesday Walkabout! This is a blog-hop where you can find other great blogs to follow! It's also a good way to see and be seen... Head on over to one of the hosts and link-up!

Happy Hump Day!

October and Me

Since leaving Utah and moving to Texas, October and I have had a strained relationship. The month leading up to Halloween was always full of hard work, fun, friends, and all-around good times, until three years ago...

When I was 15, I started working at a seasonal haunted attraction in Utah. I spent six weeks running around and scaring the poop out of people. I met some amazing people and fell in love with haunting. At age 18, I became Cast Director of the Nightmare on 13th Haunted House (the best haunted attraction EVER), and spent the next eleven Halloween seasons managing, developing and promoting one of the country's greatest haunts and working with some of the most fun-loving freaks in the world! It was a big, big part of my life and my identity.

My last Halloween season with Nightmare on 13th was in 2009, and it was my favorite season. We had orders to Texas, and Mr. Duh had already moved. Since I knew my time there was coming to an end, I savored every last minute of it. I didn't sweat the small stuff and just had a good time with all my amazing coworkers.

I have always said that leaving that job was the hands down hardest thing about leaving home. I know all my friends and family will always be there whenever I decide to return home... but I'll never get to go back to my job at the haunted house. I had to leave that part of my life for good, and I was not ready to say goodbye.

My first October sans-Nightmare on 13th was difficult. It was kind of like going through a bad break-up. I couldn't really face the fact that it was Halloween. I hadn't had a "normal" Halloween season since I was 14 years old, and I definitely felt something was missing. Seeing the Facebook posts of all my friends and coworkers was like a knife to the gut... I still wanted to be there participating in the haunted house festivities! I put on a brave face during October, but spent most of Halloween night holding back tears.

I'm now on my third October without the haunted house, and it gets a little easier each year... but it still makes me sad. I'm trying to get into all of the "normal" Halloween things that people do, like carving pumpkins, decorating my house, getting costumes, going to parties, and attending haunted houses. For the most part, it feels like filler... but I'm starting to enjoy it a little.

The saying about break-ups goes like this, "It will take you half as much time as the length of the relationship to get over the break-up." So, after a 13 year relationship, I should be back to normal in about 6.5 years... Three years down, and three more to go!