I was born in 1970 in Falls Church, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. Mom left my father and struck out on her own when I was only 6 months old. Luckily, Mom met and married a great guy who adopted me as his own child. Shortly after my brother, Mike, was born, my family moved to Birmingham, England where we remained for about a year.
Upon returning from England, we moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for some time. My meandering family finally settled in Round Lake, Illinois, a small town 50 miles north of Chicago. My sister, Christine, was born in 1978. We all grew up on Highland Lake, which was a wonderful place to grow up, full of challenges and nature and things to discover. My father still lives there in the same house. I attended Grayslake High School from 1984-1986.
As the saying goes, all good things must end, and my parents divorced in 1986. Mom, Mike, Christine, and I picked up and moved to Hanover Park, IL. I graduated from Schaumburg High School in 1988.
I met my future husband in Chicago, but we have since parted ways. However two beautiful events occured during that union... the births of our daughters who are now 11 and 8.
I am now attending University of California, San Diego with a major in chemical physics. I hope to someday do materials research applicable to the space program. Well, that's about it. My whole life's story condensed into a few paragraphs. Of course, there's more to the story, and then there's the future that remains to be seen. But that's what I like about the future.