Let Me Introduce Myself

The mess responsible for this corner of cyberspace.

Hello everyone! I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all a little about myself.

I was born in Clinton, Oklahoma on October 1st, 1990. My parents lived on a farm and raised angora goats and alfalfa hay. I've got several memories and multiple pictures of me in my pink bonnet, out on the four wheeler with any number of relatives, checking the flock.

Within two years, we moved into town, and my parents became another casualty of the divorce epidemic. I, however, am convinced everything worked out for good. We're all happier for it.

For the next several years, it was just Mom and me. I absorbed a lot of information in this time. My mother has a love of homemaking that supporting me made her unable to pursue. She's content where she is now, but I know she misses puttering. It was from her I learned the importance of keeping a house tidy, and of filling it with things you love. I watched her tend her plants and turn a wasteland of dirt into a lush garden when we moved to a new house without a stitch of green in the yard. I sat with her on the kitchen floor and learned to make real chocolate chip cookies. And she dressed me up in frills and skirts whenever I would let her.

I was also fortunate to have a close relationship with my father's mother, Nanny. Whenever she could, she would take me for the day. We would make homemade bread, embroider tea towels, feed cattle, weed the garden, and read books, all the while pretending we were outlandish characters on grand adventures.

My father is a good man, and I'm proud to call him Dad. But when I was in first grade, a true man entered our lives. My mother fell in love with and married Jay, our constant pillar of strength. He's a thoughtful, protective, warm prescence. Without him I know I would not have set the standards I have and would be far more susceptible to the dating whirlwind. He and I did not always get along as well as we do, which I regret, but we're close as can be now.

When I was in fourth grade, we moved to Oklahoma City, and I began my time in Catholic School. I had a difficult time making friends at first, but more than one person I met that first year is still close to me now. We were closer to my other grandparents now, and I got to see them more. They were able to make it to my First Communion.

My Mimi is an old Southern Belle, a Frank Sinatra fan, and a social butterfly. She can talk to just about anyone and her house has an intrinsic way of making you feel welcomed. As for my grandfather? Elvis had nothing on Pop's looks, and he's a kind, loving charmer.

In sixth grade, my faith deepened, and I was even considering the religious life for a time. Unfortunately, that was followed by a period in which I was very volatile and angry, and tempted by drugs. I began to pull out of my depression in eighth grade. Unfortunately, I also began to be drawn to paganism.

I had mixed feelings about high school. The social aspect was something I really enjoyed, but I was drowning in the classes. It wasn't for lack of trying or intelligence; I've always done well in my classes. But I wasted so much time on classes I didn't need as much work in that I began to flounder in math and science. I was depressed again, and whenever people asked how things were, I simply lied and told them 'fine.'

Once Sophomore year began, I asked my mother if I could homeschool. I drew up a proposal that impressed her, and I left high school for the world of correspondance courses. Shortly afterword, I discovered Sense and Sensibility Patterns, which fed my love of both sewing and period dress.

It wasn't long before I discovered the site's links page, and found my way over to Ladies Against Feminism.

At this same time, Jay had to go in for knee surgery. For a few weeks, he could barely limp to the bathroom. For the next several months, I was his caretaker. I was spending my days for the benefit of someone else for the first time truly in my life. At the same time, I was reading articles about a woman's purpose in life, Biblical Womanhood. The more I read, the more it made sense.

Recently, I've had another dark spell, and for the time being I'm on medication for my depression. I've noticed more than once, though, when I am bathed in the light of the Lord, I am filled with joy. My life has purpose, direction, foundation, and beauty. It's hard sometimes, pulling myself out of the muck of the world, but it's a battle I'm willing to fight.

I spend my days on schoolwork, cleaning, cooking, sewing, writing articles and blogging, listening to music (I'm addicted!), and researching my faith. I consider myself a Roman Catholic, and am having quite a time catching up on all that entails. All in all I enjoy my life, particularly the transition to Biblical Young-womanhood I am currently undergoing.