Dialing back a few years...

Dialing back a little, here is where we come from.

James and I met in 1993.  Our friend Gina introduced to us.  My child, Ian was 5 when James and I first met.  He was 6 when James and I began seeing each other.  He was 7 when he moved in with James and me in Arizona.

Ian was born in 1987.  His father and I separated and eventually divorced in 1988.  I stayed primarily in California until Ian was 6.  I needed to leave for financial and emotional reasons in 1993.  Shortly after I returned back to Arizona, the Northridge quake hit and shook James into Arizona.  That summer, Ian moved to Arizona with me and began attending Park Meadows Elementary School in 2^nd grade.

Ian was my little man.  The worked revolved around his needs.  I was fortunate to land a wonderful job at PCS Health Systems and provide a great home for Ian.  James was working his way through the IT world.  We were both attending college.

Ian lived with us until he was 10.  He decided dad’s place was better.  It wasn’t.  Then he returned until he was 16-1/2.  Then back to dad’s.  That’s an entirely different blog.

My father, Ian’s grandfather passed away in January 1999.  I believe this was the beginning of the fracture in our relationship.  He was so grief stricken.  I was too.  I tried to take the pain away, but was unable to find tools to do this for him.  Within 4 years, he moved back with his dad.  Soon, his grandmother (my mother) passed away in December 2004.  The relationship did not improve.

I’ve been a mom for 25 years now.  I do not have it down pat.  I just have a lot of experience.

Ian is my oldest and honestly a test case for me.  He is still my joy and I love him so dearly.  He will always be my baby boy, even if he’s a daddy himself now.