Chapter 1: Have you ever wanted to shout from the rooftops, I am not who you think I am?

At times, the best place to start is in the now and work your way back. From all regards, if you were to observe my life casually, you would see that it’s pretty “normal.”

I am married to an amazing man, have a son that is starting college this year, two little dogs (that I love like family), a home in the suburbs, and by most accounts am a successful businesswoman.

While all of this is true, my life didn’t start out on this trajectory. I came from a family riddled with mental illness, abuse, addiction, and have lived through some of the most unbelievable things. Even though some of these stories may seem unbelievable, I assure you that to the best of my ability to remember, they are true.

Of course, my memory does fail me at times, as I am sure all of ours does. And sometimes, memories are made up of purely one’s perception of the events and not as much on the facts.