You're probably wondering how I got here…where do I begin?! You guys remember that Selena Gomez song, “Lose You to Love Me”? The lyrics said “we’d always go into it blindly. I needed to lose you to love me. This dance was killing me softly. I needed to hate you to love me, yeah.” I met him in 1997 and by 1998, shortly after high school graduation, we were married. Every. Single. Year. of the 19 years was hard. But I was committed and in it for the long haul. One person can only take so many emotional ups and downs though, before they decide they want off of this rollercoaster. We had moments of bliss, but mostly rough times. So, after 19 yrs. of marriage, at the age of 38, I found myself with two teenagers and having to start my life all over again. Overwhelming. Very overwhelming. I had completely lost myself. I was “his” wife and “their” mom. I wasn’t Jennifer anymore. The first five years post-divorce were so weird. I thought I was living my best life, but man, I was so wrong. I was using things and people to fill a void and to find validation. I didn’t realize it at the time, though. I just thought I was bonding with my kids, dating and having fun. I still felt empty, lost and stuck in a rut. Nothing I was doing was bringing me closer to the Jennifer that I wanted to be. So, in January of 2023, I deleted the dating apps and started focusing on other aspects of my life. I started to really get back to church, volunteering my time, and focusing on myself. I’ll be honest, it is a very lonely journey sometimes, but oh so worth it. I’ve lost weight, reconnected with friends, and became a Travel Planner with specialties in Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Universal Studios. I’m in the process of registering and returning to college to finish a degree that I started in 1999. Life gets busy and gets in the way, but it’s never too late to get a degree. I may not ever use it, but it’s a goal that I’ve set for myself, and I can’t wait to accomplish it. Soooo, this is how I got here. Living my best life and having no regrets. Sometimes the sadness of losing something you never thought you would lose ends up leading you to find something bigger than you ever dreamed you’d find. Yourself.