Hello everyone, I'm Dawn.
I don't know how to even sum up who I am, I come from such a crazy background.
I'm 33 y/o 1st generation cuban american. My mother immigrated to the USA in the 50's. I've been married 3 times, 2nd & 3rd to the same man, my DH John Glenn. I/we had a mental, oh what should I call it, mental lapse of SANITY around year 8 and fell into the trap of negative thinking. Gladly, I found my way back to the right path, and quickly, and we're happily together again.
I have a teenage daughter starting high school, you'll see here on here as "LaneKim" we're big Gilmore Girls fans. She's a libra, very balanced, good kid. Has troubles I could relate to my own insanity... why am I insane.. I'll touch on that next..
I was one of those troubled teens... grew up in a broken home of sorts. Abusive & drunk was my father, abusive & hateful was my mother. She was always busy with her show dogs, and he was either not home or beating one of us 5 kids. They haven't changed a WHOLE lot, but they live far away so that helps lessen what few blows I still get as an adult. I was locked up, chained up, held hostage, beaten for sport.. yadda yadda yadda. Sexually abused by brothers, uncles & a friend of the family. I was pretty much dealt a string of family bad luck. The folks dumped me in foster care at age 17 because i was "too much trouble". They were forced to take me back due to the fact that I was aging out of the system soon. I was an honors student, cuz I'm smart as a geek, but couldn't stay out of rebellion long enough to graduate HS. I was expelled Sr. year within the 1st month...
I packed my bag (1 duffel) and headed to Los Angeles by bus. What an adventure that was!!! I slept on the beach, was homeless, etc. But I made it.. got a job, got an apt... got involved with a TOO OLD guy and then got pregnant & married. We stayed together briefly, but he was also abusive & a child molestor. Anyone think it's odd I grew up being abused & molested and then married one? I don't... it's just proof that you do what you know.
We moved around from CA to TX & back again, and back again, and eventually divorced. He is now in prison for child porn, which happened 3 years after I left. I met my NOW husband in LA (louisiana) while learning to fly in a vertical wind tunnel.. he was the "expert" and I the newbie. My daughter, our daugther, fell in love with him right away, and about that time I knew he was the real "one".
Long story shorter... we married, we traveled living between Florida & here in TN. He adopted our daugther officially, finally settled down & bought a foreclosed home 3 years ago and we live happily here in the mountains. My husband didn't THINK he was an animal person, but I am, and he's becoming converted week by week.
I volunteer, boy do I volunteer. I build & sponsor
www.jumpforthecause.com, I feed hungry african children with the red cup program, I feed an entire class for 3 months at a time. I donate to the nearby animal shelter and volunteer my time. I drive dogs to be adopted or rescued as part of their rolling rescue program. I intend to open this counties first canine rescue for grump & puppies. I sponsor micro-loans with Kiva.org and other than donating locally to families in need, that's about all the charity I do.
I work from home, been running my own computer business for 7 years now or more out of my house. I consult with other agencies on computer related issues as well, and have lots of affiliate programs that bring in money as well. My husband works as a wind tunnel consultant in the aerodynamics industry, and sets his own schedule MOST of the time.
We fly in wind tunnels, we skydive although not much anymore, we alpine ski and LOVE it. We do everything with the kid of course, except skydive.. she stayed on the ground those times. I guess that's about it...
Who am I? I'm a survivor of many things, and hope for the future. I try to live in the moment, and learn something new everyday. I crave knowledge like others crave chocolate, and I'll only stop when I'm dead.
Well.. I think that's it! As a first time chicken owner, and going in full force, I can say, that I need BYC to help me understand the many dynamics in owning poultry. I have learned a ton here and will continue to do so.
Now.. I gotta go check my 'bator!
after high school graduation. In high school I was on the livestock team. We had chickens and other poultry at the high school that pretty much became mine as nobody else on the team would take care of them. Then one day some human pests came and killed them all for the fun of it
