5-8

So for first grade we went to live with my grandparents (still my dad's parents) for that entire year in Beaverton Michigan. I remember that as the most stable and secure place I ever lived in my early childhood. Was my grandmother mean sometimes? Yes. And keep in mind she was my step grandmother, he had remarried right? (let's hope you are reading this in order!) She MADE you eat your vegetables even if she made the kind you hated. And just nasty vegetables too, like brussel spouts and lima beans. But we learned order...stability..having a schedule..we had some great playmates in the houses around us. We had chickens, a pretty good size garden/farm (does 15 acres of planting count as a farm or a garden?). Occasionally when my cousin was up I got to go to my other grandparents (mom's parents) who lived on the lake in beaverton. That was amazing. Her parents were.....well let's just say me and my sister were not as well liked by them. My mom was kinda the black sheep you know? And after all she never really got her life straightened out while they were around, so they somehow thought less of her children I think as a result.

So in second grade and third grade we moved back down with dad you had remarried to Carrie. I just realized something typing this! OMG that was only like 2 years after mom had left. I really had always somehow thought it took dad longer to meet someone. I guess not...

So Carrie was hot looking, I give dad credit on that. But she was also mean. I mean she had one of those faces that you can just see the meanness in you know? I remember that woman pulling me by the ear around that house so many times....Grounding me to my room for losing a sock (wtf?!?! socks go missing in life girl!!!) I remember sticking a penny in a light socket also. This does explain alot.

I remember having at least 3 bikes stolen off our back porch. Flint sucks for crime.

I remember having nightmares. I was doing laundry (why was a 7 year old doing laundry?? Even in a dream!!!) and was carrying clean clothes in a basket. I for some reason was taking them down to a house down the street where dad and Carrie were. I went to go out the front door, and this really old woman that looked almost like the witch out of snow white picked me up, threw me over her shoulder and carried me away screaming.

Me and Carrie clashed like you wouldnt believe. I realize I probably did cause dad's divorce from her the summer after third grade. I remember him trying to connect to me once by taking me to the movies, and the movie was so awful we left like 15 minutes into it.

I hung out with my other cousin alot during that time too. I got in a wreck on his three-wheeler when I got confused between what the brake and gas were. I'm not saying I was the brightest kid. It twisted my ankle really really bad and since that day I still twist my ankle fairly easy.