20 years?!?!

West Springfield Spartans class of 1989

There is no cause for alarm that sound you hear of someone screaming hysterically in the background is just me as I realize that I have been out of school (as of June 15th this year) for 20 years. For some reason, when it is in the teens it does not sound as bad... or nearly as long.. gracious me. But then as I fill out the brag sheet (aka the reunion "what have you done since high school"page) I sigh. I can not help it. A brief review of my years since 1989:

1989- Graduate from high school in June, Find out I am pregnant with Matthew (that would be my prom night present and why my daughters will all wear chastity belts to their proms thank you very much). lose my dear Uncle Stanley, both my grandparents have strokes, my now ex husband moves in to the house with my parents.

1990-Lose my sweet son Matthew to CDH, a disease that is no longer fatal like it was 19 years ago. While I am happy for the parents of babies who survive, I can not help but wonder "what if", my grandfather suffers another major stroke leaving him only able to say a few words one sentence being (no I am not kidding) "Get the hell out of here" usually accompanied by kicking his good leg at the dog, my grandparents move in so we can take care of them, GW and I get engaged, and in October we get married.

1991-My grandfather passed away, which was sad. Nana landed up moving in full time (before shew as splitting time between our house and my uncles), and Stephanie Diane Glover made her so grand appearance on August 21, 1991 at 4:11 PM. Screaming and hollering and has barely stopped since. :o)~

1992- Life with a toddler, nothing much to report from 1992, I worked for Xerox and I loved it. It was an awesome place to work until dreaded cutbacks and then sigh job cuts. I got pregnant with Danny.

1993- Work Work Work through my pregnancy with Danny, GW at this point works for Spencer Gifts. On December 15th 1993 Daniel Matthew Glover made his appearance, on GW's birthday.

1994- Surprise Surprise! 11 months after Danny was born along came AJ on November 12, 1994. I was now the proud mother of 3 under 3. Yikes. I quit working at this point and began to care for my Nana fulltime. She needed someone and I was more patient then my ex sister in law was.

1995 taking care of Nana, living with my mom and Dad, nothing much more to report. GW changed jobs a few times, and that made the thought of moving impossible. November 22, 1995

My beloved Nana passes away from her stomach rupturing. :o( Devestating my mother who as we slowly walked out of Fairfax hospital she said "I am an orphan" and it broke my heart.

1996- Moving through the motions of the day, but nothing that eventful.

1997- Moving is now our only option Mom and Dad are buying a house and its time to get out. Great. We move to a not so great house in Alexandria, me, GW, my brother Rip and our three kids. Well lookie here, I am pregnant. David moves home from Florida after an ugly break up with John. David, Ceasar and Sasha move in with Mom and Dad. A month later, Gregg moves in after Dena (his ex wife) and he break up :o(. November 10th 1997.... after an illness that was only 10 days, we lose David to AIDS. He found out October 30, 1997 entered the hospital and was gone by November 10th. No fair. The most wonderful brother in the world, was now gone :o(

1998- Mary Elizabeth was born on January 5, 1998... she came out and took my bladder with me.. I should have known that she was gonna be trouble RIGHT then huh?

1999- The hardest to write about.....we lose my daddy. Nothing could prepare me for the broken heart I suffered. The anger I felt with God. How could he take my daddy? No chance to say good bye. Nothing. He was gone. My 10 year reunion, what a fun day!

2000- Began to work for PermitsNow.com, a .com that was going to revolutionize how a permit was run. Great job, Great company.. went bankrupt and did not pay any of their employees GREAT GOD how do we pay our bills?!? in the midst of all this, I find out that GW is having an affair with my best friend. for 3 years. He informed me he would never leave me. @@ isn't that nice? We tried to make things work. Impossible. I could not fight fair, when I fought I used harsh words. we were going through the motions but not really together and headed for divorce. meanwhile Mike and Dana get married. :o)~

2001- Sept 11 2001 reshaped my life, how hard it was to see our country like that? I was running my own permit company and exhausted but happy to be away from home. In November I met Chuck face to face after talking for four years. That day I knew I was gone .. in trouble because my heart was stolen.

2002- We relocate to Hampton Roads, VA and for the first time in a long time I feel like I am home. The kids all thrive at school.. Chuck is in the Navy and going out to sea periodically but its nothing I can't survive.. yet.

2003- Chuck deploys.. My heart breaks. :o( He comes home 3 1/2 months later safe and sound but while he is gone I send him care packages and over 200 letters (1-3 letters and cards a day.. no I am not kidding). In June 2003 he got out of the Navy and in July he started his civilian job. He is still a reservist but home every night. I start working for Planet Video part time. I get a full time managers position and surprise surprise I am pregnant.

2004- July 12, 2004.. arriving from gate 1.. David Erich Mapes (named for my brother and my dads middle name) He is a clone of his daddy. we move to the armpit that is Newport News, VA

2005- Nothing worth reporting lol.. it was just a year like a regular year lol. oooh i started to hang out with Desere more, and started babysitting her two boys.

2006- now here is the tricky one.....We are going through the motions making plans for going to Walt Disney World when a week before.. surprise of our life time. STEPHANIE gives birth... my oldest... she delivers Caleb Micheal on october 28, 2006. WOW talk about your shockers.. we had no idea she was pregnant. yikes. talk about losing your mom of the decade huh? Stephanie made the decision to call my brother Mike and his wife Dana and they adopted Caleb. We still went to Disney World had a blast (thanks to my ex who paid for the entire trip.. yea I know... we put the fun in dysfunctional.. but we really do make terrible spouses and great friends).

2007- Desere and Jim move away :o( that sucks. Life is busy as always and to add to it.. Chuck and I agree he will get a vasectomy.. we have cinco de mayo... margaritas and well hello pregnancy test.!! Followed by a gruesome pregnancy.. that was NO fun I had PIH the whole time.. yuck.

2008- January 5 (yes Mary's birthday). Emily arrives.. .if David was a clone then she was well if Chuck was a girl. we know what he would look like. In July of 2008 my mom retires and we buy a beautiful house in Norfolk, VA :o)~ Ahhh home sweet home. :::the Motley Crue version:::: rest of the year goes by.

2009- Chuck decides to go back to school full time (thanks to the extra money from the VA), as he starts classes I discover I screwed up and should have went to school. Thanks to Facebook, Myspace, and Blogger I reconnect with a lot of old friends. YAY! which brings us to today...

There is my history for the last 20 years.. Its not glamorous, but it is my life. I don't get paid half a million dollars, we do live paycheck to paycheck but ya wanna know something... I am happy with my life. Regrets? who doesn't have them, but in the end I have a legacy. At the end of the day, that is what matters.. life.