9/1/96

I moved to Illinois in 1992 after graduating high school and started attending the local community college.   I worked part time at walmart and also tutored at the college.  I was going to graduate with an associates degree in applied Science: Information Processing.  With graduation a week away, I was preparing to return to Pennsylvania and had given my 2 week notice.  One evening while working, I met Jason Austin, he worked early morning shifts at walmart and so I had never met him until he worked a late shift.  We talked while we worked together and the next day he came in to visit me at work and asked me out.  Needless to say the rest is history.  I never moved back to Pennsylvania and took back my 2 week notice. We were married 9/1/96.

A couple weeks after meeting Jason started working at Airtex and has been there for 17 years.  I went to work at Airtex about a year later and worked in the office for 5 years, before I quit to be a stay at home mom when Nic was born.  Megan was born in 2000 and Nic in 2001.  Malia was born in 2010. 

I decided to go back to work when the kids were in school, and wanted a job that was flexable so back to Walmart is where I went for the last 5 years.  I started out as a cashier and after 2 months was a grocery sales associate , then the Inventory Control Supervisor, and Toys Dept. manager for 2 years then moved into the brand new position of ZMS (Zone Merchandising Supervisor - Entertainment zone) for the last year and 1/2.  I even spent 3 months on overnights as a Support Manager (which was quite interesting to be in charge all by yourself ....which happened several times during the day as a ZMS also).  After much debating, I decided to step back down to part time sales associate to spend more time with the kids.   I think alot of people did not understand how I could give up a good paying job and cut my hours to stay at home.  We were already paying $740 a month in daycare for Malia (full days) and Nic (just after school).  It would have been over $1000 a month for the 3 of them this summer.  But that was not my main reason, I was missing way to many things in my kids lives.  An occasional game would have been ok, but Megan probably played maybe 20 school basketball games, and I got to go to 2 of them.

Someone the other day asked how I was losing weight (i have lost 14 lbs. since May).  I said "i guess the decision to start enjoying life and give up the stress ".

Jason and I will be married 15 years this September.