Written in 2001

Where to begin? Hmmm...let's see...

First and foremost I am the only child to immigrant parents from Macedonian (Former Yugoslav Republic). They immigrated here in the late 60's and I am their only child, first-born in the USA. I was raised in a bilingual home and in me was distilled many traditions, the Orthodox religion and a heritage that is marvelous. I graduated high-school in the top 25% of my class and went on to college to study Biology (Pre-Med). However, when I met my husband online in May '94 my life went in a different direction. I realized that I didn't want to be a doctor after all and quit going to college after I dedicated three years to it. In retrospect I wish that I would have pursued the arts (literature, poetry, painting, etc) instead. But, that part of my life is over; Left to blossom later on...

In September 1995 I married my soul mate, Michael. He and I were inseparable from the beginning and above all he was (and is) my best friend. We had a very traditional Macedonian Orthodox wedding. It was wonderful and people still comment about our day. In July '96 we made a big decision and moved to New Orleans, LA (Michael is originally from the Baton Rouge area and has his family down there). Mostly the reason we moved was to get out on our own and to have some freedom away from my sometimes domineering family (LOL!). It was a great experience and even though at the time I was sad that I was away from all that I had ever known, I grew so much when we were there. I learned that I was a woman, first; a wife, second and a daughter, third. This realization was a big turning point in my life.

In August '97 we found out that we were expecting our first child. We had been "sort-of" trying to get pregnant and I even quit my Assistant Manager position at Sears Portraits Studio because we felt the stress of the job was keeping us from conceiving. I quit in February and just relaxed. When we confirmed the pregnancy we made another decision that changed our lives. We decided that a move back to the Buffalo area was needed. Both of us didn't want to live in the south any longer and more importantly we wanted the immediate support of friends and family (something that wasn't readily available in LA as Michael's family was an hour+ away). Moving back up to NY meant that Michael would leave a perfectly good paying job in LA but it also meant that we would be starting a family in a place that was familiar, with a good foundation. In September '97 we packed up and headed home. We were set to live in the garage apartment that my parents had.

To make a super long story short: Our first child was born on March 31, 1998.. It was a son, we named MFL III (affectionately referred to as Mikey). A few months later we were pregnant again with our second. Our daughter, OPL (Livey), was born on April 3, 1999. We were a family of four and doors were opening for Michael with his job situation. Life for us was good and then in January '00 we found out that we were expecting again. This threw us for a loop as it was a total surprise! We were wondering how we would live in the small apartment (a family of 5 with 2 dogs), how we would make ends meet and so much more. Not one month later our world was changing yet again. We got everything started to buy a house and Michael got a new job that paid him double from what he was making before. It was a fresh start and things looked so bright! On September 14, 2000 our second son, BOL (Benny), was born.. Only three days before we signed the papers closing the deal on our first family home!!!

In January of '01 Michael was laid off from his job.. It's been a struggle for us but through it all we remain strong in family, faith, love and hope....

Fast foward. 2006. Living in GA. Michael's a pilot. I'm a home schooling SAHM and life is really good save for the fact that we don't have much money in the bank. Oh well. Life really is good. Thank God.