Search

Thursday, January 22, 2009

"I am 17 going on 18..."

The summer after my junior year in high school my family took a little vacation out west. The plan was to drive from Illinois to Utah. Stay in Utah overnight and then on to California to see family. One our way home we would stop in Utah for another couple of days.
At the time I was dating "Rafael". I met him when I was 15. He was 18 and had a lot more experience than I did. And he was a bad experience for me. But he knew how to "woo" me. And I was just looking to be loved. He was from Mexcio and not in the US legally. He worked in a tire plant making barely over minimum wage. He was 6 inches shorter than me... and I was going to marry him as soon as I graduated high school. Our relationship was on and off. But at age 17 was when things started to get "Pretty serious.." (quoted from Napoleon Dynamite). My parents did everything they could to discourage the relationship- but I was stubborn, and obviously stupid thinking he would be able to support me (over 800 dollars a month to take care of my diabetes without insurance!). And thinking that our relationship was a healthy one. (It wasn't- he was very manipulative)

(My boyfriend front and center)

Anyway- back to my story: When we were in Utah my family had this very strong impression that we needed to move to Utah. Which would have been just fine if ONE- My dad had a job in Utah. TWO- we had a place to live. THREE- We were able to sell the house in Illinois. But the feeling was so strong we couldn't deny it. It was hard for me... I was about to go into my senior year and I would have to change high schools. And leaving my "boyfriend" was unimaginable to me.

My parents sent my brother and I off to Utah a few weeks after school started. My dad still hadn't found a job- and the rest of the family was working on trying to sell the house. Steven and I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle. It was SO nice of them to let us stay with them for so long. We drove from Spanish Fork to PLeasant Grove every morning for school. It was really hard not knowing very many people and not having our family there. Steven and I would sit in the AWESOME van I got to drive to school ;) and eat our lunch.

(Ours was missing all the hubcaps... but it did have a moonroof and sunroof)
A few months later my family moved out. My dad still didn't have a job- but we did find a house with the help from my Grandpa. We just had faith everything would work out.
Everything did work out. Eventually my dad got a job close to home (in Utah!). I was able to cut my ties with Rafael and went on a crazy dating spree ending in me marrying my AWESOME husband.
I'm so grateful for that leap of faith my parents took in moving us to Utah. Who knows what I would be doing in life now if they had not followed the prompting.

2 comments:

Amy said...

I, for one, am VERY glad you wound up in Utah, married to your husband, and living in our neighborhood! Your parents are amazing.

Chris and Tara said...

He sure was a shorty. Ü