My Very First Entry...

Dear Diary,

This is my very first entry! I'm excited about my new blog here!

Now that I have my new blog...let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Kelly and I'm 34 years old. I live in California and I like California but I would love to live in a place that is more tropical because I love the beach and swimming! Speaking of swimming...I am a athlete in swimming for the Special Olympics Of Long Beach. I do qualify as an athlete because I have very mild autism. Although alot of autism cases are severe...they say I'm on the higher end of the spectrum meaning that I have a very high intelligence level. Most people do not know that I have autism unless I tell them I do...that's how mild it is.

As for my family...I have my mom and my brother. My mom lives near me and my brother lives in northern California. My dad passed away in 2002 due to complications and cancer. Since my dad has passed...my mom, my brother, and myself try to plan a vacation every year. It's a chance for us to spend some time together as a family because we all get busy in everyday life.

My brother Jamie(as I call him) or Jim(as his friends call him) is older then me. He co-owns a shipping company with a friend of his..so my brother works long hours and even goes in on Sat. too when they are closed! I guess as co-owner...the work never stops! My mother is retired but she(and my dad) did own and operate a preschool/daycare center since I was 2 years old. I grew up in that place. I got to work with children and that gave me experience to be able to work with them in the future.

I have worked with all ages of kids for a number of years and not just at my parent's business but at other preschools/daycare programs as well. After that amount of time working with kids...I was getting "burned out" and in the summer of 1999...I quit the school I was working at. I took some time off and went on vacation. Then I got a job at Petco in Dec. '00 but didn't actually start the job until Jan. '01. I was trained as a cashier and I worked for Petco until the time my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I felt I couldn't work and try to deal with the medical issues my dad was having...so I quit Petco in Sept. '01. Then after a long break...I returned to Petco in May '02 and having been working for them ever since.

There is one other thing I haven't told you about myself....I love to scrapbook!!! It's my favorite hobby. Gives me a chance to relax and play with papers, stickers, stamps, ect. It's creative therapy for me. I feel like a child again in kindergarden...it's fun!!!

God Bless,

~*Kelly*~