I was certain that I had done all of the things “they” tell you to do to make the fairy tale a reality. I went to college, earned a few graduate degrees, got married (twice for good measure), and birthed over the recommended 2.5 children.  So, how did I get here?  Here, on the porch…

I pulled up in front of the home that we once shared. It was a beautiful day in May.  Under normal circumstances, I would take a moment to appreciate the warm blanketing from the sun. Not that day. I was fuming! I’m sure he could feel the heat as I repeatedly knocked on the door.  I…

The first few months of living in my furniture-less fortress provided the much needed respite from my life as a wife and mother.  I rose early in the morning to go to the house to make breakfast.  I would go back in the evening for dinner and the bedtime routine.  Our hope was that the…

I never, for one second, thought about staying. I spent the next day moving money around, closing joint accounts, and shopping online for places to live. We were still in the aftermath of a snowstorm so I applied for an apartment nearby sight unseen.  That’s how serious I was about getting out of there. Why wasn’t…