Four years ago

My life took a crazy turn. I threw up a hail mary and started over.
Almost four years ago to the day, I was working in the mall. I was an assistant manager at a teen clothing store. Putting up with ridiculous merchandising change outs on a weekly basis, a district manager with unreasonably high standards and customers who were as rude as they were cheap. To sum up, I was fed up. I'd been fed up, for months, possibly years. During a particularly frustrating day, I was about three hours overdue for my break, I snapped. When I was finally allowed to leave, I threw my keys in the safe and left.
Like, really left.
I called Brad who was tired of having a frustrated and angry wife and he told me I could quit. So I waited in the mall until someone realized that I wasn't coming back from my break. It took longer than I thought but I finally got the call. After a few minutes, I realized that I had in fact made the right decision. I got in my car and drove home.
I can't believe how much has happened in just four little years.

Shortly after that, Kacie came to visit. She had been begging to come, but I knew I would be working 12 hour days and would have no time for her. Since I was unemployed, she could visit. Because of the lateness of the trip, it was cheaper to book her flights as far from the holidays as possible. She was with us for three weeks. (Can I point out here the irony of how much Brad did not like this?) Because she was going to be here that long, I called our mom and asked if Kacie could spend part of the visit with her. She though we were 'trying to force Kacie off on her' and said no.

I stopped speaking to my mother on Christmas day. I have not spoken to her since.

Shortly after the beginning of the new year, Brad's mom was diagnosed with cancer. A few months later she moved in with us.

I had been helping a friend as his photography assistant and ended up being hired by one of his clients.

That did not turn out as well as I had hoped.

Since all of this, I've been a VP of that small company (laugh, please laugh), I worked at a bakery, painted murals in a dental office, freelanced as a writer, and then finally landed my current job. We let Brad's mom live with us for almost three years. We built a house. We bought puppies. We've faced challenges both personal and professional.

And so much of it started four years ago.