I’m a few days late on this, but this is my response to this week’s “Getting to know you” post at Create a Connection.

Where were you in 1987? In school? Working? Single? Married? Attached? What was important to you?  What were you doing creatively? Tell us a bit about your life then.

In 1987, I was 13 years old. I was attending middle school in St. Marys, PA. I was discovering boys, and discovering how mean girls can be.

Where were you in 1997? What would you like to share about the nineties?

In 1997, I was working my first real job as a newspaper reporter in DuBois, PA. I was also getting over the heartbreak of losing my first real love. The late 90s–my early-to-mid-20–were a pretty rocky time for me. Everything was uncertain in a way that was really hard for me to deal with.

Where did you plan to be or think you’d be in 2007?  Have your realized your goals? What is one thing about your present life you love and one you’d like to change?

Plan to be? Hmmm…I can’t say I ever planned to be where I am now, but I can’t say I wish it had turned out differently! I probably assumed that I would be married with kids by now. I definitely assumed that I would be working a full-time job of some sort, and I didn’t think that I would be teaching. I didn’t think I would be in Buffalo, either, but I have no regrets about the direction my life has taken.

How do you see your life in 2017?   Do you have any goals or dreams for your future?

I guess I don’t expect any radical changes. Personally, I hope to be married and perhaps own a house. Career-wise, I’m not sure…perhaps gainful employment in secondary ed? A freelance career? An MFA in writing, or possibly a Ph.D., with a full-time university position? Decisions, decisions…