So much has happened to an almost grown woman since she last wrote that she doesn't know where in the world to start, except where she left off. You remember how I was talking about how well I had done at Purdue? Well, it was such a good showing they gave me a fee remission that spring, almost $3,000. I became a Zeta Lady, I made new friends, and life was looking fabulous. I came back to Florida to work and it was all good until this time last year.

This time last year, I found out a bunch of my financial aid hadn't gone through. I was short so much financial aid that I could have only attended one semester, at best. I tried to think about what in the world I was going to do, but nothing was really coming to me. Then I thought, I'll go back to Michigan, go to Oakland University, put all this behind me and start over. That was cool for a while, but when I got back to Michigan, it was a mess. I couldn't get transportation to the school, I didn't have the money for books, my transfer of chapters wasn't getting done with the Purdue Zetas. It was crazy. It wasn't working. I wasn't working, literally. I finally had to withdraw a few weeks into the semester.

I sat around for a few months, trying to get myself together and figure out what to do, when I finally broke down and called my aunt for advice. Less than two weeks later, I had a plane ticket back to Florida. As long as I live, I will never forget that. No matter how much she gets on my last nerve every now and then, I can't forget that. Nobody else gave to good curse words if I never got on my feet, save Mom, except my aunt.

So I came back. I started at the group home again the day after I landed. I had done a lot of stuff to establish residency already, like have a driver's licence, but there was still a lot to be done to get me in school and on my feet. So I went to work. I got another job substitute teacher, another job doing policy and procedures. I got a car. I started visiting schools. I got myself a voter registration card and a library card.

After all of that, I found a new school, which I will be attending in the fall. I have an 01 cavalier that had 46,650 when I bought it in March. I have XM in my car. I started working at JC Penney when school let out, and get a 20% discount. Life is again moving on all 4 cylinders.

Life in Florida now is very different than it was before. For one, I attend my own church, I go where I want when I want, and I am moving towards my goals again. Despite all of the uncertainty and all of the struggle, I am still standing. I can still hold my head up. I have done something that would have broken some people. I am paying for everything I own, I am choosing my own destiny, so if I mess this up, I can only blame myself. And that's really grown up.