Growing up I can remember going to McDonald’s, Burger King and a Mexican restaurant. I can recall from a young age that we didn’t visit a fast food very often. My parents were always on a budget because they wanted to purchase a home and pay off the cars. I remember fast food being a treat. I remember fast food tasting so good. When we went to Burger King, I would get a fillet fish. I think it was the tartar sauce that I like so much because now I will never have one. I don’t like the taste or smell of anything that comes out of the water. The Big Mac was my favorite and the nuggets. Till this day I still separate my Big Mac and eat it as two patties. The Mexican restaurant was a special treat. We would only go maybe once every month or more. The whole family would get shredded beef tacos with shredded cheddar cheese along with an horchata for a drink. It was my all time favorite. At the time I felt lucky that my parents took us out. We didn’t have to indoors all day long. Most of these fast food eating was done after church services. I truly enjoyed going after church cause then our church friends would go as well.

                   My fast food habits as an adult are not good at all. I don’t reject the fast food. I don’t agree on the serving size of a lot of fast food places. I don’t really on it but I know when I don’t have any time or I am just too sick to cook that I have a variety to choose from. We do eat fast food frequently. We had some on Monday and it was delicious. My husband is a police officer and I am a full time student and a full time mom. There are times were I feel overwhelmed by everything that is going on in my life, the last thing I want to is spend 2 hours preparing dinner, cooking it and finally cleaning up after my mess. What can resolve this problem or conflict? Well, ordering a pizza along with a drink is fairly easy or picking the phone up and placing an order to go pick up is also easier, then to think of what to cook. Fast food plays a big part because we are always on the go. Unfortunately, my kids like the fact of fast food. If we give them an alternative between homemade food and Benny’s BBQ, they will pick the fast food place. It also plays a role in my weight loose program. I can’t exercise, push myself and then keep eating the fast food that is practically in every corner of city streets. I also rely on fast food when we have a family trip. What I should do is pack some premade sandwiches with fruit. Fast food is affecting me in my current life not only in not being able to maintain a healthy body weight but also on our finances. Fast food is a growing thing and the prices are going up.

                  My past has good and not so good memories as I am sure that is the story with many people. I was born in the city of Granada Hills, CA and I was raised in the city of San Fernando, CA. I have two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. I was never close to either of them but we sure did have good time. My parents love camping and partying with the family, so guess what we were doing almost every weekend? That’s right. We would either be camping or at someone’s birthday, wedding or baby shower. Growing up I was never really pushed to achieve in school. Don’t get me wrong my parents were the best but they had their flaws.  I was, still am at times, very shy and was the observer instead of the achiever. To be honest I never really cared about school but I still tried, a little. Second grade was great; I had the best handwriting my teacher had ever seen at my age. That did make me feel good about myself. Sixth grade came along and I was a great reader. I began to think I can really do something in school. It’s amazing how a teacher’s criticism can change a student’s life or perspective about learning and school. Junior was not all that bad even though I did almost get to a fight and I had a girl that hated my guts. I didn’t like that very much. I don’t like confrontations. The one good thing out of junior high was learning to play the saxophone. High school was not so hard. I made good friends which I still hang out with time to time. My math teacher, Mrs. M. , was amazing. She would stop the lecture if she saw anyone with a puzzled face. She made sure everyone understood algebra.

                  The present is an adventure. I am turning 30 next week! I never imagined saying it. I am married to my wonderful husband of 10 years. He is a police officer with California Highway Patrol. He has worked so hard for many years, including serving a tour in Iraq. I can say that I am immensely proud of him. We have two wonderful children. Elijah is 6 years old and Sydney is 4 years old. They love going to school and I am thankful for that. I encourage my children every day. I tell them they can do anything as long as they don’t give up and keep trying. I teach them that failure is acceptable but giving up is not an option. As for me, I am a full time mom and a full time student. I work two hours a day, three times a week. My job is to supervise the children at my children’s school during lunch time. My objective right now is to pass my classes with no lower than a B. I am trying to complete all of my prerequisites for the register nurse program at CSUChannel Islands.

                   I don’t want to stress about the future too much because it is not here yet. God has blessed my family with good health, a roof over our heads, food, transportation, family, friends and careers. But, I will complete all of my prerequisites and apply to CSUCI then apply to the nursing program where I will complete the program and receive a degree. After a couple of months as a paid nurse, we will buy a home here in Oxnard. It doesn’t seem like we have a lot of plans for the future but the journey to get to this point will be very difficult, stressful and will require a lot of hard work, dedication, and less time with my babies. This is why I don’t want to stress about the future because then I get stressed out.

                This is just a glimpse of who I am.