Blog-tember: A Reintroduction

I found this month-long link up today (the 1st!) and I thought it was perfect for me. I've been having a hard time getting motivated to blog lately in addition to not having much time to sit down and do it. 

The first prompt is to reintroduce yourself - which is great because I think I have gained many followers in the past few months who might not know my story. 

If you don't know... my name is Katherine but mostly go by Kathy. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles (The Valley to be specific). Okay, I mistyped - I actually was born in UCLA, but was quickly taken to my family's home in Tarzana (a town named after Tarzan). I have (had) 3 older siblings -who are (were) 12, 14, and 15 years older than me. Which made for an interesting childhood. My two eldest siblings had left the home by the time I was 3 and the youngest of the 3 became my playmate. 

I feel like I have to mention that my sister who was playdate passed away about 3 months ago after nearly 42 years of health problems. She contracted e-coli when she was an infant and had to have 3 kidney transplants throughout her life. The long-use of medication weakened her organs and she died from intestinal hernias/sepsis. I mention it because the reason my family is in the United States is because they moved her to get her a kidney transplant. Although I was not part of that story since I was born after their move, it is sort of the reason that I exist. I also mention it because her illness controlled most of our/my life. 

I went to California State University, Northridge (CSUN) which is the local school (I attended Cal Stat Long Beach my first semester but transferred to CSUN to be closer to home because my sister had to go back on dialysis when I started college). I majored in Journalism with an emphasis in Magazine. I never used this degree for any practical purposes. Instead I got a teaching credential immediately following my BA. I then attended masters classes and stopped short of actually getting the masters degree in Elementary Education. 

My first job was when I turned 15. I worked at Six Flags Magic Mountain, but only for a short time because I didn't drive and it was a long drive for my dad to take me and bring me back. I was also being paid about $5 an hour, so it wasn't worth it. In college I got a job as a sales associate at Robinson's May. I then got a job as  a teachers' assistant. After I receiving my teaching credential I was lucky to get a job as a substitute teacher for Los Angeles Unified School district. 

I worked as a sub for 4 years with no luck in getting a full time teaching job. This was around 2008 - the worst time to be looking for a job. Eventually I felt like I needed something that would give me health insurance so I got a job as a receptionist. A few months into that job I was able to apply for a job with Los Angeles County, specifically for a position that my dad and brother had also held 2 decades prior. 

I've had this job for the past year and a half (a bit more) and I absolutely love it. It's social work and I love that I get to help people who are less fortunate on a daily basis. 

In 2011 I met my husband. I had dated a lot throughout college and after. I used all the dating websites out there, but it was on Craigslist that I met the love of my life (a post about that to come - possibly as a guest post on a different blog). We got engaged after a bit over 2 years of dating and we got married 5 months later on April 26, 2014. 

We closed escrow on our condo 2 weeks before our wedding and we are still unpacking/cleaning/organizing. 

As far as kids? We're probably about 2 years away from attempting to have kids. We want to have some time together before we add anyone to our family. We had both lived with our parents prior to getting married. But hey, maybe I'll convince my husband to get a puppy in the next year or two! 

Come back tomorrow to see what makes me happy these days!