1. My Life: A Memoir
June 5, 2012

2. Once upon a time…
 Only military personnel used computers
 People played music on record players
 The only entertainment was watching
hurricanes out the window
 There were no digital cameras
 These were the dark ages, of which there is no
digital documentation
 I cried every day

3. When I was one, my parents
decided to move to Florida…

4. They thought it would be like Hawaii

5. Not like Hawaii…

6. They have hurricanes in Florida.

7. And thunderstorms every afternoon.

8. The paradise my parents envisioned
was not so much of a paradise…
Metal buckle that will burn your
child’s legs when it is over 90
Pool where your small
degrees outside = every day.
child might fall and drown.
Common sight in the
yard, just get the shovel.

9. My mom and I

10. During my impressionable years…
 She took me to day care
 Taught me that hair grows back after it is cut
(does not work with dolls)
 The zoo
 Safety Village
 Read me lots of books
 Taught me how to swim and ride a bike

11. My dad was awesome.
He took me fishing.

12. During my impressionable years…
 He took me to Busch Gardens
 Taught me how to bait a hook
 Let me help him clean his boat
 Built a playhouse for me
 Let me watch golf with him on TV
 Listened to the news with me

13. Life could not possibly be happier…

14. But during the Dark Ages…
 My younger brother was born
 My life was ruined

15. Such a happy family…

16. Early Trauma
 We got tired of the heat and hurricanes in
Florida, so we moved to North Carolina

17. It was a little colder…

18. North Carolina
 Culture shock – who are these people?
 No ice cream store shaped like a vanilla ice
cream cone
 Closest amusement park was 3 hours away
 No friends
 Makings for the worst childhood ever
Absolutely miserable 

19. Six years later…
 I made a friend!
 We were pretty much inseparable for the next
13 years.

20. Rewind!
 My family decided to adopt about 1,000
children from Russia.

21. We improved with time…

22. Finally I went away to college…
 And got a digital camera! (A new light has
dawned.)
I spent most of my time here:
Right next to my friends.

23. I spent my nights as a security guard…

24. And my summers fixing broken
people…

25. And a few other things…

26. Then I traveled the world.

27. And after many, many hours of
work, I graduated… twice.

28. Then, I decided to move to Turkey.

29. I mean, this Turkey.

30. My life finally started…
 When I met my US History class:

31. (And Miss Newcomer)

32. In conclusion…
 Amazing life
 Amazing family
 Amazing friends
 Amazing adventures
 Amazing students