I hadn't done anything with my life and I just turned 36. I decided to change my life around and be the person everyone had told me I could be. I started believing in myself and was ready to take the next step in getting back on track. I completely stopped drinking and I began distancing myself from my old "drinking buddies" and got out of the construction and painting business. I took the first step in getting help by attending AA meetings 3 times a week and getting myself a sponsor. With the help of my sponsor and my family I started making plans to go back to school to start a new career. I met my wife 6 months into my sobriety. So my support system was growing and my life was getting stable enough for me to begin school. I started taking general educations classes at College of The Sequoias in 2008. I always had an interest in the nursing field, so I decided to start by going to the Visalia Adult School and take the CNA course. That wasn't good enough for me, I wanted to learn more and take my career further.
I flew to North Carolina in November of 2008 to take care of the last DUI that was hanging over my head and preventing me from moving forward. Now I was ready. All my fines were paid, all my time had been served, and all my court ordered obligations were taken care of. I was well on my way to becoming the better person, I've always been told I could be.
I moved to Fresno, California with my fiancé Stephanie and her two children Seth and Mishka. We bought our first home together in January of 2009. I started attending LVN school in April 2009. I loved LVN school and learned so much. I was attending school full time and maintaining a full time CNA position at Raintree Convalescent Hospital, where I still work today. On my days off from work I started to volunteer in my step-daughter's kindergarten class by helping with reading and grading papers. I was really moving forward in my life and surrounding myself with positive situations and making a difference.