Abby -
A woman that has the strength to have a family and go after her own dreams
Education: One
semester left to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a
concentration in Human Resources (I went to Graphic Design school for two
years, as well as teaching for a semester, then moved on to the business
classes - This degree has been a long time coming to say the least!).
Nationality: American
Age: 28
Previous
International Experience: Stationed in
Wiesbaden & Bamberg, Germany for 3 years with my husband who serves in the
US Army.
Challenge: Finding
myself in the midst of being a wife and mother, student, sister, daughter . . .
Result: Flourishing as a wife and mother, while achieving my goals of graduating with a degree, as well as branching out into the world of entrepreneurship to ensure a stable/better future for my children.
Result: Flourishing as a wife and mother, while achieving my goals of graduating with a degree, as well as branching out into the world of entrepreneurship to ensure a stable/better future for my children.
Hobbies: Art
will always be a part of my life, whether it’s through pen and paper, sewing,
knitting, crafting, photography, or anything else I can get my hands on. I love
to read and educate myself daily. Basically, I want to experience everything
this wonderful life has to offer, even if it’s only one time (i.e.-I took a
flight lesson at 18 because I was sure I would grow up and be a pilot someday,
my stomach didn’t agree!)
Where
to begin . . .
My
story seems to be very different from those that have already been featured
here. I think we all started in the same
place, with the same sort of dreams and idealistic desires that anyone has
fresh out of high school or college with the whole world at your
fingertips. Life is all about choices
though, and every single thing we do has an effect on us in some way, big or
small. In the middle of trying to find
myself after a broken engagement (long story), and some trouble with financial
backing for school, I met someone that changed the course of my life forever.
You
know when you’re in that place, where you don’t want to look anymore and you
want nothing to do with anyone or anything?
That’s where I was. I wasn’t
looking for anything, I just wanted to survive the next few months without
trouble until I figured myself out. Then
I met a man in the Army from upstate New York.
He was everything I thought I never wanted. A hockey player, when I had always dated
cowboys, blonde and rather short too, when I usually went for the tall dark and
handsome type. I am from Colorado originally, and I went to high school in
Montana, so the thought of being with someone from the east coast seemed
absurd. It’s funny how things change when
you’ve met the one that your heart desires - Well, to make a long story short,
we got married, we have two fabulous children, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I know
that sounds cliché’, and it is, but it’s true.
I cannot imagine my life without these three beings in it. However, I think things would be very
different without them too. What I mean
is this: When you have a child, your
whole world changes. You will never
fully understand that until you experience it for yourself. My life was no longer my own. It belonged to a person that couldn’t even
feed herself yet. So, as it happens with
many women, my plans and dreams were set aside.
I had much more important things to do now than tend to my own needs. I also had a deployed husband, who would deal
with his own set of issues upon his return, and we’d have to find our way back
to a happy place somehow.
A
little about tying the knot . . .
Fortunately,
my husband is very supportive and encouraging of me and my dreams. He pushes me and challenges me to do things I
want and need to do. So here is some
advice in the department of marriage: who you marry does matter. Find someone that will dream with you. Find someone that will be there to keep your
inner fire going when you are unable to do it for yourself. Find someone, that when all the love fluff is
gone, you still have a foundation to stand on.
It will be very important because you have to choose to love that person
every day, even when it doesn’t feel easy or right. Ok, moving on. My point is that my husband is wonderful and
has always allowed me (don’t take that the wrong way) the space to choose what
I want and need. He was on board when we
decided that I would stay home with our children instead of going back to work
right away. He was on board when I went
back to school. He was on board when I
decided to embark on my new journey with the company I joined in April. He has been my rock when I didn’t even know
where to find a rock, if you catch my drift.
It’s
about the journey, not the destination . . .
So,
while it may take some time, and while I have had to give up a lot of myself
for the sake of my family, it has been so worth it. Now I can finish some things I started out
doing, and I can show my kids that it’s possible. All you have to do is have a drive and
motivation and someone on your team to keep you going when you want to give
up. I am two terms away from my first
bachelor’s degree, and I am well on my way with the company I work for now that
is changing our financial future.
Sometimes, you just need a little patience and a lot of faith and things
will all come together.
My
story was also complicated by the fact that my husband is in the Army and we
moved every 8-18 months for 6 years. Try
holding down a job as a mother of two in that environment. And then, try to keep your sanity when that
husband deploys and you are left by yourself to raise your children and deal
with the daily grind of life. He didn't
only deploy once, but twice, and those deployments were long ones especially if
you need to run a family by yourself. Motherhood can be so isolating. Some days it was all I could do not to stalk
people at the commissary with the same age of children as myself just to find a
friend. At the end of the day though, we
have two great kids that are surprisingly well-adjusted, and they know they are
loved and cared for. And my husband
knows that our vows meant something because I’m still here, even after
everything life has thrown at us.
My
Golden Opportunity . . . (abbypeacock.myitworks.com || https://www.facebook.com/abbypeacockitworks)
Most importantly,
I have found a way to be a stay at home mom, wife, and student, and still
contribute to our family financially.
While money isn’t everything, it sure helps if you have a little. So, about a year ago I seriously started
searching for something I could do that would enable me to stay at home with my
kids, while still allowing me the opportunity to bring in some income on the
side. By the grace of God, in February
of 2013, I was introduced to It Works!
Global. I still thought about it for
two months, but I finally got to the point where I figured I had to try it. So, here I am. An Independent Distributor with this amazing,
faith-based company, and it’s changing our lives. I can contribute a little each month and I
feel better about myself because I get to help people every day and get paid
for it. I can bless my family and others
in need and it’s only getting better.
What I
love most about this, is that I can show other mother’s that they can change
their lives. I can show people struggling
with health and wellness. I get to honestly help people, every day,
while still being available to my family when they need me. How could I pass up an opportunity like
that? The best part is, it really was
zero risk. I can choose at any time to walk away, but I choose to better
myself, I choose to better my family’s well-being, and my husband and I have
chosen to make a better future for our children. So what do I do? At this direct sale company I help people to get on a better track for being healthy with our products which can help to do exactly that. The other side is the opportunity, and we also help people get wealthy, while they're getting healthy.
Never,
never, never give up . . .
The
point of my rambling is that, you can do things that make you happy, as well as
things that you need to do. You can have
the best of both worlds. You may have to
dig a little deeper to find it, but it is out there! Find your middle ground and don’t
settle. Have faith, have fun, and most
of all, enjoy the ride.
Want to read more? Or even contribute your own story (TStrahlendberg@gmail.com)?
