Introducing Jillian - Super Mom #1

As I was cruising down the 405 a few months ago, heading to LA, blasting Snoop, I wondered how I got here.  This isn’t how my life was supposed to turn out.  I wasn’t supposed to be a single mom, working three jobs and sneaking away for a quiet weekend away with my new boyfriend.  WTF.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love being a mom.  And my son is awesome (no bias here).  But this was not how I saw my life 12 years ago.  What did I see?  A fancy car.  A nice penthouse apartment in the city.  Maybe a few Emmy awards.  Zero children.

Yikes.  Did I say that out loud?  Sometimes I feel guilty for saying the words “I didn’t want children” out loud.  I’ve watched friends lose babies and struggle to get pregnant. But for me having a child definitely put a kink in my life plans.

I had a very specific plan.  VERY specific.  After high school, I was going to college.  After college, I would accept a job in a small television market (Fargo, North Dakota?) and my sports journalism career would take off.  1 out of 2 isn’t bad.  College.  Check.  But after college, my master plan was foiled.  It was tough finding a job.  I stuck around my college town for a couple years, took a few graduate classes at NYU and waited for my then-boyfriend to finish school.  Doh.  That didn’t work out.  I ended up moving back to Massachusetts and going to graduate school full-time.  A Master’s Degree in Journalism?  Perfect!  I ended up snagged a pretty awesome internship with the Red Sox and that turned into a job (yes, I have a World Series ring).  I reconnected with an old friend from high school and fell in love.  That led me to turning down a job offer at ESPN.  What?  The mecca of all sports jobs.  It was a behind the scenes position and in my heart, I still wanted to be in front of the camera.  This face is way too pretty to be behind the camera.  Or so I thought.  Ha.

Let me fast forward a little – one failed marriage later, I was struggling and living at home with my parents.  I was sharing a room with my 2.5 year old son.  It was like college all over again.  Minus the late nights and frat parties. And then I joined Crossfit Cape Ann.  Talk about a game changer.  My attitude improved (not to mention by body composition), I met great new people and things started to fall into place.

Over the last few years, I’ve learned a lot of things about myself.  I have a great support system and so many things to be thankful for, like Snoop Dogg on the radio!  Seriously though, there is still struggle, aggravation and stress but writing has always been my outlet.  What better way to chronicle my life lessons than with a blog.  So...blog city, here we come!