Growing up in a tiny town, all I wanted was to me invisible, annonymous. I would beg my parents to move, so I could go to a bigger schol, one where your mistakes in 4th grade didn't continue to haunt you in 10th.

I got my wish when we were forced to move to Bakersfield. It was great for me. I was going into 11th grade. I was able to really, truly be myself. I excelled in drama and in my grades. I was out of my perfect sister's shadow for the first time. It was the fresh start I had been craving.

I had very few close friends, but that was fine with me. I stuck to myself. I made my mistakes, but no one was there with a magnifying glass examining me.

Since high school (22 years), I feel that I am still the same in a lot of ways. I continue to have very few close friends, but the ones I have are worth their weight in gold.

The main change that I have gone through is my sense of self worth and my own body image. I will never be a size 2 (or even 14), but that is ok.

I also never saw myself being a mom. I never wanted to have kids. Now I can't even begin to imagine what my life would have been like without The Boy. Even when he is a snot, he keeps me going.