hey,
born dawn michelle childs in december of 1975 in napa, california when my dad was enlisted in the navy; i have one older brother
we lived in briefly in hawaii while my dad was stationed there, but i was too young to remember it
my earliest memories were when we were living in van, texas, then in tyler, while my dad was going to community college and then university; i started kindergarten in tyler, but because my brother had already taught me how to read, i was moved to first grade after a few weeks
when i was in second grade our family moved back to california, first back to napa briefly, then to ridgecrest, where we lived until i graduated high school at 17
i enlisted in the army six months before i graduated and shipped out to basic training a week or two after graduation; basic training was in fort jackson, south carolina and mechanic school (AIT 63G > advanced individualized training – fuel and electrical systems repair) was in aberdeen proving ground, maryland; my first (and only) duty station was fort hood, texas; i arrived just before my 18th birthday
married my first husband at 18, reenlisted at 20, filed for divorce and bankruptcy and left the army before age 23; never made it past e-4 (specialist)
began taking courses at the community college while still active, then full time once a civilian again; thought i would be a computer geek like my dad and brother, but decided i liked math better and transferred to university at austin to pursue an actuarial degree and started taking exams
recruited on campus to be a pension consulting actuary and moved to dallas area (actually quite rural and have always commuted) and continued to take exams and earn designations (a.s.a. and e.a.) and work in the field for almost 20 years before forced to retire early due to chronic illness
married with two adult children, we have some cows, chickens and geese, dogs and a cat; i’m learning how to garden, preserve, bake and sew, just at a slow pace
this blog is just my hobby; i’m not a writer (and not a spook), i just want to share what i’ve learned; i hope you find it helpful
