AboutMe

It has taken me a long time to create this page. In fact, I thought about just making my website without a page "about me". Every time I thought about creating it, my head swam with confusion. So many things have happened in my 44 years of existence, I just felt overwhelmed trying to get things in order, getting the details together in my head, etc. Well, instead of trying to figure out "how it goes", I am just going to write what comes to me and what is in my heart. I hope by doing this, you can at least know who I am, how I feel, and understand me. If you bear with me, I bet by the time you have read all "about me", your jaw will drop to the floor. But I swear, it's all true.

Yeah, that is me up there, I was a cute baby I think. I was born Nora Lee Chipley to Willard and Gail Chipley, in December 1959, in Columbia Missouri. I was the firstborn of 3, my brother and sister come later.

I'm just going to tell you what I remember about my childhood. Medical conditions over the years has caused me to lose alot of my childhood memories, so I am just going to tell you what I remember. I cannot remember dates and I can only guess about how old I was, and heck, I probably won't get them in the right order, but that's ok too.

I remember living in a two story house in Columbia Missouri, on Sandford Street. My cousins, Mike and Raymond lived right behind our house, I had a crush on Mike. In this two story house, my parents and us three kids lived upstairs, and my grandma and some of my aunts and uncle lived downstairs. (Sadly, yes this is the earliest memory I have, after the other two were born). We had a big back yard and my sister and I would go out there and play in a peddle driven metal car; (would be worth lots by now), while my little brother would play in the dirt. Right outside the backdoor, there always sat glass soda bottles (they didn't have plastic ones back then), and several of them were broken, and I think I would cut my feet at least once a week on them, and would have to be doctored by mom.

My aunts would be in their rooms playing their "record player", and the song that comes back to me is "Trapeze". I wish I could find that song, but I have searched and have come up empty. My aunt Romell would have her boyfriends over, and I would always have a habit of sitting in their laps. I am guessing, but I think I was about 8 or so.

I was a hard child to baby-sit also. When my parents went out, Aunt Romell would watch us, and when I would get in trouble, I'd run and get under the bed so she couldn't get me.

The only school memory I have from that time period was, I was in school and we were having art. We were putting paint on a piece of paper and blowing it around with a straw. I remember the teacher telling us to take breaks often or we'd get dizzy. Well, do you think I listened? Nope. Do you know what happened next? She was calling my mom to come and get me because I had thrown up all over myself! Oh, well, I got to get out early that day.
The next memory I have from living in Columbia was we lived under a water tower, and yes it was directly under it. I had a bad habit of sticking out my tongue to my mom when her back was turned. Well, one day she caught me and I had to stick it out for an entire hour! I never did it again.
Oh, and I had some other cousins living in Columbia and we'd go to their house and me and my cousin Kathy would walk to the little store and get "bottle cap" candy, banana taffy, and other candy they do not make anymore. We could sometimes get an ice-cream cone at Zestos too. I remember that same cousin tripping me on cement stairs while I was walking down them in those "play high heels" they used to make. Boy did she get in trouble. Her dad, I felt, was too harsh on them. When they got spankings, they go beat with the belt.

Well, that's all I remember from living in my hometown.

We moved from Columbia to a little town called New Franklin.
In grade school I wasn't exactly all that popular as a student or as a person. I did
make two very special friends that would be with me throughout my school years,
Pam Lyons and Eileen. I guess you could say we formed a "clique", a trio
like the three musketeers. As far s boys went? Well, I did have one very special boy
I liked very much and his name was Chris.
I look back now and even in grade school I had problems learning and paying attention
in class.
After I went into junior high, the real problems began for me. Mom found a church she liked and this particular "religion" didn't believe in girls wearing pants, cutting their hair, or wearing make up. Needless to say, this did not make me popular amongst the other kids. I remember going to school, with long stringy hair, skirts below my knees and very hairy legs! I was made fun of to the point of tears.
This period did not last a very long time because I remember being able to wear pants, cut my hair and wear make up. But I truly think the damage was done and I would forever be labeled a "square and a dork". Pam had since moved away and to this day I have not heard from her. Eileen, I still write or call her once in awhile. She and her husband have gone into law enforcement.
Sad to say, I never graduated. We had to take the U.S. Constitution in our Sophomore year and I had such a hard time learning it! I did pass it though and I was so relieved. But then in my Junior year we were informed we were too young when we took it and we'd have to take it again in our Senior year!!! And if that was not bad enough, I had goofed off all my school years and had put all my important credits off until my Senior year and I was not going to be the only one in my class to not graduate, so I walked away.
I went and got me a job as a Nurse Aide at a nursing home at age 16.
During my time in school I had met a guy and dated him for 3 years. From the time I was 16 until I married him when I was 18. We had a Dec. wedding. I felt I truly loved him when I married him. But it didn't take long for things to start falling a part. I got pregnant and had my first born, Derek. After Derek had his first birthday, me and his dad divorced.

That was the beginning of a whirlwind of love, heartache, marriages and divorces!!
I had went to therapy and the "shrink" told me that I had a hard time with relationships because I never got the love from my dad I needed. With that and the fact my dad used to tell me he hated me and that I was ugly, scarred me for the rest of my life.

To make this story a little shorter:
I married when I was 18 to Gary.
After him I married a man named Robert and I was with him for quite awhile and
married him. I was married to him about 2 years.
Divorced Robert and married John. John worked at a bakery and drove a black trans-am and made good money. I was with him off and on for years to come. But I guess I never got over Robert because I was always going between the two. I got pregnant from John with twins. When the babies were born I was with John. One of the twins, Charity, was stillborn. I knew she had died inside of me and I had to carry her knowing this. She was born at 2lbs and her sister Crystal, 3lbs. Crystal stayed in the hospital for two months and came home. I have a special page dedicated to them. I went back to Robert one more time to see if it could work and I got pregnant with my other son Jeremy. Robert wouldn't work so finally I had to leave him and I went back to John.
I stayed with him a long time until I got tired of having to load up 5 kids ( mine, ours and his) and go hide out in a motel room because he was out drinking and I was afraid of what he might do when he got home.
I left him and had my mom come up from Texas and get me and my babies. Dad had been transferred to Texas on the railroad.
I was stupid, I ended up giving John another chance and he moved down to Texas with his two boys.
We lived together for about 7 years until I couldn't take the abuse from him or his now teenage boys.
That's when Conley came in the picture. We had been friends with Conley and his wife for 6 years and she had cheated on him and he left her. He had a stroke and me and my mom went to help him because he didn't know how to pay his bills or anything. After spending time together, we fell in love. He was 59 and I was 39. He had severe heart problems. I married Conley after my divorce with John.
I was married to Conley for 4 years and Jeremy I feel ended up tearing that marriage up by his behavior. He had severe adhd, emotional problems odd, sexual problems and was totally out of control. I couldn't find anyone to help me with my son. So, I met someone on the computer and he lived in Australia. I felt maybe if I got Jeremy away from everyone he was hurting, maybe he could change. I was wrong. I had to end up sending him back to America to his father and then he threatened to kill his father while he was with him and his father had to turn him over to the state of Illinois! That is where my son is now finally getting the help he has needed for so many years!

I married the man in Australia, Brenton. You can read about this marriage here.

I am now living with my parents and disabled daughter in Missouri. Rather ironic, I have come full circle in my life. I have a severe weight problem, not to mention, anxiety/panic disorder, insomnia, depression, some social phobia . I have filed for disability and have turned it over to a lawyer. I went ahead and filed for my Medicaid to help me pay for my medications and I got approved a few days back!!!

I have tried all diets, Weight Watchers, I have a lifetime membership to Jenny Craig, Slim Fast, Metabolife, Dexatrim. You name it I've done it. I have exercised and walked and nothing helps.
My self esteem and self worth is zero. I feel I have no quality of life right now. I have started a Yahoo group called "About Me and Obesity". I will use it to help with support for others and to log my progress if I accomplish getting gastric bypass surgery. *UPDATE: I had the surgery and have lost a lot of weight already and am continuing to lose! I have my self esteem and self confidence back and am even getting looks from the opposite sex :) With this surgery, I will continue to lose weight and the weight is gone forever! It sure makes me a cheap date because all I can eat at a meal is four ounces of food! :)

I am only 45 years old but feel I have lived the life of a 90 year old!
One thing I can say, if not for having God in my life, I do not think I could make it or even be alive!

Well that is about it. Derek who is now 25, has given me two beautiful grandbabies, Shayna 6 and Seth almost 2. They lived 5 houses down before we moved across town. I almost lost Derek to a drunk driver years back. He now lives with metal in both legs and pain all the time.

Crystal is 22, and graduated with honors in a regular school in 2001. Her dreams for the future are to move to Florida and see Disney World finally! She also hopes to find her soulmate some day. Here's the page I have dedicated to her.

Jeremy who is now 17, comes to visit me once a month for four hours and calls me during the week. He has made such tremendous progress! If things hadn't happened like they did, he would probably be in prison, dead, or he would have killed someone.

My dad is in his 70's and retired now working at hardware store.

Mom, she's in her early 60's and is the backbone of this family. She has always been there for us kids and you can read more about her here.