Here I Go...

Alright, let's get the formalities out of the way. My name was Angela Roper in high school. Now it's Angela Johnson-Filer (...lots of stories to tell). I was born December 8th, 1969. I grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where I had a pretty big family. My childhood was mixed with the pleasures of growing up in a small town, the joys of having terrific friends, and the pains of just growing. I'll always cherish my younger years. Even though they had their ups and downs, they were filled with more good times than bad.

Well, I've never been one to share too much about myself, but I thought now would be a good time to start. Turning 40 is quite .....hmmm.....what's the word?.....liberating. I feel as if I don't owe anyone any explanations for anything I may or may not choose to do. I like that. I finally belong to myself - if that makes any sense. I've always felt as if I needed to explain why I made certain choices in life...always wanted people's understanding and approval. Now that I've reached this milestone in my life, I don't give a flip what anybody thinks about me or what I do. I finally came to the realization that no one is living my life but ME, so why give power over my life to anyone but myself?

It took 40 years to get to this point -- a lot of them difficult. Now I'm not saying that my life has been totally miserable, but I've had some very real struggles. God has guided me and kept me from falling more times than I can count. Thinking about the protection and grace He bestowed upon me all during my young life gives me pause to this day. He's magnificent to me.

I know this blog is about what we want to do now that we've turned 40, so I'm going to say that one thing I want to do is see my sons get through high school and college. They're beautiful boys, and we've seen lots of heartache, the three of us. I want them to be the successes I know they can be. I'm always wondering what they are going to become. I'm always praying and hoping that my guidance will lead them to their dreams fulfilled. I (like all of you, I'm sure) do all I can to give them the best of everything. I want to stay strong enough to continue to do so.

I think this blog will be good for me. I don't usually stay with stuff like this too long, but I'm going to try to be consistent with this. I may only add something once a week, but I'm not going to stop altogether.

More to come,
Angie