Hello, everyone!

I would like to say thank you to whoever has taken the time to read my blog posts, especially this one!!!

Sharing an Enthusiastic Hello and Thank You While Pouring My Heart Out to You

Today I am sharing an enthusiastic hello and thank you. I realized that I just plunged into blogging on this site head first, all in, without actually introducing myself. My name is Carrie Pottberg. As a fairly new blogger, I am still trying to understand how all this works. I am attempting to figure out how to get more traffic, how to get SEO optimization, etc. So, it’s probably no surprise that I have no friends on this site yet because I’m still trying to study everything and keep pace with all the emails. I am having difficulties figuring Yoast SEO out and need to do some more research. I thought I was at least a little tech savvy, but this is slightly above my head. 😛

This is not a one-way street, though!

Yes, I feel it’s important to read what others have to say as well!!

I’ve been trying so hard to keep up with everything, and I have wondered if maybe I bit off more than I can chew by blogging on 3 different sites and trying to do it daily. Especially since I will finally be starting my training as a Residential Direct Support Professional. The first two weeks I will be getting a full 40 hours in. Then, I will be working 32 or more hours a week with individuals in a group home who have mental and physical disabilities.

I am also trying to follow as many of you other amazing authors as I can. All of you have so many fascinating things to say! But I’m having issues with keeping up!!

However, blogging has become a hobby for me that is as much fun as it is frustrating.

I hope someday I might make money writing in one way or another, but for now, this is just as rewarding for me.

You can follow these sites by clicking on the links, and I would be forever grateful for your interest in what I am trying to offer you as an author.

I tried to spend all this time researching how to make money blogging, but I realized my best way to see how this all worked was to just jump into it for free and figure out my niche or what people actually want to read. Plus, blogging keeps me sane. Therapists diagnosed me with PTSD and severe anxiety three years ago. I’ve been dealing with trauma, but it was just written off as small bouts of depression and anxiety here and there. I’m doing pretty well at managing it now, but I have my days where I still have to be patient, nonjudgmental, and work with the issues in my head a little.

“I love meeting new people; I think everyone has a story to tell. We should all listen sometimes.” ~Kim Smith

I love to write and have been doing it since I was about eight years old. There’s an old journal I wrote in at that age somewhere in storage. I can tell you that I was a terrible writer back then, LOL! I started writing poetry at fourteen years old. My poetry writing has always been better than anything else I’ve written. That’s why I started blogging, though, because I want to eventually be able to write a book. I thought about writing a memoir or a nonfiction novel. I’m not sure how I want to do it just yet, which is why I haven’t started it. It’s difficult wanting to put all my issues out there for everyone to read, but at the same time, I feel strongly that this is something I need to do.

“It’s great to go on your own and discover new things just for yourself, to meet new people and all that. If you’re all on your own, then there is nobody there to guide you and you have to make all the decisions for yourself. It’s quite liberating in a way.” ~Dido Armstrong

I have two degrees, and I graduated Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor) in 2013. My Associate’s degree is in Business, and my Bachelor’s degree is in Child and Adolescent Development. I’m not bragging about that because I think I’m better than anyone, but I did work really hard to maintain a high GPA going to school online while I raised my kids and held a full-time job. I really do feel child-like in the fact that I believe life is about learning and anyone can teach you something new. My kids have even taught me useful information. I have two boys btw.

It definitely has been a crazy, excruciating road for me in my life.

Not only did I face trauma from a child into adulthood, but two years ago I encountered separation with my spouse. We fixed everything and married almost two years ago. I also went through family troubles which caused us to have to move out into a motor home. A “friend” helped us only to sell her house out from under us after we unpacked and lived there a month.

The same day she called to tell us she sold the house, my step-mother-in-law died of emphysema.

We moved in to help my father-in-law but couldn’t find work because it is an extremely small town with one stoplight. So he pretended to sell his house to get us out. Then he moved his step-son in. This forced us to live in our car for almost a week when we decided to go to a larger area to look for work. He also shut our phones off after we put over 20 applications out with the numbers we had.

My kids recently decided during the course of this time they wanted to live with their father, my ex-husband. At this moment I can’t say I blame them, but I’m doing everything in my power to win them back. I am also glad they aren’t going through the homeless phase with us either.

That’s a short version of an extremely long, unfortunate story that includes friends and family cheating my husband and me in one way or another.

That was a really long short version of what my life is in a nutshell. Sorry about that. I just wanted to share my experience with you to give you an idea of why I am the way I am now. Life is crazy! Unexpected things happen that you sometimes are unable to control, but attitude and optimism really are everything. I think if we had sat back and cried about our situation instead of working so hard to get where we are today we would be in a different place.

The story does end well, though!

My husband and I are currently staying in a friend’s towable trailer. We have running water, plumbing, electricity, a stove, etc. The only thing we have to go in their house for is to shower and do laundry. Needless to say, I am extremely thankful that they are here for us. My husband started working as a sous chef at a fancy country club on Wednesday. I will be working soon (as mentioned above) as a DSP and will be starting training on Monday. We are on our way. It took us two months of putting in applications daily (even on the weekends). However, we are finally making our way back up!

I truly am thankful for life, true family and friends, opportunities, God, and the ability to face my fears!

Have a wonderful night…or day depending on where you are! I’d like to share a short ditty I came up with today as well shown below.

I don’t want to just be
Another face in the crowd.
I want live with purpose–
I yearn to cheer out loud!
I need to feel release
When I see others smile!
I wish to feel like my words
Are something worthwhile–

~Carrie Pottberg–MoveOverOptimist a.k.a. @allurasybilbrites