Who is Darlene, and furthermore, who cares about what she has to say?

Darlene is me. I am Darlene. I usually have a lot to say. Some of what she, me, has to say, has merit, some of what she, also me, says is complete bunk, purely opinion, light on fact, and some of what she, again, ME (!) says, has grains of truth, fact, and opinion all mixed up in one place.

I grew up in South Central Idaho, formatively in the 80’s. I got married at 18, had my daughter at 19, my son at 21. I was a 4H kid, I was a kid who was pretty much feral, left to my own devices much of the time. Along with my brother, Mike, we were pretty much latch key kids. Made some good choices, made some crummy choices (getting married at 18? LOL). Made choices I wish I could take back, and some that I’d make again and again.

I’ve lived in many places. Pretty much a nomad for most of my life. Must have been the USAF kid in me. Grew up in Idaho, moved to Washington State for nearly 20 years, moved down to the Eugene, Oregon area, then up to the Portland, Oregon area, back to Stanwood, WA, then down to the Vancouver, WA area, then to Central Oregon, then back to the Portland/Vancouver area, and finally, back to Central Oregon.

I had animals, many animals, growing up. Got my first pony at the age of 6, graduated to a big horse (all 14.2hh of him!), rode ’til I was 18, gave it all up when I got married and had my kids, for nearly 11 years. Got back into horses, bought my first horse as an adult, and never looked back. My house and life is full of cats, dogs, and yes, horses. One notable, SAR Tiki Rock On. My heart horse, my horse soulmate. The one horse I’ve been with the longest. He pleases me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve been an avid chihuahua advocate since about 2006. A much maligned and misunderstood breed of dog. Oso LaMio started it all for me. I lost him in 2015, but he started something. I will probably always have a little dog around. They make me laugh, and they keep me company. A more loyal breed of dog, you’ll work hard to find.

Stayed married, by the skin of my teeth, for 13 years, divorced, had a couple of significant relationships, one for a year, one for nearly 10 years, then took a 3 year break from men, which was needed badly! Now married to my soul partner for the duration.

Chose to be a veterinary technician since about the age of 14 years old. That carried me through nearly 30 years of career life. Did small animal medicine, mixed animal and equine surgery. No regrets. It paid poorly, but it was rich in personal satisfaction. I was a really good vet tech. I challenged the national boards in my 20’s, was a licensed vet tech in the state of Washington. When I moved to Oregon, I became certified there. In my mid/late 40’s, heading into single parent/adulthood, I realized I needed a bigger challenge, better benefits and a future I could rely on. I chose to become a Certified Surgical Technologist, for people. It was hard, going to the books in my mid/late 40’s, but it has been worth it. I wish I had done it years earlier, but that’s not how life works. Today I am a happy CST with a good steady future. The work challenges me and satisfies me. That’s not overrated.

That’s about it. Keep up, if you can!