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Prenatal Development
I was conceived some time on or around this date by two healthy people in their early 30s. My mother and father were raising two little girls at this time; a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. My mother had what could be considered a normal pregnancy while carrying me with minimal or no complications. She obtained prenatal care and did not use nor expose herself to harmful teratogens. -
Birth
I was born a healthy 10 pounds and 23 inches on this day at 6:33 a.m. at a hospital in Michigan. My father suggested the name Rebecca to my mother prior to their hospital visit, as he had said he always liked the name. Then, a kind, pretty, red-headed nurse in the delivery room, who my mother adored and happened to be named Rebecca, may have helped to narrow down my parent's decision of naming me, whether she knew it or not. -
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The First Two Years - Biosocial
Additive genes likely contributed to the inheritance of my mother's curly, brown hair. My eye color changed from pure blue at birth, to blue-green. I went from crawling to walking at approximately 12 months and soon my chubby body lengthened out to 33 inches. -
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The First Two Years - Psychosocial
I was the youngest of three girls. I had my own nursery for the first year, with a crib and white, wooden rocking-chair where my mother would rock me, before sharing a room with my 4-year-old sister. My oldest sister moved on to her own bedroom at the age of 6. She loved to hold and take care of me, however, my 4-year-old sister viewed me as a threat and found it difficult at times to treat me like the baby, as she was the baby prior to my existence. -
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The First Two Years - Cognitive
I have been told that I was a happy baby. In fact, my uncle told me the first time he met me at the age of approximately 18 months, I was jumping on and off of the couch, back and forth, smiling and giggling the entire time. I sucked on a pacifier for the first two years, but my mother had no trouble weaning it away from me, as she did with my older sisters. -
Approximate Date of Walking
I am told that I was determined to get going, therefore, walking came fairly easy. -
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The Play Years - Cognitive
I attended preschool at age 4, kindergarten at age 5 and first grade at age 6. Learning was logical to me and I excelled at reading. I had educated parents and two older sisters along with good teachers to answer the question, "why?" as I was always looking for an underlying purpose of a fact. -
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The Play Years - Biosocial
My body again lengthened, but I still carried some baby fat until approximately 5 years of age and my hair only got curlier. I became left-handed like my sister, however, neither of my parents are left-handed nor did they try to switch us to right-handed. I took ballet at 4 years old for a short period of time. -
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The Play Years - Psychosocial
My parents added a fourth child to the family and I became a big sister at the age of 4 to a newborn baby girl. At first, I was jealous that she had taken my place as the baby, but I began to take to her over time. My parents were nurturing and authoritative and I was very attached to them, often experiencing separation anxiety when leaving for preschool and kindergarten. -
My Younger Sister is Born
I would get up very early almost every morning and crawl into my parents bed. On this day, I remember doing the same only to find that my parents were not in their bed and my grandparents were over babysitting my two older sisters and I. Apparently, my parents were at the hospital giving birth to my new little sister. I remember my grandparents and sisters explaining this to me when I asked, "Where are my mommy and daddy?" Little did I know, my world was about to change. -
First Day of Preschool
I remember feeling nervous, excited and sad all at once to leave my parents for a half day of preschool in Livonia, MI. -
First Day of Kindergarten
Again, I remember feeling mixed emotions about this day and maybe even more so than my first day of preschool. Not only was I leaving my parents for almost a full day, but I was also leaving my baby sister, who I had spent the summer bonding with and getting to know and like. -
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The School Years - Biosocial
Fortunately, I grew steady and did not experience much illness during these years, besides the occasional flu, strep throat and a case of the chicken pox. I enjoyed food, but maintained a normal to slim weight by keeping active and walking, running, riding bikes and playing sports with my best friend who lived around the block. I developed a need for glasses at the age of 9 and wore them for the next three years. -
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The School Years - Cognitive
Learning made sense to me and came natural, especially in reading, writing and grammar. I gravitated toward creative and imaginative subjects, such as art and writing. I loved to draw and won second place in a drawing competition at the age of 8. I wrote poems and short stories using vivid characteristics and details to describe people, places, animals, etc. -
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The School Years - Psychosocial
I was socially accepted among my friends, but rarely took the lead. I typically listened as opposed to giving instructions or telling others what to do. A girl in my group of friends was considered the bully, however, we came to realize that she had self-esteem issues of her own. I was raised in a nuclear family household with much support from my parents and siblings. -
First Day of 1st Grade
This, of course, was an even bigger deal, however, I felt more confident as I was more prepared having gone through preschool and kindergarten. I was now taking the bus to school and about to meet my best friend, who just moved in around the block from me. -
My First Pet
I received my first pet from my parents on Easter Sunday when I was 9 years old; a bunny rabbit who I named Pepper. I loved animals, all animals and was ecstatic that I got my very own pet. My dad built a large, outdoor cage for Pepper that we filled with hay, food and water. It was my responsibility to clean and maintain her living quarters as well as feed her and change her water. -
My First Dog
I woke up early on Christmas morning to find a tiny, little, black and white puppy in a crate with a note on top addressed to me, from Santa Clause. I cried tears of joy as I had begged for a dog probably since I learned to talk. I couldn't believe my wish had come true. -
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Adolescence - Cognitive
To me at that time, balancing my studies with my social life was a challenge, but I still excelled academically up until high school when my grades slightly dropped and my focus became my friends. I was starting to learn my strengths and weaknesses; English and Social Studies were my strong subjects while math was more difficult. -
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Adolescence - Biosocial
By adolescence, I had lost all of my "baby fat" and grew taller and thinner. I became more concerned with my physical appearance and began exercising and playing sports, including volleyball and softball. I also hit puberty and started to develop into more of a woman than a girl. Drugs began to make a presence in middle school, but were never a problem for me, nor were they for most of my friends. -
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Adolescence: Psychosocial
I was sensitive during adolescence and didn't want to argue with my friends due to having the fear that they may turn on me. However, I got along with most people very well and was always considered the "nice" one, as well as the “fashionable” one, as I loved clothes and saw it as a form of art. I became attracted to boys and wanted more emotional relationships with them as opposed to just being friends as we once were on the playground as kids. -
First Day of 7th Grade
Entering middle school was exciting, yet frightening. It gave me the chance to be my own person, but I was just beginning to figure out who that person was. -
My 16th Birthday
Little did I know at the time, my parents had planned a small surprise get-together with my closest friends in the basement of their home. I was so grateful for my parent's thoughtfulness to plan something special for me and appreciated my friends coming through. -
First Day of 9th Grade
I don't believe I slept a wink the night before my first day of high school. I had friends in a few classes, but not others and the thought of being alone made me extremely nervous. -
My First Job
My neighborhood friends and I all got jobs at the local pizza place close to home. I was only 14 years old and wanted to make my own money and spend it too! -
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Emerging Adulthood - Biosocial
Although I took up smoking as a social event with friends, I was still very concerned with my physcial appearance and exercised and dieted when I felt I weighed more than I should. I began having my hair highlighted and wearing more fitted clothing. -
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Emerging Adulthood - Psychosocial
I had several close friends and a few different boyfriends throughout the time I was emerging adulthood. I enjoyed being out on my own with no rules, but missed my family. I worked two jobs, attended classes and still managed to have a fun and exciting social life. -
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Emerging Adulthood - Cognitive
I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life in terms of a career, which made it difficult to choose an area of study in college. Community college allowed me to take general classes at a lower cost that would transfer to most universities. I discovered I was really good at something that came so easy to me with the help of my English professors at Schoolcraft who told me I had a talent and inspired me to pursue a degree in writing. -
High School Graduation
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First Day of College
I started out at Schoolcraft Community College and eventually transferred. Community college was a good option for me. It allowed me to save money, since I paid for college on my own, and also prepared me for school at a university. -
My First Full-Time Job
I really wanted the "9 to 5" schedule like an adult, so I got a job as a receptionist at a law firm. The attorneys and staff became like family to me and I stayed there for several years throughout my college career. They were so accommodating and treated me like their daughter. -
On My Own
I shared a bedroom with my younger sister and needed a place to do homework after working full-time during the week and waitressing on the weekends, so I moved into a four bedroom house with three of my girlfriends. I felt sad leaving my parents and sisters, but I knew I would be back home again, as this was only temporary. -
My 21st Birthday
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Adulthood - Biosocial
It is not as easy to maintain my weight as it used to be with only a few days of exercise here and there. I have to carefully watch what I eat while being conscious of my health as well. I have stopped growing in length and for my height I am at an average weight, but would still like to be thinner. -
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Adulthood - Cognitive
I have a full-time job, but am continuing my education to pursue a career in nursing. I will become an oncology nurse and incorporate my love of writing into my career as a cancer researcher. I am a very emotional and sensitive human being who loves people and animals and felt the need to use my sensitivity to care for people in need. -
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Adulthood - Psychosocial
I am in a serious relationship and currently living with my boyfriend. I have a large group of friends, which is rare, but hold only about two very close to me. I am very close to my parents and would do anything for them. I am also close to my sisters and consider them my best friends. -
College Graduation
I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and a minor in apparel, textiles and merchandising. My loving and supportive parents, sister and brother-in-law and boyfriend attended the ceremony. It felt like I had been in college forever and I couldn't wait to finish. -
My First Job After Graduating College
I began at my current job as an administrative assistant to get my foot in the door with a great company. I am now the coordinator for the non-profit division of the same company. -
My First Apartment
I did indeed move back to my parent's house after a couple of years of living with my girlfriends. During college, I met someone who shared similar interests as me, including our education, love for fashion, morals, etc. and she is now my best friend. We decided to save money and share an apartment together for two and a half years. -
Begin College (Again)
My biggest New Year's Resolution was to figure out what I wanted to do career-wise. I enjoy my current job, but need to be challenged more. I also have a strong desire to help people in some way. I have a compassion for people with cancer and decided to get started on a nursing degree in oncology. -
My First House
My boyfriend welcomed me into his home and considered it mine, just as much as it is his. -
My 30th Birthday
My family, friends and boyfriend made my 30th birthday very special by taking me to dinner and spoiling me with gifts. -
Begin School at UDM
I will begin the Second Degree Option - Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Detroit Mercy where I will attend school for one year and obtain a license as a Registered Nurse. -
Getting Married
My boyfriend and I plan to marry, it is just a matter of when. We also need to get engaged before this happens, but I am very patient and not in a rush to do anything. I'm not a big planner and like to welcome life as it comes along with all of its surprises, but I would like a simple, intimate, fall wedding because of the beautiful colors and comfortable temperatures with only our families and closest friends in attendance. -
College Graduation
I will graduate from the University of Detroit Mercy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. -
Begin Career as a Nurse
I am not too picky at this point about what hospital I want to work at, as long as I get to work with cancer patients. -
Begin College for MSN
I want to further my education in nursing by obtaining a Master's degree with a focus in cancer research. -
Graduate with MSN
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Publish My First Book
As I have mentioned several times, although I am pursuing a career in nursing, I will not give up writing. I love to write and want to incorporate my talent for writing into my career as a nurse, perhaps with a cancer research book, a story about someone battling the disease or maybe even my own experiences working with cancer patients... or all of the above! -
My First Child
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My Second Child
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My 40th Birthday
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My 50th Birthday
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Twenty-Fifth Wedding Anniversary
I plan to stay married to man I am with currently. -
My 60th Birthday
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First Grandchild
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Late Adulthood - Cognitive
I am always learning and constantly educating myself by reading and writing. I may even take a continuing education class or two, to keep my mind going. I'll challenge myself with puzzles, crosswords and always keep up on the latest technology. I have now published three books and will continue to write a fourth. -
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Late Adulthood - Biosocial
I hope and plan to age gracefully, with a few, minor hiccups along the way. I will keep active and eat healthy, so that I am prepared for the physical and mental processes of aging, including bone and memory loss and delayed mobility. I will keep active by taking daily walks with my dog, husband and other family members. I will continue to take vitamins and care for my hair, skin and nails by moisturizing and protecting myself from too much sun. -
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Late Adulthood - Psychosocial
I have two to three grown-up children, who now have children of their own; my grandchildren. My husband and I see our family several times a week and stay active by chasing the kids around. My parents live in our home and we care for them, as they did for us for so many years. I am also still very close with three my sisters and keep in touch with a few of my best friends. We still enjoy a glass of wine together other once every other week. -
My 70th Birthday
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My 80th Birthday
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Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary
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My 90th Birthday
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Death
The results of my life expectancy test predicted my age of death to be 87 years old, however, I am stretching that number out to another ten years by making my own prediction of 97. Like many, I would like to die peacefully in the comfort of my own home, perhaps during a midday summer's nap with a warm breeze blowing through the window.