I was a 22-year-old single mom with a four month old baby boy, living in a tiny room at my brother’s home when I decided to do something drastic. I had virtually no money to my name, was honorably discharged from the army before that, then worked in Baghdad as a civil contractor six months after the war started there, then found myself in a tough situation financially and back in Wisconsin. What I did ended up surprising everyone.
I sold all of our belongings when my son was only 4 months old – to move to Thailand. With the little money that I had, after selling the one thing I needed most to succeed online – my computer – I had enough cash to buy two one-way tickets to Thailand. I had an interest in making money online but wasn’t very knowledgeable in it when I decided to take this leap of faith. I lived there years earlier for 6 months as a Rotary Youth Exchange student, and thought I could afford to live there and take care of my son while starting a business online. Looking back it sounds unrealistic – but it worked out beautifully.
When we arrived, with our two suitcases in hand, we moved into a small studio apartment in northern Thailand. I faced opposition with my landlord about getting the Internet setup, so I ended up using the apartment building’s switchboard line (one of the four they had for hundreds of residents) to use an internet card and dial up. It was very difficult, but by the fourth month of doing endless learning from those who I saw as “online gurus,” I made more money than I had in the entire previous year when I had a high paying job in Iraq. I did that in one month. That is where my online marketing story began, and as a result, I wrote a book called Honest Riches. I became a published author with the online book selling over 30,000+ copies and a paperback that was published in 2009.
My life has drastically changed as a result of all the events that ensued over the years – and I feel blessed to have embarked on so many adventures with my son. We traveled the world as a result of the hard work and making money online. We went to Disneyland in Paris, met the world’s tallest man in Ukraine, went to Bahrain, Cabo San Lucas and many more places. I do not want to sound as though I am bragging, but I truly feel grateful for the way things turned out – as the first part of my life was very different. I think to really follow your dreams and your heart at times, it can be very scary but can create the greatest experiences of your lifetime. I still work online, help others and continue writing – my next book is about my time in Iraq.

Migrated to the US at 3 yrs old. Raised  with wise guys but kept my Latino roots. Joined the USMC at 17 Travel the world. I love Latin music and it became part of my survival. I have been fortunate to have met and performed with legendary musician. Dealt with drug abuse and betrayal. Honored my mother and love my children but the system took my life away due to my divorce. Now I begin life again and many doors open on my way to a Grammy! I thank God Everyday and Believe!

I met my boyfriend in California in January 2008. After 3 months with him, he had gotten laid off from his job and had a job offer in Oregon. He had asked me to move with him. I was skeptical at first because I’ve been with him for such a short time but I decided to go for it because I was young, had no kids, and I might as well enjoy the adventure. I ended up LOVING Oregon! February 2009, he had gotten laid off again. He had gotten a job offer in Colorado in late September 2009. He had asked me to move again. I did not want to move because I was going back to school and the out-of-state tuition for Colorado colleges where too expensive for me. If I had decided to move then I won’t be able to follow him until December of 2009 when the fall term classes ended for my college. To be honest, I thought there was a very slim chance that I would go to Colorado and our relationship was rocky and I doubted it would survive a long distance relationship. I really wanted to stay in Oregon. He left to leave the morning of October 1st and we said our goodbyes. I went to work that day and I was laid off. There was no way I would be able to find a job to support myself and pay for school while living in the nation’s top 40 financially stressed counties due to the economic situation. The job oppurtunities in my area were sparse so I knew that I would have to move out of there to find employment.

Two weeks later, I had moved out to Colorado to join my boyfriend. I do not know yet if I’m meant to be with him but I do know that I’m meant to be in Colorado at this point in my life. In the two weeks that I’ve been here, I have had two job interviews and two other prospective employers that have been duly interested in me. I have also applied to the local community college and hope to start school again in spring. I do not love it yet as much as I did Oregon so it is too soon for me to tell but I at least know that I can survive here.