THIRTY

Hi everyone!

My name is Elisheva Awendstern and tomorrow I am turning 30! To tell you the honest truth. I never thought i would make it to 30. Therefore, this is the story of how I became 30!

I was born on August 4th, 1988. In a suburb right outside th big city of brotherly love, Philadelphia! My Father is originally from Philly and my Mother was from Denmark. I was born around a year and half after my older brother and a year and a half before my younger brother! 

When I was around 18 months old, I became quit sick. I wasn't eating very well and I was throwing up a lot. For most of my childhood, the hospital room became my bedroom. I wasn't diagnosed with Crohn's Disease until I was 6 years old. I don't really remember much of my childhood. But the next big thing I remember was when I was 8. I woke up in a fog to an Ileostomy on my lower right side of my abdomen. 

My mother told me that my colon had erupted inside. Destroying most of my colon and leaving me with an Ileostomy. Sorry, I'm not going to you explain what an Ileostomy is, because then this will be way too long! You can just Google it at your own risk!

I spent a good chunk of that year in the hospital. I was in and out of there having different procedures done and being diagnosed with minor side effects from crappy hearing to getting authorities at around the age of 11. I learnt how to deal with this on a daily basis and it quickly became my norm. 

Education wise. Since I wasn't attending the required lessons and participating due to certain circumstances. I got held back for kindergarten and second grade. Due to missing out on a lot in school. I had a tutor for pretty much everything and was in resource rooms for a few classes. Even though I had all of this help and hated every single second of it. I always came home after school and the first thing I would was grab a snack and do all of my homework right away! I have always been a hard worker! 

At the age of 15 my parents decided to move to Denver, Colorado. My younger brother had just had his Bar Mitzvah in Philly in May. Then the following September I was starting 8th grade in my new school in Denver. The Yom Tovim (Jewish holidays) came and went while I was making new friends! 

On November 13, 2003 I had just gotten off the bus from school. I started walking to my front door and as I was walking. I noticed from the outside that all of the lights were off inside. I thought it was kind of strange because I knew my mother was supposed to be home. As I walked into my pitch black house. My dog back then, Sheba, came running over to me. As I was petting her hello, I called out for my Mother. There was no response so I started to look for her. When I went into her room its was really dark and I saw that she was laying down on her bed. I just figured that she was taking a nap. So, I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. As i was getting a glass of water, Sheba wouldn't leave my side. Now Sheba and i had a love hate relationship. I loved her and she hated me! Due to all the squeezing and tail pulling i used to...poor dog. So I found that it was a little strange that she wouldn't leave me alone. 

When I was done drinking my glass of water. I just went back into my mothers room to double check on her. In our house in Denver. My parents had a window right above their bed that you could see into our shed area from. When I went in there the second time. I saw, from a sliver of light that she had something on her face. I'm not going to go into details, but when I turned the light on I had just realized that I had just witnessed the suicide of my mother a"H. 

My whole, life my Mother a"H was a stay-at-home-mom. She did every thing for us 3 kids and our house was ALWAYS spotless (you could literally eat off of the floor!). That's how she kept busy. About a year or so before we moved. My Mother a"H had gone back to school and become an LPN and got a job in an Nursing Home! I had never seen her more happier and clearer in my life! She had a purpose everyday to go and help people!

When we moved to Denver. She didn't have a job to wake up to. If you knew my mother then you will know that my mother lived for helping people! She never left my side when I was in the hospital. Even when she was in the hospital she was helping others in different ways! If you also know my mother then you may not know that she suffered with alcohol and depression. 

Shiva (Jewish mourning service) ended on a Thursday and I went back to school on Friday. I finished up 8th grade in Denver with a lot of tears and therapy. For high school, I went back to Philadelphia and boarded by a family. 

Meanwhile both of my brothers were in school in New York/Israel and New Jersey and my Father was still living in Denver. The summer before I went into my senior year of high school my father had gotten engaged! That September my Father got married and moved upstate New York to a whole new life (for me anyways).

My senior year my younger brother moved in with my Father and Stepmother and I was getting really homesick. I couldn't handle it much anymore! So 3 months before I was supposed to graduate. my Father and Stepmother came one evening and just picked me. We all got into the car and left to a small town outside of Ithaca, New York! 

When I got upstate. I joined a house filled with my Father, my Stepmother, my 2 stepbrothers, my younger brother, chickens out front, 2 dogs and 1 lizard in a cage outside my bedroom door. You could guess that it was somewhat of a cultural shock for me! But I adapted to the change pretty quickly.

When I got upstate. I also started to go to public school, eat none kosher, wore pants and worked at Taco Bell (still one of the greatest jobs I've ever had!). When I moved to upstate New York. The last three months of the school year I was put back into 11th and graduated high school in 2008!

During 12th grade of high school I got accepted to attend Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, NY! I was there for 3 years. I did and learnt a lot of new things! Don't worry, I wasn't stupid! In my 3rd semester of college I became a Resident Assistant (RA) of my dormitory! While I was doing that, I was also juggling working on getting a Medical Assistant Certification! As the semester went on and the course got more intense at the end of the semester. I decided to drop being an RA and buckle down on finishing my certificate! As of 2011, I am the only one out of my siblings who have graduated college! 

Once I graduated college, I sublet an apartment in Ithaca for the summer. I had to finish up my internship in a pediatric office in order to fully complete my degree! While I was doing that, my brothers were living together in an apartment in Far Rockaway, NY. 

My internship was only 6 weeks! So, when I finished I had planned a one week trip to Far Rockaway to see my brothers! I ended up staying for two weeks! All 3 of us cramped into a 1 bedroom apartment!

When I got back to Ithaca. I called my father right away and my stepmother picked up and she said "you want to move to the city!" and she was right!

Mind you, my older brother has always been religious! He may have slipped up a few times, but he has always stayed true to himself! When I went to visit my brothers. I hadn't had shabbat in a long time and a I really missed it!

So I packed up my bags moved into an apartment in Brooklyn (Flatbush) with 2 girls and no job. That first year in Brooklyn was hard for me. I had a hard time getting and keeping a job.

During that year I had became very close to this family! The mother of the family ran a day care! There was one kid who's parents wanted something more of someone watching their child at home! They were a religious family, I was religious again by then! So we thought it was perfect!

The next 2 years I watched an 18 month and a 2 month old baby boys! When I done being their babysitter I had left left behind a 3 year old boy and a almost 2 year old boy and a 5 month old girl. The reason why I left was because it was getting too much for me. Not only that! But, I had gotten engaged 4 months before I left the babysitting job!

On September 4th, 2014 I married my angel, Gavriel (Gabi)! We moved into a small apartment in West Hempstead and 10 days after we got married. I started working in the new location that the store that I was working in at just opened up near wear I had just moved! 

That my friends is where I am in life right now!

The reason why I wanted to share this with you is because everyone has a story so I thought I would just leave mine here!

I hope you enjoyed!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Elisheva