Michelle
Mother, artist, sailor, realtor. As a child I was sensitive, insecure & shy - my birth mother was an alcoholic & I was put into the foster care system at 7. I was very lucky to be placed with one family who chose to keep me forever and raise me as their own. I still have abandonment issues - I have a hard time relying on others & asking for help. I often feel like I'm not good enough. I'm insecure about my weight & my thin hair - but I think my eyes are a great feature of mine. The best day of my life was when my son was born after 5 days in the hospital & 3 days on Pitocin. I am so proud that I've raised an incredibly smart & polite young man who is wiser than his years. My 16 year old & I are very close and we can talk about anything. I know I did something right in raising him. My worst day was when my son's father hit me. After that it took me 8 months to leave him; 2 years to move home to Boston - briefly, only to be sent back to CA by the family court system. It wasn't until 7 years later that we got to move back home and start a new life near my family. I believe a strong romantic relationship comes from trust & mutual respect. I'm lucky that I finally found a great guy who I've been with for 6 years. I want to make a living doing things I love. After being laid off from my job of 12 years I decided not to go back to traditional office life and I got my real estate license. Changing careers in your late 40s is not easy but on this journey I met a wonderful friend, Peyton. He encouraged me to paint & show my art in his gallery. If there's anything harder to make money at than real estate, its probably art, but I managed to sell a significant piece at my first show. I’ve since been accepted into the Marbelhead Arts Association & have 4 separate exhibitions this month. I'm excited about how quickly my art career has taken off. In 10 years I hope to be here, in Marblehead, racing yachts in the summer & cross country skiing in the winter. I want to be successful enough in art & real estate to be financially secure. I am Michelle and I believe in honesty, accountability & persistence. I say it like it is and I never give up.
