Introductions and New Beginnings

Welcome to my blog! Now let's talk about who I am and what I plan on sharing here!

As you might have already guessed, I'm Kristy. Also as you might have guessed, my life has been pretty chaotic. I'm here to share my story, and my art, with the hopes of helping someone else manage their own world.

Some Basic Info:

I'm 19 years old and recently started furthering my education in college. Right now I am a general studio art major but later this semester I'll be able to specify into K-12 art education.

As for my crazy life, it's easiest to explain it bluntly. It's a lot to take in so it'll definitely span out over many many many blog posts but I can at least give the short version.

My Story:

To be blunt, I grew up in a mentally abusive household. My childhood was seemingly good and I didn't even start to notice the bad until getting out of the situation. Looking back it is easier to see the manipulation and lying and hiding that took place. I also grew up assuming my parents were...well...my parents. I held a different last name and constantly questioned why but was never given a full answer. In 8th grade I continued to push for the truth and found out that my biological parents had passed away shortly after I was born. This was also the time that I found out my technical half sister had raised me as her own child.

Where I Am Now

So, what happened after figuring out the truth?

After figuring at least a little truth out in 8th grade, my life basically stayed the same with more questions than before. For almost exactly the next four years I still lived with the assumed parents and treated them as such. Life was never "bad" for me and I always made the most of what I had. I was always fed and "cared for" physically. I am a mostly a positive person yet I was constantly questioning who I was. My mental health was a mess for most of my life. Luckily, halfway through senior year, things got better.

Senior Year to Now

Senior year I started dating a guy who had been my best friend up to that point. He had watched me struggle from 8th grade onward with my own identity and self worth. Once we started dating I began spending more time with his family than my own and finally started to feel like I was at home. Right before Thanksgiving I got into a huge fight with the now deemed "assumed parents" about all of the issues that had built up over those long four years. Since one parent was going out of town for the holidays while the other stayed home, I was stuck at home that entire week. I wasn't allowed to leave the house, close my door, or be on my phone after 8pm. I spent Thanksgiving day alone crying and was only given McDonalds chicken nuggets for dinner.

That weekend my boyfriend's parents invited me to their friendsgiving and convinced the parent I was home with to let me go. At this point it was assumed that the issues were too far gone to be fixed and I took some vital belongings with me in the case of not returning. I wasn't able to bring much though without seeming suspicious. Sure enough, once to their house I was told I'd need to be home by five. The event was taking place at my boyfriend's house and dinner was scheduled to start at 5, meaning no one would be free to take me home. When told this, the assumed parent freaked out and treated it as I never wanted to return. That night we picked my belongings up from being thrown in the yard, and I only returned a few more times in an attempt to get all of my things back.

After that it was the adventure of helping my mental health get better. It wasn't always easy.

Now that I am out of that situation things have gotten a lot better. Now I know some biological relatives, I have better ways to cope with stress and anxiety, and I'm not scared people are lying all the time. While I could dive into more detail about that here, I'll save it for a future blog post or two. My life is a lot to take in, and this blog post isn't meant to seem dark. This blog post is just the start of my chaotic story and I hope you'll stay to read the rest!