Heidi Szekely:  

Life I graduated from UTEP in Mechanical Engineering. GM picked me up after my sophomore year and gave me another scholarship (I had one from UTEP) and I worked for them in the summers. I met Jeff at the beginning of my second summer there. We got engaged 2 months later. We married the next summer, in 91. We both worked for GM for about 10 years (including student co-op time, then a few years in Michigan.) After 4 nice years together golfing, going out whenever we pleased, and a little travel and camping, Amanda was born in Michigan, after which, we moved back to El Paso to work in the maquiladoras. A couple years later, Emily was born. We finally left GM and El Paso and moved to CA. My parents moved out, too. Jeff & I worked in the high tech industry in Sonoma County. After 2 years, my company (Textron) moved back east. I took the time to be home with the girls, who were in preschool. My mom taught at a really good preschool-8th private school. The girls were able to attend, thanks to great tuition benefits from Grammy working there. After a couple years, I started teaching middle school math there (6th grade through geometry). I really enjoyed that! Inspired by Mr. Henderson, the best math teacher ever, I found the teaching was rewarding, I only had 3 classes in the morning, then I was free for the day, I got to see the girls now and then (it was a small campus), and I got to get paid for doing math every day! I did it for 2 years, then had Maggie. Since then, I've been so happy to stay at home (although it seems that I'm never actually at home!) After 7 years with his company (OCLI-turned JDSU), Jeff was working as an Operations Manager and had had enough of corporate life and lining someone else's pockets. He decided to go into business for himself and decided on buying a f...Expand for more