Kandy Smith:  

Well, lets see now. I've done so much, experienced so much, that its hard to know where to begin. I let myself get talked into going to USM by my dad, who REALLY wanted me to go there. I was burned out because I'd started going to USM the summer between junior and senior year, and hadn't really had much of a break. While at USM, I left the Air Force ROTC and joined the Army ROTC, going to basic training between my freshman and sophomore years. I was in the National Guard as an ROTC member, future officer, so held a special rank with paygrade of E-5. I filled a journalism slot. Mom and Dad split up during this time, and I had a nervous breakdown of sorts (really nasty divorce). In desperation, I dropped out of school and ran off to join the Army active duty, becoming a helicopter mechanic (and later crew chief) on UH-60A Blackhawk helicopters. My goal was to be a pilot one day. I'd just settled into Army life and got deployed overseas for Operation Desert Shield/Storm/Provide Comfort, something that I feel has affected my life in drastic ways. I'm glad I went...there were some really bad times and experiences over there, but some really good ones too. I came home and left the Army, going into the New York National Guard. I became an MP (military police) in Utica, NY and was there for a year before realizing I am NOT a snowbunny and moving back to MS. Once home, I rotated between MP and aviation units, as there were a lot of unit closures during the early 90's. I married in a whirlwind romance (one week *sigh*) in Dec 1992 and had two beautiful children, Jared (14) and Katie (12). I separated from him in Dec 1996 and our divorce was finalized in Jan 1999 (he moved to TX so it took a while). I worked a variety of jobs, from restaurant management to office work in different fields. Due to having bipolar disorder, I rarely worked longer than 3 years in any one job, and often worked 2-3 jobs at a time to make ends meet as a single mom. In 1999 I decided to have a long awaited and much-desired breast reduction (nursing my children had been WAY too kind to me), and during the process discovered I had breast cancer. My tumors had encapsulated themselves, which protected me from it spreading, and against medical advice I elected not to have chemo or radiation because of the low risk of the cancer spreading. I was a single mom and couldn't afford to lose time from work, AND I've never regretted this decision as the breast cancer has never recurred in 9 years now. In 2000 I met my husband now. We dated three weeks before he proposed (yeah, I seem to have fast courtships) but were engaged four months before tying the knot. Eight years later, we're still together and still going strong (and putting up with me is NOT easy let me tell you!). He was told in his first marriage he wouldn't have kids. In 2002 we discovered the doctors were wrong, and our little miracle entered the world. Bekah is now 5 and precocious as anything you can imagine. She's my little surprise...I thought I was done! After her birth, I never truly recovered...Expand for more