Sixteen years ago, I was wearing prescription-strength rose colored glasses when I walked through the front door and knew that this house was going to be my home. Four bedrooms, three sets of stairs and a huge backyard... What single, 24 year old woman wouldn’t need this? SOLD!

I got the key, moved in and furnished one room. (Two, if you count the mattress on the floor in the bedroom.) All I had to do now was acquire things and people. I immediately became an avid yard-saler and married an alcoholic.

With the sense of shock reserved for young hopefuls, I was appalled when things started to get a little rough. The situation was not playing out as I had envisioned at all. Still, I stuck with the plan. In my deluded world, I was a mere two televisions, one baby and four pets away from happily ever after.

Imagine my complete devastation the day I gazed out over the huge backyard and realized that I was in charge of all of this - on my own.

How would the garbage get to the curb? Who would call their plumber/electrician friend when something broke? Those were the tiny questions. Would I be able to raise my daughter on my own? How could I have failed? Those were the terrifying questions I could not answer.

My rose colored glasses were smashed. I had a houseful of second hand junk, a lot of responsibility and no plan.

I wallowed in self pity and liquor for a while. Then, one day I got up and called a friend. We went to the dump. We made eight trips that day.

After six months, and several more trips to the dump, I got inspired and called another friend. We built a stage right in the living room. My daughter loves to perform and as ridiculous as it sounds that stage has become the heart of our home.

Just as things were getting better, I suffered another traumatic set-back. I burned down the kitchen. Having left hot grease unattended on the stove was indicative of someone who could not possibly get the garbage to the curb much less raise a child on her own. My budding confidence was destroyed.

The next two months were grueling and ultimately cumulated into one deeply embarrassing, crying, screaming fit in a tile store. It was a dark time, but in the end I had a new beautiful kitchen.

This new kitchen was too classy for my hodgepodge yard sale dishes, so I bought new elegant white ones. These dishes needed to be showed off, so I had a dinner party. It was a huge success.

Last year, I replaced the roof and redecorated my daughter’s room.

Next, I am going to do something about the linoleum floor in the bathroom that I “temporarily” painted black 10 years ago. The list is never ending and that’s okay. I’ve got new rose colored glasses and the key.