Everyone has a story

I have said this to many people, it is the truth. I truly do have a Cinderella story, and I am so thankful. I grew up in a small town in Ohio. As a child, I loved to play the violin, ballet, cheer, beauty contests, and rescue animals. I always felt as if I lived at a zoo. At one point in my house, we had two cats, five dogs, and a duck. When growing up in a small town, your days were spent helping out your neighbor or a family member. My days were no different. They were filled with volunteering at bingo nights at my Grandmother's church, going to the local hospital where I was a candy striper, and spending time with my family. When I was a junior in high school, my parents decided to enroll my siblings and I in a small school out in the country. My parents were worried that the public school system where we lived was becoming unstable and dangerous. So as I started my new year at a new school, I struggled to adjust socially and academically. Most of the time, I let my academics take a backseat because I was all about making money and wanting to make it big. There was a point where I was working two jobs and going door to door selling vacuums. I kept working because I always knew there was something else out there. One snowy day at work, I just washed the dishes and was taking out the trash at the Silver Mirror Restaurant.( I was 12 years old) I braced the cold and hurried out, and all of a sudden, the world went upside down. And I found myself lying on the cold-hard ground surrounded by trash. As the snowflakes fell on my face, I remember thinking I'm going to move to California. Six years had passed. I still was not enrolled in college, so I packed up my little purple Dodge Shadow and headed west. I remember that day well, my family tried to be supportive of the move, and they even gave me a going-away party. But as soon as I started to put my belongings into the car, my dad started to take them out. But I charged forward and hugged them goodbye. The long drive from Ohio to California was the time that I spent dreaming of the future. Making my way through Colorado, I experienced a bump in the road, literally. A boulder tore the bottom of my car off, YIKES. I felt like I was Willma from the Flintstones. Thank goodness it happened in Colorado because I had family that could save the day. I stayed with an aunt and used 300 of the 500 dollars I moved out there with to fix it. When my car was finally repaired, I got back onto the road. I eventually got to Cali and moved into my small apartment on Hollywood Blvd. Life was exciting, but lonely. I shared a one-bedroom apartment with FOUR people. Living on a budget, I learned to get creative with my meals. I used to buy one fish sandwich a day from McDonald's, because they were only 1 dollar!!! Hollywood was not what it was today 25 years ago; it was a scary place. While my friends and boyfriend at the time worked on movie sets, I got a job at the famous Fred Segals. I was almost fired for spraying room spray on Heather Locklear... I thought it was perfume. On the side, I would work on craft services or makeup for movie sets. I loved doing it so much, I enrolled in SMC and went to beauty school at Culver City Beauty School. The California dream was not cracking up to all it was to be, I was not even 21, so it was hard to get into productions and be a part of the Hollywood scene. Just when I thought I was out of luck, things started to look up. I got the opportunity to rent a house out in Bel Air! Calling home and telling my family and friends that I lived down the street from Adam Sandler was something else! It was around this time, my boyfriend and I broke up, and then I was really alone. I ended up meeting a flashy Hollywood boy at some party, but things got really ugly. He was a terrible man that used my apartment, car, and me. Fast way forward one evening out of the blue as he ate his dinner, he told me we were moving to Australia. I'll spare you the details, but thankfully with the help of the FBI etc. he was taken away. Literally, overnight, everything was taken from me. Any friends that I knew went to jail, most of my things were confiscated, and I was left to hire a Lawyer. I was innocent, but had seen to many mafia movies. So what else could you do? I gave every dime I had to get a lawyer. Left alone once again, I decided to move to Chicago where I knew no one and no one would know me. I felt like LA was unsafe and did not want to put my family in harms way by moving home. I worked at a place called Underthings; it was like a Victoria's Secret. Life was good again, and I was surviving but it was lonely. I was extremely thankful that I did not have to deal with the feds and LA at this point. I would often talk to an old neighbor of mine that lived in my apartment complex. He was always so nice and would wonder why I was with such a terrible guy. I struggled a lot through this year, and although my family was willing to help, I had to do this all on my own. When my old California neighbor asked me to come and visit, I thought, why not. I was getting ready to testify and needed to be present for the hearing. Back in LA, a lot of my time was spent hanging out with the manager of the apartment complex and my neighbor. The manager was a down to earth type woman. She always wanted to help in any way. Knowing that I was a freelance makeup artist and needed the money, she asked me if I wanted to go to the playboy Mansion for a job opportunity. She and I went together, I didn't know what to wear and how to act. I was utterly in awe, but I did my job and snuck down to the party. The party was in honor of a supermodel... It was funny because it was not the lingerie parties that you see on TV, I was totally standing in a public place in my underwear. A gentleman called me over to his table and asked me who I was, and after a few drinks I asked him who he was, he laughed, and he said I should test to become a playboy playmate. Turns out, this man was the famous Hugh Heffner. I thought it was all a joke, how could this be?!? I got the phone call from the Chicago office the next day that changed my life. My life was turned upside down after my centerfold came out, I traveled the world in a bunny suit or cocktail dress. Having red carpet rolled out, the security detail, and the luxurious items were all the fame I could ever ask for and more. I was living the true Hollywood life, and I even owned my own house. But something was missing. I felt like time was going by very fast, and I'm going to be single forever, so in 2005, I went to Vegas on a whim, and that's where I met Adam. He wanted to meet me, and I wanted to meet him. A busboy Jose’ came up to me and said I know you, and I know Adam, you two are nice people and need to meet. Adam went back to LA with me, and we have been together ever since. He spent most of his time in St. Louis playing football, and I had a job where I just needed an airport. It worked out when we were together, and I felt like I was helping him get through the season. Some time went by, and I started to want to settle down. I wanted people to say hello to me at a grocery store, and I wanted to have land and lots of it. I was tired of the big city. I pretty much picked a house in Arizona on the Internet and bought it. It was an expensive impulsive purchase, but it did get me out of LA. The football season continued, and I traveled with Adam. The house I was so proud of set vacant for some time until we found out we were having our firstborn, it was during the football season in 2008. On the same day, he was born; Adam lost his job. You never know why things happen until years later, but it was a blessing in disguise. Adam was injured, concussions, and I felt like his head was out of the game, and most people don't understand that even though the paycheck is good mentally, physically and spiritually, it's hard. Life went on. I had this handsome man and beautiful baby I was living in a safe and gorgeous state. Later on, when I lost 80 pounds of my baby weight, we married, and we had two more children. For a long time, Adam did some soul searching and did not know what he was going to do, and then broadcast came about!!! For most that know him, he is a man of a few words and to see him on TV is pretty incredible. But he has overcome so much it doesn't surprise me. So I am who I am today because I've done and seen a lot and most comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. I have a very large close family. I don't like to leave my kids or my husband. I love God and know him well. I love my family more than anything, and I treat most of my friends like they are my own kin. I love giving gifts, taking photos, and volunteering. Having been so glamorous for many years, it's either out of pure laziness or having sat in a hair and makeup chair for so long I don't know how to do it myself!!! You will rarely see me without a baseball cap, and wear very little makeup. My little girl is trying to change that and has been successful at times. In my blog, you'll find fun ideas for your kids, recipes for busy moms, workouts, fashion, parenting ideas, Spiritual guidance, natural childbirth, even how to make your own baby formula. These are just a few things that have been helpful to people in my past. That many still often ask. The stretching of your faith is immediate pain that results in an ultimate gain. It is in the waiting that we become who we are meant to be. Love Jennifer