All about me

My name is Mindy Rae Boyer Larson. I am a thirty six year old writer and a mother to four great kids. I am a big sister to three great brothers. I am daughter. I’ve recently found the love of my life. I am a runner. A baker. A lover. A sister. A friend.

 I have an amazing life.

Some of the highlights and things that stick out as I look back at my life evokes many emotions: happiness, longing, sadness, pain, pleasure. The list could go on. But I really don’t want to dwell on the past. I am so happy in my day to day life that and living in the moment that I rarely want to think about the past at all, but I am who I am today because of everything.

I am not perfect. I am human and I didn’t always make the best choices. Growing up, I was the cliché bad girl. I skipped a lot of school; I hung out with the cool kids and partied. I was pregnant at sixteen. I broke my parents’ hearts but I rose to the occasion. There was no choice. I was going to keep my baby. I loved my son more than anything. I wanted to be the best mom possible. Knowing my schooling would play a role in this; I continued my education. I graduated on time and with my class in 1995. Six months later I was given another choice, and wanting to do what I felt was right at the time, I married my high school boyfriend. He’s not the biological father of my son but raised as his own. I was eighteen. He was twenty.

Being a wife and a mother, forced me into growing up even more so. We were young. We weren’t ready to be married. Early on I was unhappy. He was unhappy. We weren’t a good match. And as a result, our four children suffered. We tried our best and stuck it out until December of last year, 2012. I made the decision of parting ways and divorcing. I wanted to show my kids that I could be a happy, content, and a fulfilled parent. My hopes were that someday they would be able to see a healthy and loving example of how adults could exist together. The very thought gave drove me through difficult times. Parting ways meant I was giving up the security of being married to a successful and wealthy man. I remember even asking myself, 'what are you thinking? You have no job. No job skills. You’re just a stay at home mom for crying out loud! You’re stuck, baby.'

 It was at my lowest point that I reminded myself that I have the ability to make another choice. As difficult as it was. It helped to remind myself of my value and of my talents. I have a good heart. An intelligent mind. A fit and healthy body. I am a good mom. A good writer. I have always been writer. I have written kids books. I could write a novel, a damn good one at that. Daily I pumped myself up, telling myself that I am a great writer and a great mom and that I could do this. It’s going to happen. And I am pleased to say that it did. But it wasn’t easy! And at the time I was beyond scared to consider going out on my own without a dime to my name. But I wanted more and somehow I just knew that things would work out.

                                           

                                           The times they are a changing.

When I signed those final papers a proverbial weight lifted from my petite frame and I was free. It was a very magical time. I went to movies, concerts, I even signed up for 5k running event where I ran 
 through a field of lavender.















I went to Disneyland with my parents and kids. I went to the beach and I was healed and very happy for the first time in a very long time. Every day was like my birthday. I was reborn. Each day I began my day by writing in my gratitude journal. I wrote ten things that I was grateful for and why. It feels amazing to do this. And I highly recommend it! Do it when you’re feeling down to remind yourself of all the great things that are going on and take your focus off the pain.  Or even better, just do it when you’re feeling happy to reinforce more feel good.
 

                                          Just do it. 

Hopefully, I am not getting too over the top here. And I’ll be the first to tell you that not every day was ideal, after all, this is life. We all have ups and downs. To quote Johnny Depp, “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.”

In the beginning days when my kids were with their dad I missed them like missing a limb. My hear hurt. I had such anxiety that I literally shook. OK so maybe part of it was because of my coffee addiction. Nothing beats a cup of coffee, a good book, and a closet full of shoes and clothes. Nonetheless I powered through the tough times. Whenever the kids were at their dads, I did things for me. I wrote a lot. I gave myself facials and pedicures. I worked out like crazy. I was in the best shape of my life. Wanting to continue my new positive lifestyle, I quickly abandoned the novel I had been working on, and I began a new novel, This Morning I Woke Up Dead

If you haven't already, check out my facebook page This Morning I Woke Up Dead and  Pinterest Mindy Larson and goodreads.com

In July of 2012, I met the love of my life, Troy Gilbert. We cook together. We clean together. We workout together. We’ve travel. We’ve been to California, Utah, Las Vegas, Arizona, and Wyoming and even have plans to go all over the world. We laugh every day. We are a wonderful team in this crazy thing called life. He makes me feel cherished and special. He has single handedly renewed my faith in love. And by feeling these wonderful magical things I was able to create Hadley and Dominic’s love story in, This Morning I Woke Up Dead.

                             
                 I am happy. I am a writer. I am a good Mom. I am in love. I am me.