Life doesn't always take you down the paths you think it will. When I was a child, I was very thoughtful, and had big dreams for my life. Many of the events that took place in my life were out of my control. And then, things began to change in ways I hadn't expected, nor could have possibly foreseen. I made bad choices, mostly from the affects of those changes that were happening. It took me down a path I never saw coming. Many years later, I would look back and wonder, what could have been? What might have been? The opportunities I missed out on. The gifts I just took for granted. But in the long run, God was there with me; all the time. He made good things happen out of bad situations and helped me to connect to people and experience the lives of others in a way I never would have. Those times in my life, I would not trade for anything! They have made me the person I am today and have brought me the family and friends I now CHERISH! "Under the Influence" takes you through my life in a real and very transparent, year by year testament. I was inspired to write it by a woman I greatly admire. I gave her my testimony on a long drive back home from Mexico, where we had been for the weekend; helping our church build loft homes for some well-deserved families. As I told her my story, she was surprised and amazed, the way you would be when you open a box, not knowing what may lurk inside. This is the joy of my story! You never know what you may find in common with others, or what inspiration you may glean from someone else's journey. It's important to connect! That's exactly what I pray this book will do, for you.