Another one of the Sandusky Contingent writes about herself. She is nearly 17, and she has had a very interesting life.
My name is Stephanie ("Steffi") Louise Elizabeth Sandusky, and I am about to turn 17 next month. I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and I lived there until I was adopted at the age of 9. I have a younger brother, Michael, who is 14. Michael looks a lot like me (freckled all over, tall, and thin), but he has blue eyes and bright red hair.
We live in Nashville, Tennessee, with our adoptive family, the Sanduskys; we have been with the Sanduskys for over three years now. We were among the first kids to join the family after Johnny and Ronee', who were the two first kids to be adopted into the family.
Now there are *50* kids in our family.
Most of the kids in our family are considered "special-needs".
My brother and I were adopted because our parents had been killed in a car wreck, leaving the two of us orphaned. It was a crushing blow in our lives, and I still miss mom and dad today. Sometimes I still get sentimental and think about them, especially around the time of their birthdays (mom's birthday was in September, on September 13, and dad's birthday was in December, on December 14) or their wedding anniversary (it was in June), or during holidays like Mother's or Father's Day, Christmas, or Thanksgiving.
But our lives now are much better, especially since I got over my stubborn and foolish period. When I was younger, I was having serious problems with my family, and I was even thinking of joining a gang; but then I wised up, and it was a good thing because some of my friends (or who I THOUGHT were my "friends") ended up paralyzed or even DEAD from wrong choices they made. I guess God had a Hand in it because here I am, now nearly 17, and I am now a born-again Christian who goes to church every week with her family; and now God is the Big Deal in my life. I now can no longer imagine my life without Him or His Goodness to me.
To describe myself, I look like an average teenaged girl: tall, thin, with freckles ALL OVER her body, long, long wavy ORANGE hair (and BOY, do I mean ORANGE!!), light-green eyes, and fair, fair skin that doesn't tan in the summer. (I only burn, or worse, I get freckles on top of the freckles I already have! LOL)
I work five nights a week (okay, FOUR nights a week, and during the day on Sundays) at our local Golden Corral Buffet and Steakhouse Restaurant, where I am a line person. I have worked at Golden Corral for a year now, and I love my job (EXCEPTING for when I miss church Sunday mornings; but Sundays are BUSY at the Corral, ESPECIALLY when my family comes traipsing in, making for an even BUSIER time!). I also sometimes serve (waitress) if they are short on servers, and I can make a KILLING on tips on Sundays! So I guess Sundays aren't TOO BAD! (At least I STILL can get to church on Sunday nights; I just don't go with my family, as I drive there after work, and I am often in my stinky, smelly uniform. This is why I often take a change of clothes with me to work on Sunday, so I can change in the church bathroom after I get there! LOL)
When I am NOT working at the Golden Corral, I like to drive my new 2002 Volkswagen Beetle (it is harvest orange, and it is aDORable! I paid for it with my own money; been saving for a year to get myself a car, and I got it several months back!), be with my friends from church or with my family, read, write in my diary/journal, write poetry ("Grief: Dark, forboding, pain/It threatens to destroy me/But I won't let it"..a small haiku type piece I wrote this past Mother's Day when I was missing mom; I do a lot of this type of stuff), read, and go online and chat with my Christian pals. I also like to play sports, and I like to swim. I am very athletic in nature, and I have always been this way.
My brother, Michael, is slender, too, but he doesn't like to play sports. I guess it is due to his epilepsy (he has seizures from time to time, and he is on medication to try to control them), but he likes to read, write stories, and play with his video games. He isn't as outgoing as I am; he has always been sorta' quiet and shy in nature.
As I said earlier, I used to hang around with gang kids because I felt my parents were being too demanding and strict with me (this was right after I had been adopted, and I remained "in trouble" for nearly three years), and several times the police had to be called on my account. Needless to say, my parents were NOT exactly thrilled with me. But then I "wised up", and now I know I was in the wrong, and I then put my "rough and tumble lifestyle" behind me, and I am now a totally different kid.
It is all thanks to the Saving Grace and Love of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Without Him, I probably would STILL be in trouble..or possibly DEAD.
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