Okay, fine! MY introduction!

I was the 2nd oldest of 5 daughters. I am 49. My sisters are currently 50, 48, 46 and 44. We were pretty close in age. I was probably the only one who had ADHD and Asperger's. I was the misfit of the family.

I dropped out of high school when I was 17. I didn't do well in school. I ditched a lot.

I had my first child at 19, the second at 23, the third at 28, the fourth at 36, and the fifth at 39. It would probably have been easier to say my kids are 29, 25, 20, 13 and 10. I am on my 3rd marriage.

I started junior college when I was 26. I did well and transferred to UC Irvine when I was 28. I obtained my B.A. in 1990. I started law school in 1992 and finished in 1997, and passed the bar on my second try in July of 1998. Because the Department of Justice lost my fingerprints, I didn't get sworn in until May of 1999. For me, this figures.

Life is pretty insane sometimes when you have ADHD and Asperger's. I don't think any of my sisters had it, and in fact I don't have a relationship with any of them at this point.

My kids have all been diagnosed with ADHD. I have some pretty strong genes. I think some of them have Aspie trademarks, but the one who was actually diagnosed with it was the 10-year old.

I wouldn't change anything about my life. It has been hell at times, and I know there are people who thought I was crazy. But it has all ended up in a good place. My kids are all great, and I'm proud of all of them. I have reached my goal of becoming a lawyer (practicing for almost 9 years) in spite of dropping out of high school.

I think that all the crazy stuff that I've been through has helped me to be the person I need to be in order to help some of my clients. When you have been homeless, had babies at too young of an age, gone through divorce, had problems with alcohol or drugs, and overcome all of these issues, then you can be empathetic and supportive of the people who are going through difficult situations in their own lives. I'm no ivory tower attorney. I know how tough life can be.

I am a "glass is half full" kind of person. If the car in which I was driving went off the road and crashed into the ground far below, I would be the one most likely to say, "At least it didn't explode."

I am always looking for the silver lining and trying to find something positive in each situation, no matter how dire it may seem. This can be annoying to those who want to wallow. :-)