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The Birth of my Sister
My little sister came into the world on the 2nd of February, as a means of creating peace between my parents. My father, instead, moved off to boot camp, and my mother attempted to raise us alone, with her alcoholism, drug abuse, and severe depression and bipolar disorder worsening quickly. -
My Parent's Divorced
My parent's got divorced shortly after the birth of my sister. The time was very difficult, and, even though I was six when it happened, I have no ready recollection of the event. -
My father visits
My father was in boot camp when I was young and was hardly ever home. He came back only for my birthdays, which was always a big treat for me, and he would bring home with him a disney movie for me to watch and an icecream cake. Watching these movies and enjoying a slice of cake became a tradition for the two of us. -
We moved to Virginia
My mother had previously been living on base and found a new man, who moved us out to a base in Virginia, where we would bounce around, on and off base, for the next handful of years. -
The Fire and The Police
I accidentally set a bowl of oatmeal on fire in my microwave and was forced to run across the street to the local firestation, where I would meet a police officer that would begin the official investigation into my mother. -
To Grandmother's House We Go
After the official investigation into my mother, my sister and I were dropped off at my great grandmother's house and abandoned there. My mother disappeared for an entire year, and my sister and I were enrolled in a private school with strict Christian values. My sister and I were able to grow socially and emotionally in a healthier setting, with routines that would later help us to develop confidence in ourselves and our surroundings. -
1st New Year's Eve in Tucson
After the initial custody battle in Virginia, my father's mother, my nana, moved my sister and I out to Tucson, Arizona to live with her. This was the 1st New Year's that I can remember, and the 1st time I celebrated it with my extended family. -
I enrolled in High School
Younger than most of my peers, I was enrolled in a public high school, where my lack of social skills quickly made me into an outcast and a recluse. My introverted nature drew the attention of my English teacher, who told me I had a natural talent for writing. Her interest in my education, her kindness, and her compassion, helped me to survive the awkward and mortifying freshman year. -
Transfered Schools
A year later, after struggling to overcome the high anxiety situation at a public high school and repeated bomb threats and shootings at my school, my nana enrolled me in a charter school on the other side of town. This charter school was a self-paced academy and had small class sizes. Enrolling there allowed me to remain introverted in nature, while simultaneously beginning to explore the realm of friendships and developing important social skills that would allow me to get into college. -
Graduated High School/Went To Visit Flagstaff
I was the 2nd generation of children in my family to graduate high school and get accpeted into a major university, Northern Arizona University. My family took a special trip to Flagstaff, AZ, so that I could see the place where I would be living. We rode a railway down to the Grand Canyon, explored the old ruins, and toured my future campus together. -
I met my future husband
I ran from working out at the gym, to a meeting for a group called the "Society for Creative Anachronism," which is a medieval reenactment group. At this meeting, I met an older student, who is 5 years older than I am, and spent the entire evening walking around campus in a drizzle. He was polite, understanding, and a fellow red head. -
My Great Grandfather Passed
Very near Easter Sunday of 2009, my great grandfather passed away from breathing complications. This was the first human death in the family and I took it very poorly. I slipped into a depression, refusing to go to class or get help, and I found myself lying in bed with no desire to go anywhere or do anything. My future husband eventually managed to pull me out of this st ate. -
My Grandfather passed
Not long after my first big loss, my grandfather had a sudden heart attack and stroke, and died a few weeks later in the hospital. Having lost the man that had raised me like a daughter, and had understood my PTSD, months before my wedding, drove me to withdraw from all of my classes. -
I got married
My future husband and I were married on this special day, in the presence of family and friends, in the heart of a Costa Rican styled garden, and flew out to Florida for a honeymoon at Disney World that very evening. -
I graduated with My Associates in Early Childhood Education
I graduated from Chandler-Gilbert Community College with honors, a 4.0, the award of Most Promising Early Childhood Teacher, and my Phi Theta Kappa tassels. My Great Grandmother, who passed in 2011, would have been proud of the granddaughter that she had so carefully raised. -
We Bought Our First Home
My husband and I purchased our very first home, working through the strain of a new financial burden and the wonders of a foreclosed fixer upper. -
Adopted Bailey
On Saint Patrick's Day, a day my Irish husband and I hold very dear, we adopted our wonderful dog, Bailey, who got along really well with our two cats, Macchu Picchu and Siam.
