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I moved several times growing up, landing in a small town in Colorado at the age of 12. My dad is a pastor, my mom stayed at home and taught school on and off, I have 2 younger brothers and a younger sister. We are a tight knit family.
In 7th grade, I sat across from my husband in class. He liked to light things on fire and I thought he was just about the funniest person I’d ever met. We became best friends our sophomore year of high school, I fell head over heels in love with him, and 2 years later we started dating.
After graduating in 2001, he headed to boot camp for the Marines. The day he left he pulled out a ring and proposed. I was 17.
The day before his boot camp graduation was 9/11. The whole direction of our lives changed from that moment on. We were married in 2003 at 19 and 20, on his two week break from an 18 month deployment from Okinawa. When he came home, we had 9 months together and he was deployed to Iraq at the height of the war. I thought I was going to die. My mom came out to where we were living and took me home where I found an apartment and a job till he came back.
Back together in 2005, we struggled over the next 3 years with his PTSD and ever growing addiction to alcohol. He was out of the Marines and found a high stress job managing a busy restaurant while I nannied full time.
We moved to Colorado in 2007 and bought a home near our families. Bella was born in November of 2009. In 2010 we realized that our home was worth less than what we owed, and if I wanted to stay at home (which was about our only option with no jobs and expensive daycare) we would have to move. We left for Denver that summer.
Two weeks after moving, I left Sam, took Bella, and moved in with my parents till he promised to stop drinking and get help. It was the start of a new life for us.
A year later, we live in El Paso. The very last place I ever wanted to live, but I’m growing to love it. Sam has been sober a year, and is in the Army. I’m pursuing my love of writing with this blog and in other ventures. We recently found out we’re expecting twins in September – total surprise!
We are making our family whole again, and this is our journey. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the wonderful moments in our lives. It’s all here.
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