Thank you for visiting my site. I felt it was time to collect my thoughts on my life in one place.

Small-Town Life

I grew up in upstate New York, in a small town. Growing up in the country had its ups and downs. Life was slower and less complicated, but it lacked the variety in life I now value. My parents divorced when I was young, and I spent most of my early years living with my mother. I also spent time with my grandmother, where I developed my love of cooking. I had my first love and heartbreak there. I will always cherish my memories of my friends and family from that time in my life.

South of the Border

When I turned 16, I was given the choice of which parent I wanted to live with. I decided to live with my dad in Florida. He had just gotten married, and I had a step-sister and step-brother. I bonded quickly with my step-sister, and she helped me adjust to my new life in the biggest city I'd lived in so far. I went from a K-12 school of 700 kids to a single class of 1,000. Here, I got my first job, which led to my first paycheck and my first anime convention. The convention, in turn, led me to the next love of my life. Life was more fast-paced and exciting, and there was always someplace to go and a party to be had. I was also introduced to the LGBTQ community during this time. I did well in high school, but college prospects weren't in the cards, so I joined the U.S. Army.

In the Army Now

If given the chance, I would stick with my choice to join the Army. It would be an understatement to say it was a life-changing experience. I was never a very masculine person, and my time in the service didn't change that. It was the start of my non-binary experience. I managed to stay off the radar of superiors. I wasn't the greatest soldier, but I excelled at my job as a computer technician. I befriended a sergeant in AIT, and he helped me get stationed in South Korea. I loved Korea and, if I could have changed anything, it would have been to spend my entire contract there. I hope to return someday. After my second year in Korea, I made the decision to come back to the States, all for reasons of love. After getting settled in Texas, I married my high school sweetheart. Just as we were getting settled in our life together, I was deployed to Iraq. It was a difficult experience, the complete opposite of my time in Korea.

Back to Florida

After getting back from Iraq, I got out of the Army, and we moved to the west coast of Florida. It turned out to be the longest I've ever stayed in one place. I put down roots, and life was good for a long time. I continued serving my community by working for the city library. I built new friendships and found a chosen family. Here, I finally came out as transgender. I was able to bridge the gap between my military community and my newfound LGBTQ community. I had finally begun living my life authentically, not for others. Sadly, as people change, they grow apart, and this led to the loss of a partner. As life changes, however, new love and new adventures find themselves on the horizon.

To the Future...