Let's Get a Little Personal
How did I end up here?
In Moscow, Idaho, of all places.
Well, I was following a guy haha
I cringe at that now that he is my ex but it all ended up working out.
The story is a bit of a wild ride. You may have seen on my ABOUT ME page that I have been doing photography for over a decade, getting my first "fancy" camera when I was in the military.
I joined and shipped off to basic training just a few days after graduating high school.
5
2
COUNTRIES
5
STATES
8
CITIES
Between 2008 and 2013
- South Carolina then moved to
- Virginia, then to my first duty station in
- Kansas, then moving to another nearby town again in Kansas
- From there I deployed to Iraq for 9 months
- Returned to Kansas
- Moved to North Carolina where over 2 years lived in 3 different cities
- Mixed in a few months here and there in my home town in Montana
- And ultimately ended up here, in Moscow, Idaho, at the end of 2013.
All that in just a short 5 years. Wow that list is crazy all written out!
Moving a lot is extremely hard for so many reasons but the main one for me was never feeling like I belonged anywhere.
I was afraid to call anywhere home because I knew chances were that I would just be leaving soon anyway.
I really struggled with making relationships. All of my family and friends were far away. I often felt isolated.
I lived in Moscow for a year and a half before getting a divorce.
I became a single mom struggling in every way to get by.
I had a decision to make.
"Should I stay or should i go now"
THE CLASH
I went to grad school
I had already been accepted to grad school and I didn't want to move away and give that up.
After 2 years I graduated with my Master's Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Idaho.
I made friends
Making friends as an adult is HARD. But I DID IT! I finally had local friends that loved and supported me and they got me through a hard time and made me feel so welcome.
I became a regular
This is maybe a weird one to some but was such a big deal to me.
I became a regular at restaurants (La Casa Lopez specifically and Smokey Mountain Pizzeria [RIP])
The staff knew my name, knew my daughters name, knew our go-to orders, asked about our lives.
This truly made me feel accepted in this community unlike I had before in my adult life.
I saw my future
I fell in love. I remarried. Bought a house. Grew my family. And had found home.
I fell in love with Moscow and I'm so so proud to be part of this community.
I found home in Moscow
its cliché. It was unexpected. It has been amazing.
