As Steven likes to say we go way back to high school when I was madly in love with him (love his imagination!) Although, I was not in love with him I did find him to be cute and we were cross country friends. We would go on adventures of hiding out in bushes to avoid doing the entire run and on some occasions have a snack at Jack in the Box. After he graduated we didn't stay in touch, but from time to time I would see some of his posts on social media. It wasn't until several years later when I moved back to California and he was stationed at Ft. Irwin, that we would reconnect in the most bizarre way. See when I lived in North Carolina I had a friend that moved to Ft. Irwin and that friend just so happened to meet Steven and they ended up being friends. When they made their friendship Facebook official they realized they had a mutual friend...you guess it...it was me! I took a trip up to Ft. Irwin to catch up with both of them, Steven was the quietest I have ever heard him! After that a few months passed and I thought about catching up with Steven again but hesitated reaching out until one day I got a message from him! We had planned to go to Chuck-E-Cheese but when we got there decided Starbucks would be a better place to catch up. We talked for a few hours and then I headed home and later received a message from him asking me on a date and well...I accepted. We went on a hike and had a picnic after, it was a great first date we talked and got to reacquaint ourselves. He was a gentlemen and asked if it was ok to kiss me and we shared our first kiss. I was overwhelmed with emotions after our date. So many things ran through my head like "am I ready for this?" "what about Emma?" "Will he be understanding that being a mom comes first?". We definitely took our time, especially when it came to finally introducing him to Emma. When Emma and Steven met for the first time we went to mini golf and dinner. I remember being so nervous but when we were waiting to be seated for dinner Steven kept Emma entertained and played with her and welp that melted my heart. From that point on Steven always made it appoint to include Emma. I will forever cherish our love story.

The story of Jess and I began in 2006. Back then Jess was very shy and I was still trying to figure out who I wanted to be. I don't remember much about back then but I remember having fun with her taking shortcuts during track practice and making our coach mad. I am grateful that we did not begin our journey then because both of us had big transformations that we were yet to go through. We remained Facebook friends through her moving and me joining the Army. I remember seeing pictures of her and her daughter and even then I think God was telling me what was to come. Facebook is full of baby pictures and most babies are cute, but I remember feeling a fondness for Jess and Emma and very likely hoped that one day I myself will have a daughter and family so beautiful. In the Army I had a very good friend that lived with me in my apartment. One day him and I realized that we had a mutual friend, it being Jess. He had known her at one of his past duty stations in North Carolina. Once we realized this, I reached out to her. She just so happened to be coming to base to return a camera to the PX so we decided to go for coffee while she was there. Unfortunately, my friend did all the talking. But after a little time passed, we decided to meet up without him to catch up. We have not looked back since. This road has not always been easy...I have not always been easy. We both had traumas that we brought with us. Her not wanting to make any more "mistakes" and me believing that all I needed was myself. I could not be more grateful that we worked together to help each other heal and evolve into the people that we are today. She is my best friend and instead of one day having a daughter like Emma, she ended up being mine. We are so lucky to have the life, family, and friends that we do. We cannot wait to celebrate with all of you.