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So, I am from Northeast Ohio, where we get lake-effect snow. When a lake effect event occurs, heavy wet snow accumulates very quickly, between 2 and 4 inches per hour. Of course, it is a colder climate than Texas here, but it was predictable. Closures only happened when the city crews could not keep the streets cleared for public safety.

I have been married for 6 years to my husband, Daryl. Our careers have evolved since we first met. I left nursing in March 2020; this was a hard decision for me as I had been a nurse since 2008. COVID came to our home in February 2020 and stayed with me for almost six weeks. The sickness damaged my lungs to the point where I was hospitalized for almost four weeks. At that point, I decided not to put my family's health in jeopardy and left the field.

Me and Daryl have eight children—four boys and four girls. Their age ranges from 20 years old to almost 12 years old, and we would not change it for the world. We have considered adoption, fostering, or maybe having one or two more children. Daryl is a director of facilities, while I am in the public housing sector. We have been blessed to come such a long way, especially being teenage parents and overcoming stereotypes.

We both had tragedy hit our families within six weeks of each other. Both of our only older sisters succumbed to opiod overdoses in 2016. These unfortunate events brought our families together. That year, I had lost my father not even 4 months prior, so I was suffering from adjustment disorder. I have now embraced counseling and therapy. I will always suggest speaking to a professional, as most people of color see that as "taboo."

I come from a family of 11, with 3 brothers and 7 sisters. I am the oldest living sibling, and they look up to me. I used to see myself as the failure of the family before I got on my feet, being a teenage parent and all. My parents live in Florida, and I can always use the excuse of visitation to mean going on vacation. I have swam with the manatees several times, since my parents live less than 10 minutes from the springs. They are truly gentle giants, but they also live in the same waters as the crocodiles. So I ran away from them and Bison's while visiting there.

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This is my beautiful family of 10! 4 boys and 4 girls, ages 20–12. Me and my husband met in 9th grade and have been friends ever since. We were both married before we found each other again. He is a Navy veteran and holds a civilian job as a Director of Facilities. I am currently employed through the city's housing program. Our oldest is currently pursuing her career through Vet Tech; she has been employed through a local pet care lodge. Our two 18-year-olds just graduated last year; one is in school to be a registered nurse, and the other is figuring out what she would like to do.

Our soon-to-be 17-year-olds are pursuing computer engineering and maintenance engineering. The younger ones have not chosen a career path yet, but we are not pressuring anyone to go to college. We are a blended family, with myself having three girls and a boy and Daryl having three boys and a girl. We have been together for almost a decade now and have seen ourselves on the train for a long time.

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These are chinchillas, just two out of the 10 animals we currently have. All except 2 are rodents: 2 Degu's, 2 rabbits, 2 hermit carbs, and 2 dogs. We always start out fostering for someone who contacts us, but end up loving them and adopting them. The two dogs are Balto, who is 3, and Bowser, who will be 1 in March. Both rescues, Balto and Bowser, are Husky/Collie mixes, while Bowser is a Husky/Great Pyrenees. The Chichillas, who are both female, are Brenda and Brixy, who are 2 years old. The Degu's are Henry and Henrietta; they are a bonded pair, and their estimated age is 5 years old. We have Snoh and Peter, who are the rabbits; both are socialized and can be handled. Snoh can be spicy at times and want to bite your finger every now and then. And finally, we have Mr. Krabs and Klamps, who finish up our fur family.

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This is one of the three sister springs in Florida, and I got the pleasure to scuba dive here almost two years ago. We did the guided tour, and it was one of the most amazing times I had. While coming back to the starting point, we encountered some manatees. They are truly giant water teddy bears who just like to lounge and eat in the colder months. Did you know the water was actually warm, even though it was mid-November? It reminded me of a cooler bath, but you definitely needed to just jump right in to get over the initial shock. I cannot wait to scuba dive with the whale sharks next year! We have it planned when we head down to Mexico as part of my excursion list. If you have time you should really take a trip down there and experience it.

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I learned how to make wine and sand jewelry while at Mrytle Beach. I only like sweet wines with low alcohol, so it is rather difficult to find one I truly like. We went on a wine tour of the Duplin Winery, and boy did it change my life. They had a class where you could make your own wine, give it the flavors you desired, and have as much or as little alcohol as you wanted. I made a nice desert wine with hints of strawberry and chocolate and maybe 5% alcohol. We then made our way to a metal shop, which taught us the basics of melting and bending metal, along with blowing sand. We made beautiful glass works of art from the sand and manipulated them into whatever your inner artist dreamed of.