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I am whimsical and intuitive
I wonder if alternate realities exist
I hear the voices of my ancestors
I see a clean and peaceful planet
I want to positively influence the world
I am whimsical and intuitive

I pretend am I young when I play with my children
I feel the energies of my surroundings
I touch the atmosphere
I worry that I am running out of time
I cry on the day I lost my father
I am whimsical and intuitive

I understand that words hold power
I say knowledge in invaluable
I dream about individuals I do not recognize
I try to be greater than I was yesterday
I hope to find equilibrium in all things
I am whimsical and intuitive

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I wear glasses now & the hair might change, but this is me.

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This is my fiance' & father of my kids, Creed. This picture is a great representation of his silly and loving personality. He was saving the baby opossum.

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These are my kids! Charleigh (pronounced Char-lee) is 3, Caden is 7, and Caleb will be 6 in February. The boys are my stepsons, but we don't make a distinction because I love them  all!

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My daughter is very tall for her age, standing at nearly 42 inches. Her (almost) 6 year-old brother stands less than an inch taller. They act like twins.

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My kids are hilarious. They have tons of toys, but this is what they do.

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This post is mostly for humor, but I have had to explain this to a few people since moving here. I was born and raised in the the coalfields of southern WV. I moved to this part of NC in late 2011 to work for the state as a correctional officer. This area is similar to my home state, and I am happy to be here, but I will always be a West Virginian at heart.

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I know, I know! Before you fuss, let me say that I did not take this picture. She should have had her helmet on, and her daddy heard about it when I saw! Still, it is just too cute to not share.

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Charleigh Jean was born one month and one day premature in April of 2015. She was mostly fine, and a whopping 7 lbs 11 oz (shocking everyone, including me!), but she did have to sleep under a UV light for a week to get rid of jaundice. Her eyes were covered with goggles and her hat, but she still managed to find me wherever I was. That connection remains.

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My fiance' and I like to do fun things with our kids. Here, we had made steampunk costumes for Halloween. We are definitely "nerds," but we are not ashamed of it!

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One of my hobbies (like I have time for hobbies!) is photography. I have a Nikon digital camera and photoshop, but no formal training. I still find it fun. I also like to paint, draw, and write.

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We try to be earth-friendly as much as possible. I collected scrap wood and built this compost bin two years ago. I am planning to purchase two water collection barrels next, so I can water my flower gardens with rain water instead of the hose.

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Before I went to Army bootcamp, I worked in a tattoo shop as an artist. I didn't actually tattoo anyone, but I drew concept drawings for customers that wanted something unique. I still love to draw.

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Like I said before, we are definitely "nerds." Along with Stars Wars and Harry Potter, we watch a ton of anime, play video games, read comics/graphic novels, and collect action figures. Creed was a mechanic is the Army, so he has a lot of interest in vehicles too (he owns a '64 Ford Falcon). We do a lot of outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and swimming as well.

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Probably one of my all-time favorite television shows is The X-Files. I am NOT a conspiracy theorist per say, but I love science and astronomy, and the idea of the supernatural and extraterrestrial. I wonder about the pyramids and other enormous ancient structures around the world, and some of the unexplained things that still happen.

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This is a photo from a multi-family vacation a couple years ago. My kids, along with Trey and Jennifer's kids were all playing together on the beach in Florida.

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This photo was taken in January of 2017 when some of my family and I went to Washington DC. Regardless of your views, I feel like everyone should be involved with what they feel is right. I consider myself an advocate for Human Rights, and do what am I able to do for that cause and others.

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This is my mom with two of her 3 sisters, Linda and Pat. My cousin, Briana was with us as well.

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I was taken to see the Grand Canyon on my 13th birthday. To this day, it is one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. One day, I hope to take my kids to visit the glorious features of our country and others.

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This is a VERY old photo of me with my two older stepsiblings, Trey and Jennifer. At the time, I was 13, he was 15, and she was 17. We were in Las Vegas on a family vacation. Trey has two daughters, Julia and Kate, and Jennifer has two twin sons, Josh and Jacob.

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This is an old photo of me and my little (step) sister. We have always been close. I don't have any clear photos of her son, Case, because he has Sensory Processing Disorder, and doesn't like his picture taken.

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This is a photo of my mom and her mother. My mamaw will be 87 years old in February & is still lively and joyful. We are throwing her a surprise birthday party, something she has never had. She is a strong woman, and I love her fiercely.

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I graduated with my AA in 2017 from Mayland Community College in Mitchell County, NC. After working 4 years as a correctional officer, I decided it was time to finally pursue my goal and become a teacher. This was the first step.

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I was enlisted for 12 years, and chose to discharge after having my daughter. I spent most of my time as a military police SGT, but I also spent 3 years with EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) disarming bombs and blowing stuff up. I was full-time for 8 years, then served as "M-Day" National Guard for 4 years. This photo was taken  during an air show when we had to close all the roads to traffic for safety purposes.

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During my time in the military, I was exposed to several climates. In this photo, the temperature was roughly 120 degrees (hence the large amount of water in the background). I have had my fill of extreme temperatures, and am happy to live in

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I joined the Army while I was still in high school, but had my training after graduation. This is one of the first photos taken after my training was complete.

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I graduated from Sherman High School in Boone County, WV in 2004. Our colors are maroon and gold, and the nickname is "The Tide" (although our mascot was a clipper ship). I am proud to forever be a "Tidester."

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I was an athlete in high school, playing most of the sports available to me. Basketball was always my favorite. This was from my senior year playoff game in 2003.

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You can't tell from this picture, but my Dad was a big guy. He stood 6'5" and was in excellent health most of his life. One day, while playing league basketball at a YMCA in Conover, NC (near Hickory, where he lived), he started to feel bad. He drove himself to the hospital to find he was suffering an aortic dissection (stroke). He was flown to  Wake Forest Baptist hospital where he succumbed to a 3 week coma. He was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome when he woke up. He lived another 3 years with the disease before passing away from a second stroke in 2010. He was 48 years old. If he had been diagnosed as a child or even young adult, he could have taken medicine to prolong his life. Marfan Syndrome is a genetic disease with no cure, and a 50% pass-on rate. I have to get echo-cardiogram tests every year to ensure no issues. Currently, I am asymptomatic.

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We travel to visit my family for holidays and during the summer. I live about 5 hours away from them, and my mom always makes a point to cook big meals to celebrate our visit. She is a principal at an elementary school & JD just retired from teaching middle and high school.

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I have experienced a lot of wonderful and heartbreaking things in my 33 years on this earth. There are still many aspects about life for which I am uncertain, but I do know one thing for sure: If I make the decision to do something, it will happen. It may take a while, and it might be difficult, but I will succeed because I refuse not to.