So, how did we rebuild?

To answer that, I need to take a slight side step.

I was never into my faith. I grew up going to church on Sunday, and that’s pretty much where it stopped. Even though I called myself a Christian, looking back, there is no way I ever had God in my heart. Juan grew up in church, and his faith was his own. As a result, we continued to be regular attendees at church. I had the “church talk” down to a T! From the outside, God was the center of our marriage and home. We played the part perfectly. Until it all came crashing down.

When you think about marriage, you don’t always think about the work it requires. Disney never prepared us for how to properly fight (cause there will always be fights). It never taught us how to love through hardship or what to do when you realize you don’t always like the person you married. Disney taught us that you fall in love, get married, and a true love’s kiss will overcome any battle. It’s supposed to be easy! Right?!

Not many people can say they met their soulmate in high school. To find your forever person while you're still trying to find yourself is probably not the most ideal. It happens, though. Not often, and typically it comes with a lot of heartache, growth, and pain. Trust me, I’ve lived it.

Let me take you back to the beginning….

We’ve thought about sharing our story for a long time. We’ve shared bits and pieces here and there, but overall, we’ve kept so much private.

Parts of it are raw. Some chapters are hard to revisit. Others feel like miracles wrapped in ordinary days.

But we’ve come to believe that stories—especially the broken, messy, beautiful ones—are meant to be shared.

So here we are.

We were just teenagers when it felt like our lives were derailed. We became parents before we became adults, learning how to raise a child while still growing up ourselves.