My name is Candi and I'm from small town Kansas. I'm married to a wonderful man named Johnny. He and I are alike in so many ways...but still different enough to keep things interesting. I feel as though I've found the piece of my soul that I didn't even know was missing until I met Johnny in 2005. We dated briefly back then...but reconnected on Facebook in 2009 while we were both in other relationships. Then we saw each other again for the first time in 2012...and it was as if no time had passed at all. We had a second chance to fall in love all over again...and it was even better than the first. We were married on our 5th anniversary in 2017. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. It still gives me butterflies when I think about the fact that he's forever my husband. I'm also amazed when I consider all the various things that had to happen at just the right time for us to meet, fall in love, and get to where we are today. I'm so very thankful for the life we've built together and I couldn't be happier.
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| Our Wedding - 2017 |
I have two daughters with my ex-husband (who will be referred to only as XH on my blog). I left him in 2005 and I settled on 50/50 custody before trial because I thought if it was "fair" that the drama would eventually end. Unfortunately, it was a nightmare for an entire decade. I was awarded primary custody in 2016 and life has been MUCH better since. Despite all the chaos that was often part of their childhood, I have two wonderful kids and I'm so proud to be their mama.
Aubry graduated high school in 2020. She had a very successful high school career. Aubry was in AFJROTC all four years which kept her busy with parades, community service, etc. She was even flight commander during her junior year. During her senior year, she was awarded the Air Force Sergeants Achievement Award for demonstrating outstanding qualities in military leadership discipline, character, and citizenship, as well as being in the top 25% of the AFJROTC class. Aubry was also active in the theater department. She got to go to the local thespian festival in January of her senior year and had a great time. Aubry loved building sets and running things backstage during the school plays. She was supposed to direct One Acts during her senior year, but the Covid-19 pandemic shut everything down before she got the chance. Graduation was also postponed until August. Despite the craziness, they had a lovely cap and gown ceremony for the kids on the high school football field and Aubry even graduated with honors. :) She took a couple years off after graduation to work. She'd started working in high school at a restaurant within walking distance from our house. Then she started working at a hand truck company in December 2020...preferring manual labor to a desk job. Then she went to WSU Tech trade school in 2022 to get her sheet metal assembly certification which led to a job in the aircraft industry as a sheet metal mechanic. She started there in January 2023 and has been working there ever since. She moved back in with us at the end of December 2022 but then moved in with her boyfriend, Danny, in July 2025 (making me and Johnny empty nesters for the first time!) and their relationship seems to be going very well. It's so wonderful to see her happy.
Ashlyn enjoyed the social aspect of high school a LOT, so she had to work harder to stay on task. I think it's a younger sibling thing...my younger sister was a lot more social than me, too. She preferred elective classes that are geared more toward the arts. She really liked her photography classes. She also participated in the theater department...helping behind the scenes building sets and working in stage crew. The bulk of her high school experience was interrupted by Covid, but she still got to enjoy homecoming, prom, etc. Ashlyn got all of her required credits done early so she was able to end early in December 2022 and then walked with her class of 2023 at graduation. She also took a few years off after high school to work...sticking mostly to retail. Her managers always went on about how quickly Ashlyn catches on and she was on track for assistant management positions when she decided to go to school instead. Ashlyn graduated from WSU Tech in 2024 with a technical certificate in composite fabrication. She talked about getting done with all her projects more quickly than the others in her classes (she takes after me in that respect). She interviewed with one of the other big aircraft manufacturers in town and got the job, but was waitlisted until 2025 when she finally got her start date. The job seems to be going well although she does tend to gravitate toward drama. :P She also hurt her finger/hand at work in March 2026...it was smashed between a wall and table, but it's healing. Ashlyn dated her boyfriend, Joe, off and on through high school and then they moved in together after she graduated. They had a bumpy road at first but they seem to have found their groove. They have a LOT of animals...Ashlyn's chihuahua, snakes, rats, birds, etc.
Johnny's kids are all grown with their own families. We also have two dogs and three cats. Aubry and Ashlyn also had chihuahua puppies when they were living here...but they moved out with the girls. You can read more about our pets here.
I've been plagued by a wide variety of health issues my entire life...and it wasn't until 2023 when we realized that pretty much every single issue I've had is a result of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It's a genetic connective tissue disorder. Both my daughters, my sister, her two daughters, my mother, and possibly my mother's parents all seem to be affected. I'm also what is called "twice exceptional" (intellectually gifted and autistic). I was assessed for gifted just prior to 6th grade, but the autism wasn't realized until I was well into adulthood. High functioning autism (or what was called Asperger's at the time) largely wasn't being diagnosed in girls back in the 80s and 90s. I also have hyperphantasia (extremely vivid mental imagery)...which I assume helps with my eidetic memory and the fact that I can read lips so well...because I can "see" everything so clearly in my head.
I have lots of different hobbies and interests. My blogs tend to be a mixture of sharing who I am and what's going on in my life, the current progress of my projects, recipes, reviews of my favorite (and not-so-favorite) things, and sometimes a bit of current events. Once upon a time, I used to spend a lot of time discussing politics and other controversial topics...but the current political climate has left me a bit jaded so I'm not sure how much I'll venture into that arena. :P
I'm always up for post prompts, challenges, and suggestions...so if you have anything in particular that you'd like to see me write about, feel free to shoot me an email at tinycandi@gmail.com.
Welcome to my bloggy home! :)
I'm always up for post prompts, challenges, and suggestions...so if you have anything in particular that you'd like to see me write about, feel free to shoot me an email at tinycandi@gmail.com.
Welcome to my bloggy home! :)