Just in case...
... you were wondering who I am, I've included this little section :)
My name is Dayna. I was born and raised in southeastern CT and I just recently moved back after spending a few years in the South Sound area of Washington.
As a child, my family moved around a lot and things were always changing. My dad introduced me to art at a young age and I carried it with me wherever I went. I made all kinds of Christmas ornaments and game boards, mazes and imaginary landscapes. I lost track of my passion as I grew older and school grades took precedence. I became a straight A student, but I had lost who I was. I had lost my passion for things in life. I found it again in my last year in high school when I discovered the fun of digital art, and then shortly thereafter, I found custom pony work. I decided to give it a try and it blossomed into a new favorite art medium. I started college and art went on the back burner yet again. I knew what was happening when I refocused on school, but I didn't have a choice because I was studying Nuclear Engineering and taking twice the normal course load of a college student. Despite (or perhaps because of) my intense schooling however, I found the love of my life. We met on the first day of classes and things went from a great friendship to a deep yearning. He joined the Army and we watched as his fellow soldiers lost the women that had "promised" to wait for them. Our love grew stronger in the face of the opposition and doubts we faced daily. He asked me on the day of his graduation from Basic Training and we married two short months later. Our lives haven't been the same since then, but we wouldn't have it any other way. I had found the other half of my heart that I had been missing for my whole life.
The Army moved us to WA and we made a sort of second family there. We bought a house, adopted a puppy, and in November of 2013 we welcomed our first child to the world, Kaiden. Since his birth he has been the light in our life, despite the many curve-balls the Army threw at us, including a medical discharge. We didn't have plans for my husband's return to the civilian world, and we debated on what would be best for him and our family throughout his med-board process. After touring a few schools in the area, we made some decisions, a few phone calls, and we both (yes BOTH!) started culinary school shortly after. He would study to be a chef and I would study to be a pastry chef. Finishing our schooling was not meant to be, however, and after a week long trip home (and my depression made it clear that the East Coast was where I was supposed to be), we made a very hasty decision to pack up our home in WA, sell 75% of our belongings including the house and one of our trucks, and make the cross country voyage with naught but our Chevy extended cab, a 12 foot uhaul trailer, our 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 1.5 year old, all in less than 3 weeks. It was a grand adventure that I wouldn't soon make again. Upon arrival back in CT we were greeted with yet another surprise: baby #2! Triss Annalise will be born in December of 2015 and will complete our family.