Just a little about me, I grew up in a working family. My dad drove a big truck the majority of my life sometimes leaving Sunday night and getting back home Saturday morning. My mom would work 60-70 hours per week. We didn’t have the nicest things, but we never went without thanks to them.

When I was 13 years old my sister was murdered. It was definitely a difficult time for us. As an overweight, shy teen I became even more closed off. For the most part, unless we were already close I wouldn’t go out of my way to speak.

After I graduated high school I started working out at college between classes which finally gave me some confidence after dropping 60 pounds and 4 pants sizes. I transferred from our local college to the school I always wanted to go to and lost my workout buddies. I was able to use the workout equipment at my apartment from time to time to keep from ballooning my weight again. Being on a college budget I didn’t eat great so weight did slowly creep back up.

After I graduated I started working in automotive at a Fortune 500 company and keeping a long distance relationship with my girlfriend. After working for 5 months I bought a ring and carried it for a month almost scared to ask for marriage. I finally did and she said yes.

As we were preparing for my now fiancé to graduate college my dad began to have heart issues. He had open heart surgery and died of a massive heart attack a week later. I really don’t remember much from that time. Him and one of his brothers were in the middle of a feud, and his death did bring me and my uncle very close together. He is actually my daughter’s Papa and not her uncle.

Just a few months later I was married and beginning the married life. Very hard transition as a guy that had lived with only his dog for several years to having a woman in the house. This put a strain on our marriage along with working 3pm-3am 7 days a week. Even if I was home I was asleep. I finally moved to day shift working 7am-4pm still 7 days a week. Our marriage was better though.

We decided to spend our anniversary down in Daytona in 2018 and had an amazing time. While down there I received a call about changing jobs to a startup plant that was working Monday-Friday one shift only. I eventually interviewed and was hired. Also during this time we found out my wife was pregnant. Unfortunately she had a miscarriage. We soon found out she has a medical condition that makes getting and staying pregnant difficult. We both were heartbroken of course, but we looked for solutions through doctors and prayer. A doctor prescribed her a fertility treatment and she never took it. She became pregnant again and 9 months later my beautiful daughter was born.

Back to work life, my new job quickly went to 3 shifts way quicker than we were ready so the hours went up too. I was under a lot of stress and my eating habits showed it. I ballooned back to high school weight. I did become 2nd in charge of my department at only 29 years old and when my boss was let go I had a shot to take the reigns. I wanted it. I started working 7am-1 or 2am daily. Phone calls all night, but I was earning the trust of the VP. I was tired and deprived of my family.

As I was beginning to wonder if all of this was worth it, my uncle called and told me I needed to rush home. My mom had been found by neighbors and an ambulance was called but he didn’t know anything else. My mom had had a few health issues over the years, but she always came back after being on life support for a few weeks. Before I could get a bag packed a gentleman I went to high school with and was now a deputy called and said she did not make it. I couldn’t move. My wife and daughter had just spent a weekend with her while I was working.

When I went back to work, I was mentally different. I had to have family time and my job was not accommodating. Something had to give. I gave up the goal of being a manager and just wanted to have my family. I eventually got a call about a job just minutes away from the house I grew up in and instantly took it. We moved home as my wife and I grew up 15 minutes apart.

I now have family time every day and almost every weekend. We have gone on more adventures over the last 3 months since we moved than the previous 1.5 years my daughter has been alive. With us settling in, it’s now time for me to take control of my weight again.

I plan on weekly updates of the family and our adventures as well as my journey to becoming healthy again. I lost both parents to heart attacks before I was 30, and that is something I do not want my daughter to ever have to deal with at such a young age.