During the time we were in California, we moved over 10 times and I went to 4 different high schools in total. It was a whirlwind experience, and I definitely do not recommend that if it can be helped for any reason! But through that I learned a special kind of resilience.

My parents, with 3 children (my older sister and younger brother), were just trying their best to figure it all out. It was not an easy time, things were difficult as it was in California anyway because of the extremely high cost of living. Ultimately my parents got divorced during that time, and the separation scattered us like seeds in the wind. We were blown apart, and to this day I am paving my own way without them.

In college, I was part of the LAMBDA Society, where I learned about other queer people on campus. I had so much of an interest in the group that I eventually became the treasurer of the group, and I loved being able to help people have a safe space to land and talk about some of the challenges they were facing as LGBTQ+ people. I learned a lot about the struggles that people went through outside of my own, and when I thought I was bisexual, I learned that I was a monogamous pansexual instead (because I also dated non-binary and trans people in my youth).

I ended up graduating from Fullerton College with a certification in Illustration, and was extremely proud of myself. After working a few odd jobs, I became a graphic designer and web designer for a real estate agent, a graphic designer at a small design studio, and then for a very short time, web manager at Yoshimura R&D in Chino Hills, California (yes, I made my own graphics, logo, business cards, flyers, took all the photos, and built my website by myself!).

After that, I applied to work at the place that I got Mina from. It was there that I learned about cat grooming, nutrition, health, and best practices. I was still going through so much, I was still missing my girl and I was just trying to find a piece of her again. Every cat I took care of, it was like a secret "I'm sorry I failed you, but I know better now" to Tomo. I took a special interest in pet nutrition as a whole, and can confidently say that I am a total cat and dog food nerd.

After the feral cat place, I went to Petsmart where I learned to groom dogs. I actually have a year's worth more of cat grooming experience than dogs, but my cat experience helped dramatically with dogs, as the dogs really appreciated my calm and quiet approach to grooming. I met this amazing person who at the time had 15 years of experience, and she is my mentor to this day (she has over 23 years of experience now, and is retiring soon). I feel like the only reason I am so good, even with the timeframe that I have been grooming, is because I learned from someone who made all of the mistakes and more, and taught me how to avoid them, but also had really great finishing skills and handling skills. But I always say, it's not about the years, it's about hands on skills.

I experienced loss again from my fiancée at the time, and we separated and I was alone again. Through heartbreak, grooming was the only thing that brought me comfort and peace. I feel that that solidified my place in the grooming world, as it brought me a comfort that only grooming could. Making other animals feel better made me feel better, I was fulfilled in a way that no desk job could. 

I ended up meeting John in the middle of everything, I was going through a mental break down from being a grooming salon manager during Covid, and I was on a leave of absence when I met him. We talked about our passions, art, what we loved, and ended up falling in love in March of 2022. He has been my ride or die ever since, the backbone of our family, and we are planning on getting married very soon!