Today, I read my essay on being a Military Brat, one of the main inspirations for starting the Partners of Commercial Fishermen community. I want to give partners the same recognition, empowerment, and support that military spouses receive because we deserve it.

Yep, this pic is of Chris and me back in 2016.

It was February, and he visited from Bellingham, Washington, to celebrate his birthday with me in Carpinteria, California. I arranged for a kayak tour at the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara, not realizing three years later that we would live in this same town together – in an Airstream trailer – where he’d fish spiny lobsters along that same island chain.

We’re pictured in my bachelorette pad, “the Babe Cave,” I called it. 

My home was a converted two-car garage with a little private fenced yard just beyond the large picture window. Standing near the palm plant to my left, you could see the tops of the Santa Ynez Mountains. It was a dream. I was a freelance writer who (by the grace of God) figured out how to support myself by hustling the written word for various local newspapers and magazines. 

Meeting Chris at my desk in the newspaper office was the cherry on top.

That was an exciting time. Our love was new, and I had no idea what it meant to be with a commercial fisherman. Chris was months out from leaving for Bristol Bay, Alaska, and soon, I’d understand the challenges and sacrifices it would take to stay in this relationship and the deep soul-searching I’d go through to determine if it was worth it.

If you’re still reading, you probably know exactly what I mean.