Support a Family's Journey to Stability and Safety

Long post ahead as everything hit the fan and I desperately need to ask for help.

To start this post off I must adress the elephant in the room. I'll admit, many people haven't known what we are going through due to my inability to stay in touch and maintain a normal social pattern. This is something I've struggled with for years, when things get rough I tend to disappear and focus on survival instead of communication. There are people who notice my absence and reach out to make sure I'm okay or those that think I don't care because I've disappeared and I wish all of you knew that my limited social competence does not relate to how much I care for each and every one of the people I have met along the way. I don't have any reason to dislike or judge a single soul, I love each and every individual that has come into my life. That being said I feel I must make an update so the people I care about know what we have been going through as of the past few years.

2021

We were living in a beautiful place. Russell was working his butt off to provide the kids and I with everything we needed. It was Russell and I, Max, Jessica, Rinoa, and Riley in a three bedroom apartment out in a quiet part of Apache Junction. In September we found out we were expecting Jaxen, which was met with apprehension as we were currently struggling after losing our car. By October we had fallen behind and couldn't keep up, we ended up facing eviction and losing our beautiful home.

From there we spent a few days in a small motel room until I found the cheapest place we could out in Eloy about an hour away from everything we knew. We spent a month at that hotel and I searched for a job in the area. Unfortunately without a car and out in the middle of nowhere I couldn't secure anything in order to keep us there and ultimately decided to move us to an extended stay in the more populated town

next to Eloy. I immediately found a job at Texas Roadhouse and that is where the kids and I remained until Jaxen was born.

2022

A few months away from his due date I ended up leaving Texas Roadhouse for a job at circle k that was a closer walk and less straineuous as I was nearing the end of my pregnancy. We maintained until one night my water broke and Jaxen entered this world. After the two weeks, when I was supposed to be preparing to return to work I realized that there was no possible way I could since I hadn't been able to find a babysitter who could handle taking care of a newborn. I immediately started trying to reformulate my plan and looking for anyone willing and able to help us get past this stage.

My Aunt Shirley reached out and was willing to bring Max, Rinoa, Jaxen and I up to Michigan to help get us back onto our feet. I will forever be grateful for the help they provided us when I had no other option but realistically the decision of going up there was one of my biggest missteps along our path. No ill will or speaking badly about my family on that side but things were not okay in that situation for the children's or my mental or physical safety and after seven months it had degraded to the point that we had no choice but to return to Arizona and pick up where we left off.

2023

In January, we made the return trip across the country and found refuge in an extended stay on the edge of Phoenix/Chandler. Within a few weeks of being there I had found a job at a Circle K nearby as a manager again and had started my on boarding and training. Then a wrench got thrown into those plans as the superbowl was in Arizona that year. I went to pay for another few weeks at our extended stay but they had already booked the room out from under us, stating that everywhere was becoming filled up due to the upcoming sporting event. Panic ensued and I contacted whomever I could trying to get a roof we could stay under for a bit until I could find us another place.

After reaching out to our old neighbors at the apartments we had in Apache Junction, they welcomed us with open arms and agreed to let us stay until their lease was up in March which was an incredible blessing. The amount of safety and security the provided us in that time allowed for me to get a job nearby in the pharmacy of Walgreens which I deeply loved, it allowed me time to get our taxes and finally buy a van so that we had transportation again, as well as allowing a chance to find where we were going next. I found and prepared plans to move into a guest house in the backyard of somebody's house in Apache Junction. The only hold up was that we couldn't move in until 20 days after our neighbors lease had expired so I had to figure out where we would be interim. Our neighbor's mother offered us a stay with her at her house in San Tan Valley during this time and everything was set for moving forward. We packed the van full, and kept everything ready for the succession of moves. In the end everything went smoothly and before long we were into our little place and there was no more turbulence in our living situation.

I grew and learned, I enjoyed every second of my experience in the pharmacy, and my superiors started directing me to getting my licensing to be a full fledged Pharmacy technician. Unfortunately I still didn't have the support needed and had trouble finding reliable childcare for the kids which caused trouble maintaining the work/life balance and though I held onto the job and managed it it didn't last forever. Towards the end of the year the van ended up breaking down and I was unable to get the kids to the few forms of childcare I had in place in order to continue with the schedule I had been maintaining and I ended up having to step back from the job I loved so much. From there we walked everywhere and I had picked up some clients who lived nearby whose houses I could clean to make a little bit of money here and there and keep us going.

2024

We made it into a new year and still had a roof above our heads even if everything was a struggle. Tax season came and I got enough to get us a few months ahead and get us another car, a more reliable car. We were stepping forward. Unfortunately things with childcare still were tough but I began doordashing around my schedule with the babies and taking them with me to dash when necessary. It was rough but between the doordashing and the cleaning clients we were doing a lot better than we had been and the kids were happy and healthy. Things continued this way for the entirety of 2024 until November when the car had an issue with the brakes, bearing, and the differential and was no longer able to be driven until I could afford to fix it and we began to fall behind again.

2025

One month in and things went off course. Near the very end of January our landlord came to and informed me that she was going to need us to move out as she was battling stage 3 breast cancer and wanted her guest house back. She told me that she would allow us to the end of February to move out if I could pay her the full rent by the 3rd of the month but if not she was going to file the paperwork for an eviction and I'd have to be out by the 15th. This was another panic point, as I had been paying her mid month the entire time and she knew I wouldn't be able to afford to pay her by the 3rd. I looked for help but was advised I needed to tough it out, take the eviction paperwork, and hold onto my money in order to get the kids and I a new place. I began packing and getting everything ready to go in case we had to leave sooner rather than later. I almost had everything prepared to pack into the car when on the 2nd of February everything hit the fan. The landlord approached me and asked if I was going to be giving her the money the next day and I informed her what I was advised and that although I meant no disrespect I would have to take the eviction paperwork and we would be out as soon as possible. She did not like this and immediately called the cops to throw us off of her property. We had lived there for nearly 2 years and (although we never had an official written lease) I didn't think it was possible for her to just toss us out without going through the proper legal channels. The cops came and informed me that my belief was wrong and that we would have to leave the property in that very moment. They then ran my license and a whole new problem came into the picture. A fine I was sure I had paid off 7 years ago had not fully been paid and I had a warrant out for failure to pay the remainder. I would have to go to jail and be seen in court in order to explain and take care of it. Luckily Russell was able to come and take the kids for the time but they were only able to take the stuff of mine and the kids that they could carry. I spent three nights in jail, a completely new and intimidating experience for me, until I was able to get to court, get it taken care of, and was released. I'm out now, but we are right back at rock bottom and I haven't been able to take care of anything while I was in there. Managed to get my car out of where it was, but all of our stuff is still in the house and we don't have a place to go. The kids are safe and Russell's grandma is letting them stay with them for a few days, a blessing I never thought she would. Meanwhile, I am surfing couches/sleeping in my car while I get everything situated. I know Russell's grandma won't allow the kids to be there much longer though as she lives in a 55+ neighborhood and doesn't want to get in trouble herself and I'm trying to pull everything together as fast as I can in order to keep us from falling any further.

My next check comes in on the 21st and until that point I'm unable to make any steps forward without help. Which brings me to the hardest and most humiliating part of this post, I must reach out and ask for help if anyone is able or willing to. I am in search of places we can go but I am going to need assistance for so many things during this time and I know I won't be able to do it on my own. I absolutely hate to ask, but I can't not ask.

If anyone can help in any way, even the smallest amount, I would be extremely grateful. All thought, prayers, and well wishes are also greatly appreciated. Anyone and everyone who wants to reach out to me I'll make sure to respond to as I get to wifi (if I'm not at the time) as I don't currently have phone service.

Any money received will be going directly into getting us into a new place and getting us moving forward again.