Mariah & Chris
“I dreamed of a big wedding but knew that the reality of that dream was likely never to be – things just didn’t work out that way.”
Mariah met Chris through friends while waiting in line at Target on Black Friday! She finished college at UNT, and he joined the army as a drone specialist.
Mariah grew up in the foster care system and was not adopted until late into her teen years. She dreamed of a big wedding but knew that the reality of that dream was likely never to be – things just didn’t work out that way.
Chris posted out for a year of training in Arizona, but she had to stay local to finish her degree, so the big wedding was off.
They had a small, courthouse ceremony so the Army would recognize the union. She couldn’t live on base with him that year and saw him only on the weekends. They got pregnant that first month – it was a very tough pregnancy when your husband is away all week and your family is 13 hours away. Christopher, Jr. was born just before they posted to Kansas and he deployed to Afghanistan (the wedding was pushed off again).
When he returned, they had another baby, a girl (and that year the wedding was pushed off) and then he deployed for the second time (no wedding).
Now, the next base could be overseas or Alaska (no wedding). They are an interracial couple who know their bi-racial kids will face challenges. But with two large families there to celebrate them, the whole family will love them through whatever life brings.
