June 2020 was a big month for our family. I already let everyone on my insider mailing list know but, huge news, Rafael got promoted to Master Sergeant within the Marine Corps on June 1st! With everything going on the world, it didn’t feel right to share our good news when the country was in such a difficult position. Now that we’ve had over a month to decompress a little bit, cry a lot over the devastating loss of life, and gather ourselves a bit more, I think it’s a more appropriate time to share the good news.

I’m so excited to congratulate my husband of 10 years on his promotion from Gunnery Sergeant to Master Sergeant! He’s just amazing at everything he does and I couldn’t be prouder of him and his growth within his career! After 18 years, he’s still reaching new goals, overcoming obstacles, and being the phenomenal leader that he was born to be!

When I first met Rafael, he was a Sergeant and I was a Corporal. We were both checking into a different section at the same time and it was honestly so unexpected. I had just returned to work after having Aidan and was an emotional wreck because after 6 weeks, I was FAR from ready to leave my baby in daycare. During that same time, Rafael had just returned from Iraq and I finally met the infamous “Untalan” that everyone kept talking about! Well, they were right, he’s pretty awesome! I was so excited to meet such a calm and confident man and I just knew there was something incredible about him. Now, after nearly 12 years together, I’m so proud to be his wife and excited that after so much time, we’re still best friends that support each other with our dreams and goals.

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Big huge thanks to Robert “Gonzo” of the Oahu Photo Company who photographed all of these images for us and allowed me to enjoy this moment, edited by me 🙂