Everyone Has A Story…Here’s Ours!

Updated June 24, 2018

A little bit about us…we are the Sinar Family.  My name is Candy.  I was born and raised in San Angelo, TX.  My husband, Paul, was born in England and lived there until a month before we got married in February of 2002.  Yes, he has a cute accent…though he sounds more “Tex-ish” everyday!  🙂  We met online in an MSN Christian chat room.  Anyone remember those?  We found love online before it became a trend.  I am in no way an advocate for this, but sometimes God goes out of His way to make sure we find the right person…usually when we’re not even looking!  For that, I am grateful.  We are a perfect match, even 16 years in!  I am so blessed to be his wife.

We met “in person” in May of 2001, knew pretty much immediately that God had orchestrated our meeting, fell in love, knew we couldn’t live without each other (blah, blah, blah), and started immigration paperwork for Paul to move to the States (summer of 2001).  In the meantime, I travelled to England twice that year…once in August and again in November (when he officially popped the question at the most romantic place ever!)  Everything was finally approved in January 2002, and he jumped on a plane with a suitcase carrying everything he could fit in it.  We were married February 23, 2002.  One of the happiest days of my life!  I’m pretty sure most of my friends and family thought I had lost my mind, but that’s ok.  I’ve never been one to do things by the book!

In March of 2004, we welcomed our first little bundle of joy, Emily, into our lives.  She was perfect and the apple of my eye.  Today, she is a ray of sunshine, spreading joy wherever she goes.  She loves life, doesn’t sweat the small stuff, and loves to read.  She’s a little bashful when it comes to new people, but once you are her friend, you are a friend for life.  She is a quiet leader.  I can’t wait to see what God calls her to do in life!  I am so blessed to be her Mom.

In July of 2004, Paul’s oldest daughter, Vicky, came from England to visit for the summer and ended up staying to live with us.  She was 9 years old at the time. We survived  3^rd grade in public school (barely) and I tutored her all summer to catch her up.  4^th grade was better.  She graduated high school as a member of the National Honor Society and a Texas Scholar.  So proud of her!  She is currently a manager at a local hotel.  I may not have given birth to her, but she’s my daughter.  I’m certain that she has taught me more than I’ve taught her!  And yes, I’m way too young to have an adult daughter.  🙂  I am so blessed to be her Mom.

In October of 2007, we welcomed our 3^rd child, Lily, into the world, but God had other plans for her.  She was born with severe birth defects and was only with us for 13 days.  The days that followed were the hardest days of my life.  That experience has left me forever a different person, but I wouldn’t trade the moments spent with her for anything this life has to offer.  I look forward to, with great anticipation, the day I get to see her sweet little face again and spend eternity getting to know her in Heaven. I am so blessed to be her Mommy.

In December of 2008, our son, Tyler, was born.  I had prayed so hard for him.  I knew as soon as I got the positive pregnancy test that I was having a boy.  The pregnancy was night and day from the girls…and I had prayed constantly for a boy.  I can remember going on a walk…just Paul and me…and telling him that we were going to have a boy this time.  God had told me.  He was like, “Ok, that would be cool.”  Pretty sure he thought I was a little nuts at the time, but he humored me and went along with it. Today, Tyler is the sweetest, most sensitive little man.  He loves his family and friends with all his heart, and would do anything for them.  He loves the outdoors and learning about new places and things.  He loves to read and is best friends to everyone he meets…both young and old!  He challenges me to be a better mommy and always keeps me on my toes.  I am so blessed to be his Mommy.

Paul and I have served in church ministry for the majority of our marriage, giving much of ourselves to others, almost to the detriment of our family.  In April of 2014, after much consideration, Paul left “church-world” and took his “on-the-side-business” full-time.  He has been a Media Director in 3 different churches, and quite frankly had hit burn-out.  We love Jesus, but our marriage and family was suffering from the long hours his job required to crank out the latest, greatest, coolest, technical  and creative masterpiece.  (I might be a little biased, but he is one of the best.)  Now he is able to help many different churches, businesses, and organizations with the knowledge and abilities he has obtained over his career.  His “on-the-side” business that became full-time, began to grow throughout 2014, and in January of 2015, it was obvious he needed my help.  I had been on staff part-time at the same church for about 3 years in Children’s ministry.  I had very mixed feelings leaving that job I loved with co-workers I adored, but I did.   I joined Paul and became the Business Manager for Sinar Media Consultants, LLC.  Our business and staff continued to grow through 2015, but we were getting restless in the city we were living in.  It was an “oil town”.  It was in a “boom time.”  I often referred to it on social media as #CrazyTownUSA.  The crime rate soared.  I didn’t feel safe when I left my home.  I wouldn’t let my kids go outside on their own.  We had never been “gun people” before, but kept a loaded gun on us when we were in our backyard (just in case).  Police helicopters circled overhead constantly.  It was not a good time to live in Odessa, TX.

Our house went on the market in February 2015, and finally sold in July 2015.  We had toyed with buying a home in San Angelo, TX (my hometown), but that fell through when the first offer on our house in Odessa fell through…we immediately asked God what He wanted us to do.  We knew we couldn’t stay there, and knew He had a plan.

Then, one evening…Paul called a family meeting.  “What if we don’t buy a house?” he asked.  “What if we buy a truck and RV and do some traveling?  That way we can be wherever we need to be?”

Oh my gosh!  I’ve been thinking that for months, but hadn’t said anything for fear of him thinking I’d lost my mind!  That had always been our retirement plan, but with kids?  How did that work?  Well, our house sold, and we have spent the last 3 years figuring that out…and we couldn’t be happier!    Now…we are full-time RVers…living and loving life on the road, running our business, homeschooling, and making so many memories along the way!

Everyone who lives this lifestyle has different reasons for doing so.  Some are retired and living their dream (always been ours), some don’t have a choice, for some it’s work related, some are young and carefree, some don’t full-time (just enjoy a getaway), some (like us) have chosen this lifestyle as a family decision to spend more time together and create memories as a family.  Regardless of the reason, there are a ton of people to do it, and we are one of them.

So, that’s us in a nutshell.  We acknowledge that life is a journey, and right now, we’re just enjoying the ride!  Hope you enjoy following our adventures!