spice up your life.

Elisa Morgan was the picture of dysfunction from the day she graced the delivery room. Born premature from an alcoholic mother, she spent the first two months of her life fighting in an incubator. She was taken into custody by social services, but quickly found a home with Bethany Morgan, a single mother in Albany. Growing up, Elisa spent more time with books and the family pets than she did with other children, finding comfort and entertainment in the land of make-believe. When she did socialize, she rounded up the neighborhood kids to play X-Men (she was always Jean Grey) and Power Rangers (Kimberly + Tommy 4eva). Her childhood was fairly easy-going, but she suffered a lot from only child syndrome and found herself spoiled rotten with trips to the library, bookstore, toy store, and music store any time she wanted. Her report cards were always worthy of being put on the refrigerator, even though math and science were always a challenge. She excelled in English and Social Studies, but completely failed at P.E. and socialization. Both proms saw her attendance very reluctantly, and she spent most of her time a wallflower in any social setting.

Brynne tried her best to fly under the radar compared to her brothers, behaving in school and staying away from trouble outside of it as well. For many years her afternoons were primarily filled with homework and housework, the latter of which was rarely acknowledged by her family. Even with a lack of appreciation, she couldn't turn her back from helping out but her plans to leave never diminished. After graduating from high school in 2000, Brynne made her way seven hours north to Reno, where she enrolled at Carrington College. Her childhood dreams had been grandiose representations of her desire to help others while gaining independence, which eventually pointed to a more realistic career in the nursing field.

Two years later, she graduated with an AAS in Nursing, took and passed her NCLEX exam, and then became a registered nurse. After signing with an agency, she decided to take on travel nursing assignments, which had her moving to various cities all across the country for about eight to thirteen weeks at a time. New York, Florida, Texas, California, she went absolutely everywhere and it fulfilled so much that she had been looking forward to. Brynne came out of her shell with those experiences, as she engaged with new sets of people often.

She continued with her vagabond life for nearly five years. But after a four month stint on a cruise ship - which was in no way a vacation - she started to feel a pull to set up some roots. Going back to Las Vegas was far out of the question. She returned there for the occasional holiday when she wasn't working - and she usually made sure that she was - but generally stayed away as much as possible. After a ten week assignment in Denver during the spring of 2007, Brynne decided that was the place where she'd give settling down the old college try. She signed with a new agency and they got her situated with gigs in home healthcare, as well as the occasional shift at hospitals and nursing homes, giving her a much needed variety.

With work secure in her life as it had always been, being in one place afforded Brynne a new experience when it came to her personal life. No longer was she saying goodbye to co-workers, friends and the occasional "boyfriend" within a few weeks. That wasn't to say it was easier in terms of relationships but it was certainly different from what she knew. In 2009, she found herself with a rather significant love that didn't fade away even months in. It was a first and an enjoyable one at that. Furthermore she found herself welcomed by his large family, creating yet another first for the 27 year old. She knew feeling something for the first time at her age was a rarity and she treasured it - as well as the life she was happily building.

The couple married in 2011 and made a home for themselves in the guest apartment on the grounds of his family's property. There was talk about them starting a family right from the beginning and even with lingering hangups from her own childhood, Brynne looked forward to becoming a mother. She was a caregiver by nature and after turning that into a career, she wanted it on a parental level as well. But after trying for well over a year to conceive on their own, they received the shocking news that he was sterile. It was an blow to them both, but especially to him. She didn't see the information as any sort of deal breaker - there were options available to explore - but the impact it had on his emotional state quickly became one.

Her husband's irritability and the way he was quick to jump on her case became too much. Criticism was never easy for Brynne to take and mixing that with the lack of appreciation for the effort she was giving was a deadly combination, so she filed for divorce in June 2014. Immediately she took a live-in nursing assignment with a patient she had previously done hourly care with, saving herself from the whirlwind of moving into a place of her own right away or the embarrassment of sleeping on friend's couch. Something about either of those scenarios made it seem too real. But as time and the divorce proceedings go on, it continues to become more real and Brynne's now facing the reality that her marriage may truly be over.