Alexander & Emerald In California

We met online in the Summer of 2013 and hit it off right away. We both knew immediately that we’d found our soulmate in each other, and we were married just ten months later, in June 2014. We’ve been madly in love since then. In the years since then, we have welcomed two sons into our home, Gideon and Jesse.

Alexander (“Alex”) is a nuclear electrician in the US Navy. His job has taken us all around the USA; we met in Virginia, then moved to Maryland, and are now stationed in San Diego, CA. Alex is a Chief Petty Officer and currently teaches at a training facility on Naval Air Station North Island. He is planning to retire from the Navy after twenty years, then transition into the engineering field as a civilian. Alex’s job provides us with a steady paycheck, housing, free medical care, and free college.

In his free time, Alex loves to fly his drone, go see movies (he’s a major cinephile), jet ski, go on drives with the family, play with his sons, and read. Though he lives in the city now, he’s a country boy at heart, having grown up on rural farms among cows and horses. He loves to visit his parents on their small farm in Tennessee and feel the grass between his toes. He has eight loving siblings, many of whom have children of their own. There’s always cousins to play with when we visit the Dodge Lodge!

Emerald is a USA Today Bestselling Author! The third of four children, she was raised in Virginia and attended college at Old Dominion University, pursuing a degree in International Studies with a minor in Military Science. She began writing as a hobby in her early teens and made the jump into professional writing in her early twenties. Now a five-times published author, she is represented by a large literary agency and writes daily under two pen names.

In her spare time, Emerald likes to cook, bake, go on walks and explore her neighborhood, read, write (prose and poetry), talk to her friends, and play with her children. She adores spending time with her siblings, nieces and nephews, and parents. She is a homemaker as well as a novelist, and you can usually find her at home planning meals, working around the house, and listening to music.

Both of us are devoted Catholics and are committed to raising our children in a godly, Christ-centered home. We attend church weekly and make religious education a priority in our children’s lives.

The Dodge home is a newly-renovated 3br/2b single family home in the heart of San Diego. We have a fenced-in backyard, a large front yard, a comfortable living room with a huge couch and entertainment center, and a spacious dining and kitchen area. Our daughter will have her own bedroom with a large crib, changing table, and rocking chair. When she’s older she’ll have a twin bed (she picks the sheets!), a doll house, a toy bin, and fun decorations.

We live in a privatized military housing subdivision complete with its own daycare center and elementary school. There are large, shady playgrounds on nearly every block, the roads are patrolled by private security, and the company that administrates the neighborhood throws large neighborhood parties every few months—we love to go to those!

The elementary school is well-funded and has great ratings; both of our children attend and are very happy there. About a mile down the road, there’s a multicultural fair that happens every year, and we’re close by to restaurants from every cuisine imaginable. The area of San Diego in which we live is filled with people from around the world, so there’s many interesting grocery stores and markets.

Our home is twenty minutes from SeaWorld, forty minutes from Legoland, an hour and half from Disneyland, twenty minutes from the beach, twenty minutes from the San Diego Zoo, and fifteen minutes from historic Balboa Park with all its playgrounds, parkland, and museums.

Alex comes from a large family that positively swings from the chandeliers! He is the second of nine children, and all of them are friendly, interesting, and kind. His parents are active grandparents who like to host Christmas and Thanksgiving. There’s always laughter at the Dodge Lodge. Grandpa Dodge is a handyman by trade, and Grandma Dodge is a homemaker and horse aficionado with a large herd in her back pasture. Grandchildren are always welcome to ride the horses—with supervision, of course. Grandma and Grandpa Dodge have a large pool, an amazing swing set, and plenty of toys and books for the grandkids.

Emerald is from an FBI family. Her father, Grandpa Welch, is a retired special agent, her brother is an accountant for an FBI field office, and her sister formerly worked for the Bureau before moving to Australia. Sadly, Emerald’s younger brother died in a car accident in 2013, but he is lovingly remembered by his parents, siblings, and many friends. Grandpa and Grandma Welch are now retired; Grandma used to be an editor and has written several books, just like Emerald. They live in a spacious home in Virginia and can’t see the grandkids enough! Grandma Welch is an especially good cook and enjoys teaching grandchildren how to make her famous recipes.

Emerald and Alex’s sons are especially close to Emerald’s sister, who (though she is far away in Australia) calls daily and tries to visit them once a year. Her sister likes to take the boys on trips to interesting and exciting places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, etc.

Alex’s grandparents are still alive, and both of them are sweet and kind to their many descendants. His grandmother emigrated from Italy when she was young and still speaks fluent Italian.

Christmas and birthdays are especially fun at the Dodge house. They go all-out with decorations, presents, special meals, and parties.

We both want to expand our family and welcome a little girl into the Dodge Lodge, and since another pregnancy isn’t in the cards for us, we decided to pursue adoption. We’re excited to be on this journey!