She wakes up barefoot in a sundress, rocking in a patio chair, surrounded by the laughter of her daughters and the quiet power of the woods. Chapter One opens in a national park—but the real terrain she’s navigating is internal.

Written during a family vacation, this first chapter is Annie's exhale. Her reclaiming. Her remembering.

You'll walk with her through the morning stillness, the scent of coffee and sausage in the air, past the rainbows before the storm, and into the moment where she realizes: This is the life she built. This is the woman she is.

Chapter One is a sensory love letter to the present moment—and a launching point for the wild, rich, unfiltered memoir that follows.