Erin Nolan was born October 4, 1980 in Lakewood, California.
She lived in La Mirada, California with her parents, 3 siblings and family dogs until the summer before 4th grade when her family relocated to Hemet, California.
Shortly after, her parents divorced and Erin spent the next several years moving between them and spending a period of time living with her paternal grandmother as well.
At age 14, Erin met a boy and fell in love. She ran away with him and lived in the mountains of Montana for two years, changing her appearance and using multiple names and back stories. There was no electricity or plumbing and the weather could be quite harsh. She developed a mild case of frost bite on her toes, and her hands and feet were often covered in calluses and blisters from the effects of hard labor.
After being separated from each other against their will, she was sent to live with strangers and passed between them. During this time, she developed a strong love for the land and claims the ghosts of that place stay a part of her still.
One of the strangers she met became a sort of father-figure and though they continued contact after she left, in later years, letters went unanswered for longer periods of time. November 2009 would be their last contact. Erin spoke to him via phone on his deathbed and he passed away mere moments later. He had always thought of her as his daughter and would refer to her in letters as "Little One". To Erin, he will forever be "Dad".
Nine months after last seeing each other in Montana, her boyfriend returned to find her. When she was 16, they went back to California together. She was later reunited with her family and lost the boy who she had loved to their personal demons and poor choices.
In a new relationship, Erin found herself moving around Southern California quite a bit and a week before her 19th birthday, she eloped. Her new husband left to join the military the next day. In April 2000, she left California to be with him in Augusta, Georgia and then his duty station of Ft. Stewart, Georgia. They settled outside base in the town of Hinesville.
By 2003, Erin was on her own and unable to relocate due to her devotion to animal rescue. In 2005, she had her surname legally changed from her married name to an old Irish form of her maiden name to signify her independence. She became Erin Ní Nualláin.
Erin remained unattached until 2008, when her first boyfriend found and contacted her. Their story began again. The ending is still unknown.
Erin now works out of her home office managing web content. She lives with her significant other and rescue animals in Georgia while hoping to move out of state in the future.
Although Erin maintains a relationship with her mother and siblings, she remains estranged from her father, yet hopes to someday know her new sister and brother. She has no children and is in no rush to reproduce or remarry any time soon.
In January 2010, she celebrated her 10th year of being a proud vegan.
Sword2Sky is a personal term that I came up with for myself and have used for many years as a reminder of my inner strength.
In life there are always obstacles. You have to be strong when facing them. Whenever things are difficult, I picture a courageous Celtic warrior holding sword high and charging into battle. That is how I came up with Sword2Sky.
When I first started using the internet, I had to come up with an email address. It was recommended that I use a mix of letters and numbers. That is how I came to use "2" instead of "to".
Life is rarely easy. There will be opposition. There will be battles. Just remember that you are strong. Be true to yourself. Don't be conquered. Don't surrender. Hold your sword/head high and face the storm. With courage, open heart and open mind, you can make it through.
The search for a hero should begin within.
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