Chapter 1. Unexpected

Garrett Clark George. That was supposed to be me. Strong. Brave. A name that marched in with purpose, all hard consonants and hero energy. Garrett was chosen, claimed, written in baby books, whispered to the stars—until the doctor said, “It’s a girl.”

Silence.

A record scratch in the delivery room.

“What?! It’s supposed to be a boy. We already have two girls. The heartbeat said boy. No… send her back. We were supposed to have a boy.”

Cue me—squishy, pink, wide-eyed, and not Garrett.

I got Kandis. A name meaning bright. Not brave. Not bold. But light. Warm. Unexpected. Not what anyone planned, but here I was anyway—refusing to go back.

And so, from the very first breath, I was a disruption in the best sense. A cosmic curveball wrapped in a hospital blanket. And though I was loved—deeply, fiercely—there was a subtle echo, a shadow of “not what we thought we’d get.” And let me tell you: even the faintest whisper of disappointment can echo loud in a little girl’s ears.

So I did what any girl with something to prove might do. I hustled. I sparkled. I made myself indispensable. If I wasn’t what you wanted, I’d become something better. I’d be the best damn Kandis there ever was. Not just brave. Not just bright. Blazing.

For decades, I tried to outshine that original moment. To rewrite the narrative coded into my baby bones. I didn’t yet know: I didn’t need to.

Because now, at nearly 44, I see it clearly.

I was never unwanted.

I was simply… a surprise.

A plot twist.

A bright flash in a story that thought it was headed one way, until I rewrote the ending. That’s the gift I’ve always had—to light things up. To show up where no one expected and absolutely delight the hell out of everyone.

So come with me. This is the story of a girl who thought she was a disappointment, but who found out—at long last—that she’s actually the sparkle in the surprise. The joy. The light. The delight.

Let’s begin.