Erica Lafser

With the smell of pancakes in the air, 4-year-old Aidyn Maynard becomes very excited. Dancing around the kitchen with her mother, Alvina, to the song “Days Go By” by Keith Urban, Aidyn is grinning ear to ear. Alvina also has a grin on her face, although she has been dealing with the absence of her husband for the past week.
“Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t meet the love of your life drunk at a bar,” says Alvina, as she begins to tell their love story. After meeting at the bar, she eventually agreed to go on a date with her now husband. Alvina had a great time and afterwards realized it felt like they had been friends forever, even though they had only known each other for a day.
Nine days after they met, the two had to go separate ways. Since they were both in the military the only way their paths would cross again, aside from weekend visits, would be if they got married and could live in the same city. A year and a half after their marriage they received orders to be in the same city.
The two federal law enforcement officers finally live in the same house on River Hill Ranch in northwest Madison County. Her husband can be called away for extended times at work, so Alvina is alone the children, but that doesn’t stop her from showing strength and pursuing her day-to-day chores.
Aside from caring for Aidyn and 3-month-old Sean, Alvina&#8217;s greatest passion is raising alpacas. She now has a sizable herd of the animals that are famous for their soft wool, which is sheared. But they can be a lot of work. Alvina writes an occasional blog about her experience.
“I’ve succeeded because my husband is extremely supportive and wouldn’t let me give up, even if I wanted to,” she says.
Alvina is aware of the differences and similarities she and her husband have, but she chooses to see them all in a positive light. The days go by with an emptiness when they’re apart, but they keep in touch and talk often on the phone.

Days go by