Happy Anniversary to Us!

I know I did an anniversary post in November, but that was for our decade of being together. This post is in honor of our wedding anniversary, 8 years today! March 6, 2003 was a memorable and amazing day on a beautiful, tropical island with an intimate wedding ceremony where we became Mr. and Mrs. We both still have such fond memories of our wedding away and wouldn't change it for the world! We went against the grain and did not have a big wedding at home, but instead escaped all the chaos and wed in the Caribbean and it was everything that we wanted and more!

I love this man more than I can even put into words. I am beyond amazed at the life that we have created together and the three beautiful children that have turned our family of 2 into a family of 5! I was lucky enough to marry my best friend and very happy to say that after 8 years of marriage, he is still my best friend and the absolute love of my life! I can only look forward to many more anniversaries to come and thank God every day for sending Stephen into my life!

Momma Is Back!

After a grueling 4 weeks of recovery, I went to the doctor today and was completely released! I was shocked! I had anticipated being released to start doing some lifting and to be able to bend again, but I was no way prepared to hear him state that I was released to go back to doing everything I was doing pre-surgery!

The doctor had informed me at my 2 week post-op appointment that I appeared to be ahead of the recovery schedule, but we still needed to wait and see what the next 2 weeks would bring. So, I followed his orders to perfection and continued to stay "down" for another 2 weeks, all through Christmas and New Year's. When he checked everything today, he said that I had continued to stay ahead of the recovery process and that he was extremely pleased with how well my recovery had gone. He said that due to the fact that I was in such good shape going in to the surgery, my body just sped through the whole recovery and healed much faster than even he had expected.

My very first order of business when I got home this evening was something that I have missed so much, I got to pick my baby up again and hold him! I had tears in my eyes when I held my arms out to Hayden and he tentatively toddled over and held his arms up, then I scooped him up and held him close. He looked at me with a bit of confusion, since it had been a month since I had last held him. He had been coming up to me for my entire recovery, holding his arms up for me to take him, and I would have to tell him that "Mommy had an owie". It broke my heart each time he would do that! Feeling his chubby body up next to mine and getting to nuzzle his little face made everything better for me!

Although I was released and will not have to see the doctor for another 2 months, I was still instructed to take it easy on certain tasks, including running the vacuum, carrying too much weight and also getting back to my gym routine. I tend to go at everything full force, so it is hard for me to hold back, but I do not want to jeopardize anything that has healed, so I will make sure to take things slow and ease back into my full routines. But it is a wonderful feeling to be taking care of my family again and regaining my role as Mommy, my most favorite job of all!

Momma is out of commission

It is never fun when Mommy is sick, but when Momma is down from a surgery and cannot do anything, things really get interesting!

December 3rd I had a major abdominal surgery and I have a recovery time of about 6 weeks. Because it was an abdominal surgery, I am unable to do much of anything. No cleaning, no lifting, bending, twisting, no picking up Hayden. It has been tough, especially not getting to pick Hayden up, and then there is the pain factor that I have been dealing with and trying to manage.

I have to say though, I feel so blessed. I have an amazing husband that has really stepped up and has been doing a fantastic job, even being completely out of his element. He took off work for the past 10 days to be here at home to not only take care of the kids, but to also be my personal nurse, making sure I took all my medications on time and helping me get up and around. He has also had to take on my other roles, and has been doing laundry, cleaning and keeping up with the rest of the things around the house. I am also blessed with great friends, who have all chipped in to bring us meals every other day and to also call or text to check on me daily. What a wonderful feeling to know how loved you are!

I still have a long road to recovery ahead, but each day I feel stronger and more like myself. Steve will be heading back to work tomorrow, so I am on my own, but again with the love of our friends, I will not have to take care of the kids. Several friends have volunteered to take the kids during the day, as I am still very limited in my movement and activity. I know that I am one lucky woman and that God has blessed me in abundance with an amazing family and wonderful friends and that is the only way that I have made it through the past week and will continue to recover!

Reliving my Youth

Tonight was such a fun night for me! I played in my first high school alumni basketball game in my hometown and it was a blast! And I now actually have the privilege of saying that I played in the Inaugural Carroll County Lady Panthers Alumni Game and hope to make it an annual tradition!

Basketball was my life when I was younger. I started playing in elementary school and by middle school I lived and breathed basketball and that love for the game continued on throughout high school. I was on the varsity team my freshman year and by my sophomore year I was a starter. I was blessed to have some God-given talent on my side and athleticism, so that led me to be quite successful and came out of my high school career with numerous awards and honors. But all that pales in comparison to what I was able to experience at tonight's game.

Tonight I got to play a game I love, and haven't played in years, with fellow alumni that were out to have a good time. Some that I had played with during my years in high school and others that had graduated ahead of and behind me, that I was playing with for the first time. But the best part is that I got to play in front of my husband and children and it was awesome! I heard Abigail and Mitchell cheering me on from the sidelines and heard their sweet voices yelling "Go Mommy!" and "Just do your best Mommy!" And I saw my husband giving me thumbs up and full of pride as I ran up and down the court. Gone were the pressures of scoring and winning that I had experienced during high school, and in its' place were the immense feelings of gratitude and love.

The kiddos and I before the game

All the Lady Panther Alumni and coaches

Me attempting to still have a shot and getting to wear my old number again!

I am so grateful that I still have the ability to get out there and play and also that I get to share it with my family. Abigail even said, after watching me, that she no longer wants to be a cheerleader but now wants to play basketball, that was music to my ears! I hope that I am blessed to play again next year and can continue to show my children that if you put your heart into something, you can always make it happen. I didn't think that 12 years later I would be able to hit the basketball court again and am so proud that I did!

A Decade

A decade. 10 years. 3,648 days. This is what I am celebrating today- 10 years ago was my first date with Steve and it was a date that changed both our lives forever! It is so hard to believe that it has been 10 years already, but on the other hand it doesn't feel like it has been that long at all!

When we met I was just a 21 year old college kid and he was a recent college graduate, trying to get his new career up and running. He took one look at me, with my tattoos and short shorts, and said no way will I date her, she is a party girl! Now true, I was still partying quite a bit, but isn't that what you are suppose to do at that age? We hung out in several group settings over the next few months and finally turned up the flirtatious chat during several bonfires with our friends in the month of October. At the prodding of our close friends' Manny & Cassie, who were newly engaged, we had a dinner with just the four of us and that is when the official date was made! Steve approached me on the way to my car and asked if I would like to try this on our own, the whole date thing. We made plans for the next night and I was beyond excited!

We had an amazing first date, the best I had ever experienced. Steve was very prepared for the evening and had our date all planned out, however, he had wanted to go to PF Chang's, which at that time was brand new and did not accept reservations. When we arrived there was a 3 hour wait and we both said no way. After several different stops we settled on the revolving restaurant at the top of the Ramada Inn and enjoyed a wonderful dinner overlooking the lights of downtown Cincinnati. The conversation never had an awkward lull and hours had passed before we were ready to leave. We then followed our dinner up with a stroll through Sawyer Point, and even though it was chilly, it was a perfect end to an already incredible night!

By our second date we knew that we had met our soulmate, the one that God had made for each of us. The love that we share is one with God at the foundation and built on trust and honesty. Steve is truly the other half of my heart and soul, as well as my best friend and I am blessed to have shared the past 10 years with him. 10 years ago today I had no idea how much that one date would change the course of my life and from it my dreams came true. I married a wonderful man that loves me deeply and unconditionally, and he made me a mother to 3 beautiful children and he works hard so that I get the privilege of staying at home with them to watch them grow. I can only look forward to another amazing 10 years!

What a day, What an accomplishment!

Amazing! Steve & I accomplished something today that not many people take on...we ran & completed our first every half marathon! We both participated in the 1st Annual Cincinnati Half Marathon in downtown Cincinnati this morning and it was quite the experience!

We both began training in the spring, Steve on his own & with a friend & myself with a running group & a friend. I have to admit, I didn't train near as much as I should have, but with my 3-4 weekly workouts at the YMCA & the running I was able to do, I feel I did fairly well. Up until this point, I had only run as a form of training for upcoming basketball seasons, when I played, so I had never run for the purpose of only running. It was such an adjustment, but one that Steve & I both felt we wanted to take on, if for nothing else to say that we did it!

The experience of the actual race was something I will never forget. The crowd of runners & spectators, the closed off streets through the city, and having my husband right there beside me, were all memories that I will remember for years to come. I have to say, I could not have made it without Steve and his encouragement. This was by far one of the most challenging goals I have ever taken on, but with Steve at my side, it was something that we were both able to conquer and something that we can say we did together!