lets rewind to before blogging started...
I am 26 yrs old, I live in the greatest place on earth, I have an awesome family and the bestest friends anyone could ever ask for! I am wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a cousin, an auntie, and most importantly, I am a mom. I have three beautiful children ages 8yrs, 3yrs and 4 months old. They are my whole world and I could not imagine my life without them. I have been married to my best friend for 3.5 years and I can't wait to spend many more years together, growing old. I am so thankful for everything I have but the road along the way was a bumpy one for sure. God definitely blessed the broken road that led me to where I am today. Enjoy ~
I am the oldest of 4 kids - 2 girls and 2 boys. There is 11 years between me and my youngest brother. I was born and raised in Oregon and while I no longer live in the town I grew up in, I'm not too far away. Growing up I played t-ball and then softball until I reached high school where I joined the dance team. I lived and breathed dance...and I was good at it. I did good in school; I liked school. Life was pretty normal, I was your typical teenage girl, I had lots of friends and I enjoyed life. Little did I know at that time, but life had something else in store for me. In 2003 at the young age of 17, my life changed and I had to grow up fast. During my senior year of high school on 2/23, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy (we'll call him "Kit Kat"). While the circumstances remain untold, I chose to keep the baby. There is so much that I missed out on, but looking back, I wouldn't trade my son for anything in the world.
After high school, I moved out and went to community college and earned my AAS degree while working full time and being a single mom. It wasn't easy, but I am proud to say that I did it and I did mostly by myself. While going to college, I worked many different jobs - retail, food service, hospitality and then back to retail. I wanted to use my degree and find something that I loved. I landed a job as a Bridal Consultant at a local bridal shop and fell in love with the industry. I thought for sure that I'd found my career there but at the time, I didn't know how wrong I'd be. I went to school to become a Wedding Planner, and that's all I ever wanted to do. But what I wanted and what I was doing, were two totally different things. It eventually became so bad that I bailed. I seriously had no other choice. Strangely enough, my next job was back doing something I've done before...food service.
Going back into food service was one of the best decisions I made. I started working at a local steakhouse, first as a hostess and then slowly moved my way up. That is where I met my now husband :). We hit it off right away, became friends, hung out and soon we started dating. Well, we never stopped dating and as you know, the rest is history! Ok, before I bore you to death, lets speed up a couple years to just before my second son was born.
September 2007 was another life changing moment for me. I got a job working for a near by school district as an office secretary. Never in a million years did I see myself working in a school office, but there were so many benefits, that as a mom, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. After a year at my job, my now hubby and I decided that we were finally at a point in our lives that we were ready for another baby. On July 23, 2008, on one of the hottest days that summer, we welcomed baby boy #2 into the world. For the sake of blogging, I am going to call him "M&M's". M&M's was the glue that held the four of us together. We were now a family. Everything was falling into place even though there were those who questioned us. House, baby, then marriage...whats the big deal?
My wedding day is a day I will never forget. Actually, my wedding DAYS. Yes, days. I am so lucky that I got to marry my best friend twice! On August 8, 2008, a date very special to my husband for other reasons, we were married in his dads backyard with just our immediate family members close by. It was intimate, meaningful and cheap. It was perfect for us...at least for now. One year later, on August 1, 2009, I got the wedding of my dreams and got to marry my best friend all over again, this time in front of 150 friends and family members. Well, it's been just over three years since we were first married and our family has grown by one more.
With two big brothers at home, we welcomed our first girl, our precious princess into the world on September 23, 2011. Now if you have been paying attention, you'll notice that all of my children have the same birth date...the 23rd. No this was not purposely planned, but yes I think it's pretty cool! ;) During my pregnancy when we found out we were having a girl, lets call her "Almond Joy," my husband and I decided that our family was complete. Three was a good number...our perfect family of 5!
However, soon after Almond Joy was born, my health took a turn for the worst. It was discovered by my doctors that I would never be able to carry another baby. They were absolutely sure, tested and proved, and at that point, we no longer had the choice...it was a reality. That was the darkest day of my life, the day that changed me forever. That was the day the lemons got to me...and it was the day I vowed to never let it happen again.
So here we are, living in the present. Everyday gets better than the day before and it feels so good! I still have my good days and bad days but sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches. When lemons come my direction, this time I'll be ready. I'll be waiting with a spoon full of sugar and be sipping on sweet lemonade. Cheers!
