I've done a different layout and put in new pages here recently. If you click on my "About" link, you'll read a quick overview of my life in the recent years, but what you won't read is my background.
Get ready 'cause here comes a lengthy post (and I talk an awful lot about college... sorry... and also about DH and I. But aren't you interested?! :P )!
I was born in New York to two New Englanders, a Long Island, NY guy (the second oldest of 5 [with one older sister, 2 younger brothers, and one younger sister in between the younger brothers]) and a Massachusetts girl (who moved with her family [parents and younger brother] to Long Island, NY during junior high). My parents are high school sweethearts and got married in 1971 (after they attended different colleges). I am the 6th child, 5th girl, and youngest of this awesome Catholic family. I was born in 1989 (15 months after my closest sibling, sister KT). KT and I have always been close, fighting every single day for 16 years (seriously, ask my parents), and loving each other to death. Now that we are grown-ups and living across the country from each other we don't fight as much ;)
When I was 4 (1993), my parents moved themselves and 5 of their children (4 girls and one boy) to the Philippines to do missionary work, teaching English and NFP to the Filipinos and picking up the local Tagalog dialect (Pagasinan) in the process. My oldest sister was in college at the time so she visited once or twice while we were there. We lived in the Philippines for two years before my parents decided that being raised and schooled in the U.S. was probably the best thing for their kids as well as for their sanity-- Im kidding; I can only imagine the heartbreak and challenge that went along with that decision (it was an amazing experience and even though I was "barely conscious" [as my dad would say], I remember the good times and even some hard times while living there). We returned to the United States the summer of 1995. I started 1st grade that fall and KT started 2nd. It was a wild transition, for my parents and for us, as children (with the second and third oldest attending high school).
In 1996, my oldest sister, Nutmeg, married the love of her life (whom she met in college) and her siblings were all in the wedding; KT and I were the flower girls, our brother was the altar server, and the second and third oldest sisters were bridesmaids.
In 1998, my dad began working for the Catholic church and moved our family (3 girls and one boy, since the second oldest was now in college) to the beautiful state of Colorado. KT began 5th grade, and I 4th grade, that fall.
I lived in Colorado from 1998 until it was time for me to attend college. I picked one in Texas (partly because of the heat, partly because Nutmeg, her husband, and 5 kids lived there, partly because I could play my favorite sport ever, BASKETBALL, and partly because it was a private Catholic university and I was only allowed to attend such a school out of state).
Moving into my dorm room, Fall 2007.
Homesickness was TERRIBLE!! Talk about depression! I arrived early for preseason Soccer (yes, I know I went for Basketball but I thought since I played soccer in high school, I'd play and get in shape for basketball) and just about died from heat exhaustion and dehydration. My body would not let me drink or eat... I was miserable.
This picture to the right is pre- mental and physical break-down from homesickness... I look at it sometimes and say, "Oh, you have no idea what's coming do you? heh heh"...
After a few months I got over it and made some pretty close friends (people I'm still extremely close with today... and one of my best friends from the first few days of pre season is now engaged to my brother! How cool is that!!!!). The soccer girls were great and once the season was over, it was basketball time. My grades sucked and because of this, I was on probation making it difficult to stay on the basketball team... so I quit.
Spring semester came around and that's when I started hanging out with DH more. He was in a relationship at the time so it was just acquaintance type "group" activities, but once we started training together for soccer (he was going to join the team Sophomore year), we hung out a lot more one on one. He and his girlfriend at the time were having problems (and by the way, she is one of the sweetest people ever and ended up attending the school a year later... great girl) so about a month after they called it quits (or was it two weeks?), he asked me if I'd consider dating him when we got back from summer vacation... I said yes, and we basically started dating that day.
Fall 2008; my niece's soccer game.
Sophomore year came around and we both survived preseason and regular season of soccer. I decided to take up basketball again (my best friend and roommate at the time played basketball, too), so sometimes after my 2 hour long soccer games, I would rush to the locker room, get dressed and attend the 2 hour basketball practice. It was exhausting. I ended up leaving the team halfway through (it just wasn't my "crowd"... I guess I missed my soccer girls).
I ended up moving in with my sister and her 5 children (now she has 6) right after I got back from Christmas break and lived there for about a year and a half while I went to school. It was nice to live with family again. They welcomed me and I really felt at home. It was a tough year for me as well as for DH and I. We broke up the summer before our Junior year and it was devastating for me. In a way, however, I wouldn't have branched out and met so many people and got to experience new things if we had stayed together and for that, I am grateful. It took me a while to get back to normal, though. I dated, he dated. I had my heartbroken and broke a couple of hearts (which I am not proud of in the least). I learned a lot about myself and I could not be more thankful for the lessons during this time of... well, me. Some things I would definitely do differently looking back, but then I wouldn't have had to deal with the consequences; and so, I guess it's good I don't have that choice to change my past.
Summer 2011
Senior year came and went and before we knew it, we were graduating. This is funny, though. When I moved into my apartment on campus, I heard that DH and his roommate had the apartment right across the hall. Of all the places... seriously?! So we had our awkward, "Hellos", to and from class and other activities. By the time spring rolled around we had struck up a couple conversations and it seemed like we were genuinely interested in the other's life. Right before our spring break (on a Thursday I think it was), we saw each other 3 times. I was coming back from class and he was packing up his car to drive home for break; we said "Hi."
Then I left in my car to go work out or something off campus and I don't think I acknowledged him 'cause that would've been awkward :P. Then as I was coming back from whatever I was doing, he was still getting ready to leave. So we chatted and I told him to have fun and whatever else.
3 hours later, I got a text saying, "Is it bad that after all this time I still think your freckles are adorable?"
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|  Agnes
And there you have it folks, I was hooked. We texted back and forth for a while (and every time I texted back he waited exactly an hour until he replied... he told me later when I asked him about his delay because I was annoyed with how long it took for him to text back). We started dating a couple of months before graduation. He stayed in Texas after graduating while I student taught for a semester. I moved back to Colorado that winter and DH proposed January 3rd, 2012. We married July, 2012 and moved to middle America where we received the news (in the middle of August) that we were pregnant with our first child.
Dear AJ was born April 26, 2013. and our world changed in an instant. It was a good change and something I couldn't imagine without. By the grace of God I am now a full time stay at home wife and mother to this beautiful child and my wonderful husband and I am so so so very happy to be in this place. It's a beautiful life, and now you know about it ;) |
