Come on in

Wow!! Life has been so bizarre for the past few years. It has been an emotional rollercoaster, to say the least. I've been kicked down, beaten up, chewed up, and spit out (figuratively). I have literally seen my darkest hour. I asked a brilliant writer, my sister, to write my story for me since I was too low and depressed to do it and the story was too extraordinary not to share. She, very wisely, told me to wait until I was ready because nobody could write my story like I could. So here I am, ready; not better, but willing. I usually keep my private life private but since this whole thing has gone down, I realize that God is in control. He is writing this story…I’m just the pen.

Where do I start? All good stories start at the beginning. I met my husband when I was a child since he was friends with a family member. He would come to my church sometimes and we would see each other in passing. Life went on…we grew up and experienced life in our own ways. Just when we both thought life couldn’t possibly get any worse, something told him to give me a call. So he did and the rest was history. Nothing was ever the same after that call. We made choices that upset a few people, pissed some off, set others free, and were the answer to a handful of prayers. We honestly fell madly, deeply in love. I’m talking straight out of a fairy tale. God, everything was perfect…until it wasn’t. Now don’t get me wrong, our marriage is and always has been solid. But just like all relationships, we’ve had some rocky spots. All in all, we are devoted to each other and our relationship. It’s us…always and forever. I think I’ve always known it, but if I didn’t before, I am sure of it now. After the tenderness and support this man showed me through the darkest time of my life WHILE he was dealing with the same trauma and loss. How in the world did he do it? I’ll tell you how, GOD!!!!

Kellon and I were lucky enough to enjoy the first few years of marriage alone, with no kids. We got to know each other on a deeper level than I have ever known anybody else in my life. He truly is my soulmate. Y’all remember on “Baby Boy” when Jodie tells ole girl that she was his rib? Well, I’m Kellon’s rib. I was made just for him. He is the only person that loves me unconditionally. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll tell me when I’m being an asshole (most of the time I am). But, he loves me regardless. I’ve always said that I’ve been attracted to intelligence (never mind the dudes I was into when I was younger. They don’t count because I was stupid). Intelligence will win me over EVERY time. The kicker is, I honestly try to find the intelligence in everyone. Most of the time I can find it…sometimes I can’t. That’s why I connect with so many people. I tend to judge people based on their intelligence. I don’t mean how many degrees they have, their talents, or how well they score on a test. Intelligence, to me, is the willingness to learn from others, think for yourself, and when you’ve collected all the data, make an educated guess as to what the answer should be. Sometimes intelligence is saying, “I don’t know, let me look into it” and calling someone with more knowledge than you. Intelligence is setting a goal and reaching it or at least giving it your all in the process. Intelligence is telling someone you’re sorry when you have wronged them. Not just using the apology to explain your actions. Just validating the other person's feelings and being sorry that you upset them. It’s recognizing your weaknesses may be someone else’s strengths and knowing that you have strengths elsewhere. If you are one of those people, then come on in and have a seat…we can be friends.

Kellon is all those things and so much more. This man is not only intelligent, he’s freaking BRILLIANT. You give this man a problem and he will come up with the most amazing solution and believe me that solution is going to be done with precision. He very rarely half-asses anything, only in emergencies. And oh my goodness, he’s so funny!! HUGE points! His comedic timing is spectacular, and I am so proud that our son inherited it. When we finally got pregnant with Avery, aahh it’s one of the memories that I will hold closest to my heart for the rest of my life. Oh, life was so perfect. Avery came and our little family was the three musketeers. All for one, one for all, and three for five. 😉 We focused all of our time and energy into raising Avery the way God would have us raise him. Well, I mean, God knows me so he knows that I’m doing the best I can. That kid mended our broken family, answered my prayers, became a trendsetter, and a barrier-breaker. He is the most amazing person that has ever walked on the face of this planet (sound familiar? Like his daddy). God, he does give me the most attitude and makes me want to square up sometimes…but I would walk through fire for him. You’ll get to know him more later but for now, a snidbit: he’s borderline genius (my definition, not clinically (only because we haven’t tested him)), he’s kind and thoughtful, a great friend, a wonderful grandson, the best big/little cousin, ladies’ man. To be continued, he’s a very complex guy. Life was very mundane for a while. It typically is when you are giving your entire self to another human being, things can get quite monotonous. We try to keep our marriage a priority. We like to take time away from the kids and spend time by ourselves. Ohh…those days are so much fun!!! I absolutely love my life with my family and kids. But, it’s healthy for a couple to break away from all the chaos and get back in tune with each other. Because I am a closet planner, I make sure to plan our date nights around holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I say I’m a closet planner because you can’t look at me and tell that I am organized. But I be planning! The older I get the more flexible I am to changes in the plans. So you can’t call me a planner because those guys will cut your throat if you don’t stick to the itinerary. I’m not like them…I’m a nice planner aka closet planner. Anywho, our date nights don’t just consist of dinner and a movie. While we ride in the car, wait for our meal, or stand in line to get into a show, we talk. Talk about everything. It might be what we want to do when we retire or how we want to build onto our property. We talk about the past and lessons learned. We literally can talk about everything; our conversations never get stale. That’s the key to a happy marriage…communication. The key to a successful marriage is God. And I put that on everything. After a dramatic change to our family dynamic and my career, things were about to get a lot different. Not worse…just different. Stay tuned for more…