1. Beagles are the #1 most stolen breed of dog. After ours was stolen twice, she is now enjoying the lap of luxury as an indoor dog. We are all still adjusting…she hides any toy or rawhide we give her, trying to “dig” a hole to put things in (usually in our shoe pile by the back door), and I’m trying to learn not to step on her while she is literally on my heels when I cook.
2. When given the choice I will watch mindless television instead of reading. If you’d asked I would’ve answered the opposite. However, after having 4 weeks COMPLETELY off from all three of my jobs following surgery in December, I now know the truth. I was excited about my time off and planned to catch up on some reading, thinking I would finish at least 3 books. Instead my days on the couch went something like this: morning news until 9, Kathie Lee and Hoda for a couple hours, maybe a Lifetime or Hallmark movie, some Food Network, and oh yeah…when nothing else was on, playing games on my iPhone. Very little reading was accomplished though I did finish one book and started another.
3. I always wondered how I would react if I was ever given a diagnosis like cancer…now I know. In September, I began testing for a “neck mass” my doctor found. It was diagnosed as a cyst and surgery scheduled to remove it. Initial biopsy came back clean and visual inspection led the surgeon to believe it was indeed an intact cyst. Pathology testing proved otherwise and I have been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. It’s common and very treatable, but hearing the words were still shocking. I took a deep breath, asked all the right questions, and walked away with a treatment plan. I will have my thyroid removed in 10 days, undergo radioactive iodine treatment (with no side-effects) and be on my way. I will take thyroid medication for the rest of my life and see an oncologist once a year for the next 10, but I’m dealing with that. I am forever grateful for our church family and friends who have stepped up and helped with dinners and my kids.
4. Turning 30 was harder than I thought. I really thought I wouldn’t blink an eye at my birthday this past spring, and on the outside it probably appears I was successful. But deep down, turning 30 has been strange. I suddenly feel like I should shop in a different part of the stores, not wear my hair a certain way, etc. The kids I coach seem like babies all of a sudden – when I started coaching I was only a year or two older than most of the team, now that age span is 10+ years!
5. Officially joining your church is important. Ryan and I have attended the same church since we moved to Rolla for college (he’s been there over 15 yrs, I’ve been there over 12). We were very active throughout our college years in Sunday School, worship, and other groups in the church. When our friends graduated and left, we didn’t really fit in. There weren’t alot of other young couples to attend Sunday School with and going to the college class didn’t feel right either. Then we had kids and avoided Sunday School altogether. About 2 years ago I decided it was important to find a class because our oldest son was no longer in nursery and needed to be in Sunday School. All this time, we never officially joined the church. In the Southern Baptist Association, this involves a public proclamation and, in our case, a transfer of membership from our home churches. We finally took that step this year, and it was the best decision ever. I just feel more “at home” now, like we belong. No one treats us differently just because we’re members, but I feel a certain responsibility now and an easiness about it.
6. Working with students really is my passion. After being laid off from my engineering job nearly 2 years ago, I began to re-evaluate my career path. I was always naive enough to believe you were supposed to get a job right out of college and retire there 30 yrs later. (I also thought you should buy a house when you got married and never move…it’s what my parents did…my husband and I are on house #3 though it’s the only one we’ve purchased, and we are in the works of building our dream house. However, I have put my foot down and said this is the house we would grow old in!) Anyway, one of the jobs I interviewed for was working with undergrads at my Alma mater. I knew little about the job requirements so I researched the department. By the time I interviewed for the job, I had decided this is what I was born to do. I didn’t get that job, but it led to another part-time gig as an academic advisor for freshman engineering students. While frustrating at times, I absolutely love the satisfaction I get knowing I’m making a difference for these kids.
7. I really do have well-behaved children. At times, I think they need more discipline or that I’m doing something wrong, but several times this year I was reassured that my kids do behave…at least around other people. Our babysitter tells me frequently she would rather watch our kids any day than most of the others she sits for. At our family reunion, it was pointed out how my kids were the only ones that sat up at the table and ate properly without running around. And at a recent dinner hosted by a good friend of ours where another family with 3 young children was present, I was even amazed myself at well they acted at the dinner table. I asked my husband if he drugged them 
The kids sat at the kitchen bar while the adults sat at the table. The other kids were saying the were done and running around before the adults even had our plates filled. Mine sat perfectly quiet, cleaned their plates, and asked for seconds. Now, I attribute this mostly to the fact that we eat together at the table every single night…but it could just be that my kids really like to eat!
8. Gardening is very rewarding. Growing up, my family always had a large garden. I’ve wanted one for quite some time, but couldn’t convince Ryan to commit. A few years ago, he decided he wanted to grow some jalapenos in flower pots. We started with 3 pots. The next year, he grew 3 pots of jalapenos and 3 pots of hot lemon peppers and I added 3 pots of bell peppers. This year, I convinced him having a dozen flower pots to deal with was harder than just having a garden. So we built a raised bed – a necessity when you hit bedrock about 6 inches down where we live – and started a garden. We grew yellow squash, zucchini, all sorts of peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and attempted to grow Lima beans at the request of our oldest son. We had a blast and ate healthier this summer than we ever have before.
9. I prefer pesto over tomato sauce any day. The only thing I knew about pesto was what I’d seen on cooking shows. And frankly, it didn’t look all that appetizing. Then I decided to make a recipe that called for it and absolutely fell in love. Now it’s my go-to lunch on the weekends for me and the kids. I just boil some pasta, stir in some store-bought pesto (or green sauce as the boys say) and we’re happy as can be. My husband still prefers red sauce with some sort of meat in it, but the kids asked me if I could make lasagna with green sauce instead of red!
10. My husband is my best friend. Ok, so I really learned that in 1998 when we met, but it’s a lesson I’m reminded of each day. After 12 years together, of course we’ve had disagreements and have gone through challenging times. But at the end of the day, he will always be my best friend. We talk frequently about friends that have come and gone in our lives for various reasons. And we always realize the reason this doesn’t effect us more is because all we really need is each other. We truly are best friends. I tell him the same stupid girly things I would tell my girlfriends, and he talks trucks and guns with me. We both bring things to the table from our up-bringing, but yet we are still very different from our other family members. We agree on everything important in life – our values, how we raise our kids, how we spend out time together. And for the things we don’t agree on – what toppings to order on a pizza, what temperature to set the thermostat, clear or colored lights on the Christmas tree – we compromise quite well.
