Today, my best friend and husband is 37! It seems like just yesterday that we met…then I look around at our 3 precious kids, living in the house of our dreams and realize it wasn’t yesterday…it has been a journey…a great journey…but a journey nonetheless. And there’s even more journey to come! (On a side note: A friend introduced me to a book called, “The Love Dare”. If you are not familiar with it, it is sure worth looking into. It has opened my eyes to just how fortunate I really am, as she said it probably would. Thanks Ashley!!) Anyway, most of you know the story of how Heath and I met…but I am going to reminisce anyway!
(This pic is us at the Atlanta Olympics, July 1996)
(This pic is us at the Atlanta Olympics, July 1996)
We met in August of 1995. I was beginning my college career at Austin Peay State University. I was an athletic trainer for APSU. (I thought I wanted to be a physical therapist, but after 2 years of being an athletic trainer, I decided physical therapy was not for me. That is when I changed my major to education.) Heath was also an athletic trainer for APSU (except he was in Grad school…he will not be happy with me mentioning this because it shows our age difference…but I call it like I see it!) The athletic trainers were a pretty tight knit group. This is probably because we spent many hours a day together, especially during football two (or three)-a-days. We had to be in the training room at 5:30 am for the first treatments and there were nights the last practice didn’t end until 9:00 pm or later. So, as a group, all of us did a lot together. This led Heath and I to become friends first and foremost. Because I was in a [short lived] relationship when I first moved to Clarksville, I was blinded to how Heath really felt. After a week or so being at school, my relationship was over. It was weeks before Heath let his true feelings be known. I must say, he did a great job at hiding them, because I was clueless!! By the end of August, his feelings were clear (and my feelings were mutual!)
Heath finished his Masters degree in May 1996 and in August 1996 he took a job with Southern TN Medical Center here in Winchester to be the Athletic Trainer at Huntland School. In August 1997 I transferred from APSU to Middle Tennessee State University. We got married July 10, 1999 and I graduated from MTSU in December of the same year. I started working at South Jr High School in January 2000, teaching 8th grade math.
We were soon to find out that in February 2001 our lives would never be the same! Tommy was born February 22, 2001, then Caroline April 17, 2003 and Elise November 3, 2005. I taught at South until May 2005, when I quit (or some say retired…I say try it for a day and let me know how “retired” I am!) to stay at home with our babies. Heath continued to cover Huntland School, although he did begin working for Dr. Extine rather than STMC. In January 2009 Heath went to work for TOP Rehab, covering Tullahoma High School.
It has been a great 14 years. I am not as good as I should be, but I try to see my blessings as they happen and appreciate them. As I read back over this, I see what a blessing it all is. I had no real reason for picking APSU as a college. Didn’t know anyone there…and had no idea who I met would set my life path from there on out. So, today on his 37th birthday, I say “Happy Birthday, Heath!” I love you dearly.
What a great post, this makes my heart smile and gives me hope that the right one is out there somewhere! Love you guys!