Reflections during football...

Never really understood football - but I'm sitting here "watching" it with Tim. He's rooting for OU, of course, being from Oklahoma City. I can multi-task, though, so I thought I would share a little about me and my fam! Let's see....Tim and I were married on January 5th, 1991 - 18 years ago this past Monday! We have lived in the Rogers/Bentonville area throughout our married lives. Being a resident of Northwest Arkansas puts me in the minority - you don't find many natives around here! But we were both fortunate to have our families here in the area to help us settle into married life and then be close to help out when children came along. Carly was our first baby - born on May 28, 1993 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rogers. I remember still being in college at the Uof A - pumping in the bathroom between classes, thinking....what on earth am I doing...Lord, surely this isn't what you had planned for me! But it was His perfect plan - I just wouldn't see it for many years. Then Mason came along on February 14, 1995. Yep, my Valentine's Day baby - my cupid! My mother had worked as a nurse in Rogers for many years and knew many of the doctors, nurses and sisters at the hospital - so when I was told to check in to the hospital for a c-section, I remember Dr. Donnell poking his head into the prep room, holding a heart shaped sugar cookie and asking if he could sit in on the delivery! I've never been able to look at Valentine's Day treats quite the same way - especially heart shaped sugar cookies! By the time we had settled back in after having Mason, I had my own heart set on opening a preschool learning center. I just didn't realize that it would happen quite so fast. I was only 24 years old - married, with two children and now a business of my own. Life was beginning to race by - but I was enjoying every moment of it! My parents were instrumental in the opening of "Guys-N-Dolls Preschool for Creative Arts, Inc." I don't think that I would have been able to do it without them! Tim continued to stand by me as I soared through my dreams and he supported me the whole way. We watched both our kids go through the program and then many others to follow - but after 10 years, I needed a change - something new to do! We sold the school and I began to pursue consulting work. I had done some teacher workshops focusing on creativity in the classroom, so, I decided to focus on this as my primary career. I began writing and leading workshops for teachers focusing on visual art, music, movement - creative teaching techniques and team building. I continue to write and lead workshops for teachers as well as other business fields. Tim is a civil engineer with his own firm - Sand Creek Engineering and Landscape Architecture in Bentonville, AR. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, kayaking, and riding on his tractor! Ha! I always find plenty of things for him to do - but I truly become a duck widow once Thanksgiving hits every year! He stays busy on the weekends trying to keep our freezer full of duck and geese. Would love any wild game recipes anyone has for duck, geese, deer, trout, pheasant, dove or quail - I never know what to do with all this meat! I need some new really good recipes! Anyway, that 's a little about me and my fam! Look forward to sharing more!