I got you fam...

My stepdaughter will appreciate this title ... apparently that's what kids say nowadays. Week 3's post is about family, and boy do we have a lot! I am one of two children. My parents Steve and Valerie are High School Sweethearts (longer than that actually but Kindergarten Sweethearts sounds strange.) 10 years before I was born in 1986, they had my brother Matthew. He is the most amazing brother in the world. Actually he is the most amazing person. Not a single person on the planet has a bad thing to say about him. He gets that from our mom. She is a freaking angel. Everyone loves her. My dad and I ... well we are straight shooters. We say what we think and work hard to do our jobs the best way we can. Sometimes people don't like that, but I couldn't be prouder to be his daughter. He is an amazing man who has overcome so much in his life. My parents are both from wonderful families. My dad's parents were these tiny little nuggets of love. His parents, Arnold and Helen, were very hardworking, sweet little people. He has two sisters, Barbara and Hope. My mom's parents are Alice and Batson and they couldn't be any more cute if they tried. They have been together for 60 something years. He knew from the moment he saw her that he loved her. They got married while she was still in high school and had my mom shortly there after. My aunt was born 22 years after that. (Talk about an age gap!) I have wonderful cousins on both sides of my family and so I consider myself a lucky girl.

My husband's family is HUGE! He is one of 8 kids. 4 boys, 4 girls and all their names start with R. Robyn, Robby, Rebekah, Ryane, Rahn, Rachel, Ross and Rustyn. It makes for a fun conversation because someone calls the wrong name 3 out of 4 times. I have 14 nieces and nephews and one great nephew. There are in laws to boot and we joke sometimes that if you put water on a Kelley it will split into two. I am currently working on my Husband's family tree through ancestry.com and it will not surprise you to learn that their ancestors had huge families as well. Seriously this family is huge. My mother in law and father in law are very sweet people. I was very blessed to have married into such a great family. One day I hope to add more Kelley babies to the world. But I need a bigger house first!!

Robert Harold Kelley

He is a goofball. He is a hot head. He is a good ol' boy from Avery's Creek. He is Lorelei's Daddy. He is hard working. He is incredibly handsome. He is stubborn. He is a momma's boy. He is a big brother (to 6 other kids, a little brother to 1). He is honest. He is Evangeline's Daddy. He is patient. He is broken. He is tattooed. He is a beer lover. He is a best friend. He is an uncle. He is a pain in the ass. He is a sinner. He is a wild child. He is a pyromaniac. He is compassionate. He is a leader. He is a blessing. He is my husband and I couldn't love him anymore if I tried.

I met him when I was 19 years old. He was 28, divorced with a kid. Every parent's dream right? He drove a motorcycle and a purple Nissan pickup truck. I met him at his best friend's house during my fall break from school. I knew from the minute I saw him that he was special. We spent the entire night talking and have been together every day since. Never split up once, and haven't gone more than a week without seeing each other. Never gone more than 12 hours without communicating. He is the other half of me.

It wasn't an earth shattering, mind blowing, knock you on your feet type of feeling. It was quiet. It was just like I was whole for the first time in my life. (Though before that I could have sworn I was whole. I didn't know what I was missing.) I could not imagine my life without him. At our wedding, our officiant read this and it couldn't be more accurate.



I would choose Robby in any version of reality that there is. I would (and may have) find him in any lifetime and any time period. He is my person. My best friend. My lover. My husband. I love you Kumar.

Week One - Why on EARTH should I start this challenge?

Great question. Why on earth would I want to add another thing to my already full plate? Home, School, Internship, Work, Family, Friends ... and now 2016 Gratitude Challenge. But I guess it's not too much, and it will be really great to look back on.

I want to remember this year, better than the other years that have seemed to fly by. This year will be a pretty big year for our family. I am turning 30 in January, Lorelei will turn 13 in April, Evan starts Kindergarten in August, Robby will turn 40 in December and sometime this year we will have our brand new home. We are getting ready to move from our first home into an apartment while we build our new home. Building will be a big adventure, and hopefully it will go smoothly with no drama!

I think turning 30 is what sparked this desire in me to focus on life more. To grow up more. Yes I know, 30 is technically grown but there are so many things I'm still an 18 year old about. I need to manage money better, I need to take care of myself better, I need to be a better wife and mother. I need to be a better student and teacher. I just need to be better, do better, live better.

So that's why I'm hoping to accomplish with this gratitude challenge. Each week I will write a bit about something I am grateful for. If you are so inclined, comment and share your thoughts. If you wanna take this challenge with me, check out the image on the right side of the page. You can do the gratitude challenge from Facebook, in a blog or even writing it for yourself in a journal.

Happy First Week of 2016!!!