An Introduction

Meet my wife.

You are already well acquainted with her since she does the bulk of the blogging on here, but take time to meet her again.

Stacy is the one in the middle of "things," right next to the guy who looks pretty happy

Anyone who knows us, whether through this blog or some other way, knows that our life can be a bit hectic. It's a good hectic, but sometimes it's crazy. We've always got something going, whether it be baseball games or practices, violin lessons or recitals, tae kwon do classes or tests, visits to or from friends, or amusement park excursions with our homeschool group. I do a lot of driving around, but that is the easy part compared to what Stacy does every single day.

We've been incredibly busy lately with lots of great things--baseball, violin, vacations, etc.--and it's at these times that I look at all Stacy does for our family and I start to marvel.

Her email box is littered messages from people wanting to join the homeschool group, lists of local activities, people willing to do drama classes for our kids, friends wanting to stay in touch with us or come for a visit, "virtual" friends that want to finally meet us in person, and so much more. I've actually heard people ask her, "What keeps you so busy?" It's all of this--the behind-the-scenes ways that she makes our family's life better.

It takes time to develop close relationships with our children, where they feel heard and respected, as well as loved and protected. It takes time to find ways to encourage our children's talents and abilities. It takes time to make sure that our children have the friends and social network they need to thrive and learn good interpersonal skills. It takes time to nurture relationships with friends so that we all have a rich and full life together.

A fantastic mother with two great kids

It takes time to plan the best birthday celebrations ever, to call and email and coordinate so that all the kids Thing 1 and Thing 2 want at their parties can be there. It takes time to plan awesome surprises that she thinks I will like, like weekends learning to cook with a professional chef, like a day at the spa for my birthday, like cramming over 30 people into the living room of a 400-square-foot apartment for a surprise party, like coming up with a creative way to celebrate my finishing the first set of board exams in medical school. The list goes on and on.

Stacy, with her life's work

It takes time to be the point person for a very large homeschool group, ensuring that not only every person who wants to know more about the group gets all of his or her questions answered, but also making sure every person feels welcome and important. It takes time to make sure that this homeschool group runs in a way that people will want to keep coming back, making our numbers and shared experiences grow exponentially.

It takes time, not to mention courage, to forge new trails and make sure those trails still feed our family in every way. It takes time to talk with me for hours about our family and shared goals, guaranteeing that EVERY step of the way we are on the same page and in sync. It takes time to drop everything to talk to a friend who needs a listening ear. It takes time to catch up on everything that fell by the wayside when some one needed Stacy.

It takes time to live your life everyday trying to be the best you can be for everyone with whom you interact. Anyone who has ever had the privilege to know Stacy knows that you always get her best. Always. She will toss her needs to the side, for better or for worse, to give her best to others. And she will do it without any expectation of reciprocation. She gives because she loves people, plain and simple.

Meet Stacy. Meet the most incredible mother I know. Meet the most supportive wife I've ever seen. Meet the love of my life.

She makes my life complete

Meet Stacy, and if you already know her, take time to "meet" her again. Her friendship is worth the time.