Happy Birthday, Teresa......A Little Late

On June 26th, while I was in Louisville and my computer was at home, our family celebrated 3 birthdays.  I thought to have Harry send me pictures to do their birthday posts but our power was out and stayed out for several days.  Finally I resolved to catch up after my return and that's what I'm doing now.  Grandson Jeremy's post was yesterday and here's our sweet daughter-in-law, Teresa's.

 I talked with her earlier today and conducted this phone interview.

First of all I'm sorry that this post is over a week late, but I believe in my heart of hearts that you understand.  I understand completely!

I was lucky enough to get to talk with you on your special day while you were out with the girls doing a little shopping and lunching.  Did you buy yourself anything special?  Ummm.  Just maybe some new clothes and my most favorite thing was a cute little jean jacket and I've worn it a ton since I bought it.

And how did you spend your evening?  The kids and I went to Red Robin and Grant made them sing to me which was naughty.  Then when I got home the kids had bought me a cake and Grant practiced with Tessa earlier in the day writing Happy Birthday Mommy on it.  Then Tessa gave me her drawings and a pretty bracelet that she'd made, Grant shaved for me, and Evan was especially attentive to me all day.
Were you able to talk Dan?  I was.  We talked on the phone through Skype when I took the kids to dinner.  And, he sent me the most beautiful flowers with the sweetest card.

I imagine this birthday was a little challenging since Dan is deployed right now but it wasn't the first time he was deployed on your birthday was it?  Yeah it's always kind of bittersweet.  I'm thankful for everything and happy to have good friends and the kids to kind of take my mind off it.  But I do miss him the most on special days like birthdays and anniversaries when he's always so attentive and sweet.  It was hard not having him here but it's  happened so many times.  It seems like every deployment and NTC rotation happens in the middle of everybody's birthdays.

How do you manage when he's so far away and everything is on your plate?  Oh gosh.  Literally it's just one day at a time.  The kids and I have been through it so much that they seem to almost sense when I'm feeling overwhelmed and they step up.  And whenever I start to feel that it's really hard, I stop and think about what he's going through at that moment and I know it's a lot harder for him.

I love following you on Facebook and seeing your pictures and updates on the kids and it seems like things are going well with them right now, but how does it feel to have Grant potentially following in his Dad's military bootsteps?  It's completely different and really scary. Just knowing what I know about what Dan has been through, it's hard to imagine Grant in the same situations; but he loves the ROTC challenges and exercises so much that, like Dan, I think he's kind of made for the Army.

And Evan looks good in a Fireman's uniform.  Do you see something like that in his future?  Evan is loving the firehouse experience and I couldn't ask for anything more out of his volunteer work.  He's excited and it seems like something he might pursue and enjoy as a career.  I'm super proud of him and so excited for him but seeing him up on that ladder the other day almost gave me a heart attack.

So, what is it with your guys and their dangerous leanings?  I'm not sure.  It's so tough as a mama to not try to put them in a bubble and protect them and they really are testing my prayers and my faith.  Ultimately though, as long they're happy and love what they do, I have to support them.

How do you feel about Dan being career Army?  I think an Army career is really kind of a family career and, outside of the deployments, I love it.  We like the post environment, and experiencing different places, and I love that I still get to dress up in a ball gown every year.  And although it's a different life, we enjoy it.  Of course one thing that makes Army life extra good right now is he has a battalion with so many great soldiers and wonderful families. 

You said once that Dan makes you laugh every day.  Is that still true after all these years?   Oh yes.  Even from 7500 miles away, he still makes me laugh.

And how soon do you think you'll be getting a little sister for Tessa?  Oh my goodness.  You should probably ask Dan that question.  If it were up to Tessa it would be right now.  But if it were up to Mom and Dad, she's pretty much it.

I know you're doing a lot of running and training.  How is that going?  It's going well.  Running is my release for stress and it really does help me get through Dan being gone and any stress from work or anything.   And to stay motivated and get myself out there in the morning, I do sign up for races.   The next one is going to be the Denver half Marathon in October.

What else can you tell us about yourself that most people wouldn't know?  I don't know.  Does everybody know I have braces now.

What else?  I trained to be a lifeguard my Senior year of high school and spent the summer as a lifeguard at the local pool.  I did it in place of an accounting class.
Also, I love to read and when I get a good book, I can't put it down.  I'll whip through a 500 page book in two days if it's good. 
Anything else?  I know there's more.  Well, I try to get the kids interested in running and each of them has actually run a race with me.  

 

Weren't you a high school cheerleader?  Not only was I a high school cheerleader, but I started cheering with the high school squad when I was 5.  My aunt was the cheerleader coach.

Of course there's so much more I could tell you about Teresa.  She's a devoted and loving wife and mother.   She's fun, sweet as can be, smart, loving, and all anybody could ask for in a daughter-in-law.   She's a sister to her siblings-in-law and a daughter to us.  We're so proud of her and wishing her a wonderful year (and no more deployments).