7 Years

7 Years. We’ve been married 7 years. Is that long or short?

Well after 7 years together, Jason and I have both come to the realization we are a little crazy, a little eccentric, and blessed. We made two amazing kids.

Not everyone knows this…it literally hurts my brain to think…at five years old I probably sat next to five year old Jason and may have even held his hand in the lunch line. We were in the same St. Peter’s preschool twenty six years ago. He remembers my red sequin dance outfit I wore during the seventh grade talent show. He brought me roses after my high school musicals. We went to homecoming together in the same group. Honestly, I didn’t give him much thought because he was so quiet. We never talked.

Well actually I remember the first time he spoke to me. My junior year and his senior year of high school we were at your typical small town bonfire party in the woods. He sat down next to me on the back of a pickup truck and asked if I wanted a (umm totally non alcoholic) grape soda. That was the extent of our interaction in HS.

After that he came to see me perform in college, always with a rose. Once again the first time, my junior year, I blew him off quite accidentally. I was just too oblivious to think he might be into me. Even though he hardly said a word I thought it odd that out of the blue he’d come to see me perform. The only conversation we ever had was over a grape bubbly! The second time he came to see me perform finally the bells went off in my head. He brought his older sister, Jenny, who I knew better than him throughout HS. After the show, he smiled and gave me a rose. I noticed him blushing. I gave him MY number and was giddy the whole bus ride home.

When he didn’t call within a day… THE NERVE!...I (with the help of my equally crazy Mother) tracked him down. We started calling all the Kehls in the phonebook. No joke. I even called the high school to see if they had his number on record. The office called his sister out of class to give permission to give out his home phone number! I didn’t even know he had a younger sister, let alone two and a little brother! Meanwhile my Mom was happily chatting to Jason’s Great Aunt Betty that was number three on the list of Kehls in the phonebook!
Well…he called me back and the rest is history.

I’m seriously surprised my stalking didn’t scare him off…but I guess he stalked me first;-)

Jason and I have been through the wringer a few times. We’ve seen hardship together. Being almost complete opposites, as confirmed by our recent Myers-Briggs Assessment, we can really miss the ball. I want to blah blah blah about how I feel. Jason can live in a problem. He can sit in it and smoosh around in it; think about it before he talks. To me that’s just alien behavior. When I’m stressed, I need to exercise and keep busy, fix things. When he’s stressed, he tends to watch horrible mind-dumbing made for TV movies on Lifetime. The part that we are constantly learning is how to better one another; smooth out the wrinkles. He helps me to think out my emotions and be Miss Independent with drywall and riding lawnmowers. I help him skip in public and dance to Disney Princess music.

On my daily jog the other day, my heart felt full but my body felt light, like I could run for miles and miles. I realized the full feeling was happiness and the light feeling was peace.

I love my husband. I love my family. Life ain’t easy. One day at a time. Nothing is perfect…far from it. It’s been bumpy and rocky. Some days I feel like I’m scaling a mountain with only my fingernails. I think that’s what makes it have flavor. We have substance. I’m going to be cliché.

After each dark moment, we come out stronger.

I found this a few months ago. This is one of the cards attached to a rose 17 year old Jason gave to 17 year old Megan after the East Troy High School Musical “The Boyfriend”.

How ironic?

Happy Anniversary Jay. Ilu.

Celebrating My Little Girl's Life

Today I am the proud owner of a three year old… a beautiful, smart, sassafras little girl that’s taken center stage.  This little girl in her short life has already resided in two states, two houses and in two remodels.  She charms the pants off of everyone she meets and already uses phrases like “well actually”, “seriously”, and “be patient”.  It’s amazing watching this little person and her little soul grow and grow.  From holding her at 5 lbs, rocking in our Tucson bedroom staring outside at the Catalina Mountains to seeing her jump in the Wisconsin fall leaves…love.  Just all love.

I keep a diary to Cadence.  I write in it randomly to tell her about proud moments, first words, life thoughts.  It seems each birthday, I’ve picked this diary up and reread old passages and write a new one.  I decided to share the first one where it was no longer addressed to “dear baby but “dear Cadence”; written in the first weeks of her life.  Happy happy Birthday baby girl.

Feb. 22, 2010

Dear Sweet Cadence,

It’s you.  You’re here!  I love you.

3 weeks and 2 days early you were ready for this world.  Even though you are a little peanut—born at 5lbs 11oz and 18 ½ in., you are strong!!  It’s not even a week and you can lift your head up and keep it up.  Your Dad discovered that tonight as he walked around the house saying “Oh my gosh you are so cute” over and over, playing with you and cuddling you in his arms. 

Your birth was an adventure as will be the rest of your life.

My water broke at 3:30 am.  I woke your father up saying “oh my gosh! Jason! Jason! I think my water just broke!”  Just the day before, Feb. 14^th Valentine’s Day, your Daddy and I celebrated our love by celebrating you.  We bought all the rest of the things we needed for you.  Put together your room, crib, dresser, etc. and last thing I did before I went to bed was pack a bag “just in case”.  Well when my water broke, your Dad and I started getting things ready, picking up, showering.  Then we took off to Tucson Medical Center where they admitted us and put me on Pitocin to speed my contractions up.  This all happened in a matter of 2 hours.  The medicine really made my contractions strong—I wanted to give birth naturally but I just couldn’t handle it.  I got an epidural and I’m glad I did for later reasons.  Well I dialated to 9.5 cm and 100% effaced in another couple hours.  Dr. Laird came in and said I was ready to push.  To spare you the gory details…the doctor said if I wouldn’t have had the epidural, I probably would have had to deliver you Cesarean. 

When you came out, your Daddy and I were overwhelmed with happiness.  You were sooo perfect.  Are still so perfect.  A GIRL!!!  I was so wrong…Gosh the whole medical staff loved you.  Your father started sending pics of you to the whole family. 

You and your father are the best things that ever happened to me…to each other.  I am so in love with you Cadence.  You are mystical and beautiful and wonderful and one big ball of love.  I’ve never seen your father happier in all my life.  Not ever.  He is in heaven.  I’m in heaven.  We’ll both love you forever and we’ll always be here for you.

I hear you crying downstairs right now.  Your Daddy is probably trying to play with you.

I love you,

Mommy