Blogging... and background on ME!

So, this is my first time blogging. I love to write, so it's a thousand wonders that I haven't had one before now. This blog will be dedicated to my life as a Mommy to Austin Tyler, Alana (Lani) Marie, and Elijah (Eli) Thomas Warren. I cherish my children and my family. I have learned in the past two years to cherish my loved ones, because you think about them more after they die than you ever considered while they were living. So... let me get started...

Who am I? Wow, that's a deep question, and hopefully I can provide the "Cliff Notes" version of the story. I was born to a wonderful mother, Debbie, and father, Terry. I was the only child (naturally spoiled) for nearly 7 years before my little sister, Megan, was born. My world, naturally, crashed into oblivion. It is significantly difficult to go from being the only child for so long and being the center of attention to playing second fiddle to a newborn. I was as mean to her as I could possibly get away with (terrible to say, I know!). Luckily in our adult lives, we have learned to lean on each other. I do not know what I would do without my sister. She is my rock, and when all else fails, she is one of two people that keeps me grounded. The other is my mother.

I tried many things as I was sneaking into adolescence. I was a Brownie (Girl Scout). Man was that fun! We had meetings at our local rec center, and I dearly loved it. Unfortunately, there was not much interest in the county in my district, and that eventually fell by the wayside. I tried tap and jazz. Trust me, this was a sight to be seen! I loved dressing up. I loved the tap shows that clickety-clacked as I walked along, but I learned that I was a bull in a china shop. Literally. I stunk at dance. I tried gymnastics, and was an instant star. I could make my body move by doing cartwheels, roundoffs, back handsprings, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. I loved gymnastics. So, I guess by that sense, Gymnastics was my first love. At age 8, I got involved in softball, and this is where I found myself.

I dearly loved softball, and I was good at it. I could hurl the ball so hard it scared the other girls! And it just seemed like something innate to me. I was born to play softball. I played softball in Little League, Senior League, and high school. I also played with any team that would pick me up after age 16. Church ball, fall ball, travel ball, etc. my life revolved around softball. Softball taught me a lot about life. Initially, I played slow pitch. Slow pitch softball taught me patience. You had to wait on the ball (for what seemed an eternity). Softball taught me discipline. While I was good, I constantly devoted my time and effort toward practice so I could get better. I guess in a sense, softball taught me tenacity. Softball also taught me that even though I was a born leader, some sports do not need a leader, they need everyone to band together as a team of support. Softball taught me a lot about teamwork, good sportsmanship, and that things don't always work out the way you expect them. My Junior year, the schools went to fast pitch softball, and man oh man did that open new doors! It was awesome. I had to learn to slow down and concentrate a lot more because of base stealing, bunting, and not to mention the ball coming at you rapidly! I was actually scouted my Junior and Senior year by colleges. My big break came in April of my Senior year. I was scouted by a coach from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. WOW! I was flattered, and terribly excited. Up until this point, I was just planning on getting my education at the local community college and then making a decision from there. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was always intrigued by pediatricians, so I decided on a Biology/Pre-Med major. (YIKES) College ball was great, but man, so many doors were opened for me that were never opened before.... TO BE CONTINUED...