As I sit here this Mother’s Day, I find myself reminiscing about how I got to this point…besides the obvious! 😉 I’ve wanted to be a Mom for as long as I can remember, as I’m sure many other women have dreamed. Growing up I think my plan was to go to college and be married by 23, with a baby by 25. Well, as life happened, my idealistic “goals,” didn’t play out that way! After college, I set out to pursue my career in broadcast journalism, and “on the side” indulged in my passion for dance, auditioning and becoming a member of 3 Pro Sports dance teams in my early 20’s. When I “got that out of my system,” I appeared on a reality show (in reality TV’s early days), and eventually moved to Phoenix, Arizona…when I felt it was time for me to grow up! Sure, I had boyfriend’s along the way – nothing ever very serious, lots of fun times with my girlfriend’s and great life experiences of travel and adventure…but in my heart I kept thinking the road (and timeline) to becoming a Mom couldn’t be far off.
In 2006, with my 30th birthday quickly coming around, I decided it was time for a BIG change and a move out of Arizona was what I needed…and so I took a leap of faith and made my way to Miami, Florida. You know, the perfect place to settle down and find that special someone! KIDDING!! LOL! Miami proved to be a great re-energizer for me to meet new people and give me new perspective on my career. In my mind I always maintained that while I can’t control meeting the right “one” to have my family with, I was always in control of what I did to make a living. In South Florida, I shifted gears into reporting entertainment and lifestyle stories for Deco Drive, spending several exciting years covering red carpet events, traveling, attending VIP parties, meeting famous celebrities and all kinds of “socialites.” Then, my clock started ticking…LOUDLY…now in my mid-30’s and feeling SUPER single.
I’ll admit, I’m the kind of person to put a lot of pressure on myself and I have a hard time adjusting when things don’t go according to “plan.” So, I was starting to feel like maybe Motherhood just wasn’t in the cards for me. Now I know these days many women delay having children, and it’s definitely not uncommon for a woman to deliver her first child after the age of 35…but with no real “man” prospect in sight, I decided to make another move, back home to the Bay Area. Miami had been great to me, but the fast-paced, rock star lifestyle and land of big booties and single scene just wasn’t gonna work for what I wanted.
One thing I clearly recall about really wanting to find a life partner and get on the right road to becoming a Mom, was to start living the life I wanted. I cut down on late nights/early mornings out on the town, I put more focus on my faith and ultimately distanced myself from the things/people, who weren’t in line with my values. Well, as life would have it, my move home to the Bay Area wasn’t where I found “it” either, and not long after I made the cross-country move back to California, love finally found me…and HE was back in Miami!
You could say it was a whirlwind romance, we’d actually met many years before getting together, sharing mutual friends, and remaining acquaintances over the years…but never had really talked or dated. However, when we did end up finally having an opportunity to learn more about each other, years after our initial meeting, the stars aligned and BOOM it just “happened.” One thing led to another, we both wanted a family and well, we didn’t waste any time!
Now, I have a generous and supportive life partner, and have fulfilled my dream of becoming a Mommy, to not one, but TWO beautiful baby boys…in just a short 53 weeks! Clearly, we were meant to pro-create…TOGETHER! haha! I could never have planned this out or imagined how my cards would play out – first becoming a Mom just a few months shy of turning 36 , but I wouldn’t change it for the world. There’s still lots of life to live and the daily challenge to raise these boys to the best of our ability is constant. I have truly been blessed and I sincerely believe becoming a Mother is among my greatest accomplishments. Looking back, sometimes my faith did waver and I would question why it wasn’t happening to me, but it’s true when they say everything happens for a reason and it will happen on God’s time! I am the lucky one, I am BLESSED TO BE A MOMMY.