My Number 1 Sponsor!

I realized the other day that I didn't have one picture on my blog of Adam! You know, the guy that I've been with since I was 15 years old, going on 14 years now! The guy that has stuck with me through fat Kellye, workout Kellye, disordered eating Kellye, College Kellye, Teacher Kellye, Mom Kellye, Neurotic Kellye, Triathlete Kellye, etc., etc...!

When you are in high school and you start thinking about the guy you'll end up marrying someday, you think about all of the qualities you want him to possess. You look for nice, but not annoying, wanting to really be with you, but not needy, smart, successful, funny, likes your family :), a guy that will make a good husband, father, friend, and partner for a REALLY long time.

Well 14 years ago when my friend Lori begged me to find a date for Saturday night so that I could go with her on a date she really didn't want to go on, and I asked Adam, I wasn't thinking about any of those things! He was the first boy that I had ever asked out before, and he actually couldn't go with me that night. I ended up going with his best friend, Mike, and it was fun. Completely friendly. However, Adam ended up asking me out for the following weekend, and as they say... The rest is history!

I had intended on going to UGA after high school, but didn't want to lose the person that had ultimately turned into my best friend, so I decided to follow him to Auburn instead. Neither of us were 100% at that time that we'd ultimately end up together, but we pretty much figured. After my freshman year in college, he asked me to marry him and we spent the next 2 1/2 years engaged, and then ultimately got married right before we graduated on September 4, 1999!

We've had our moments that is for sure! Mostly after the kids came. I know that may sound bad, and yes, having children with someone does bring you closer together. However, a 2 and a 3 year old or a 3 and a 4 year old can be quite stressful at times, and it's hard NOT to snap at the person you're around all of the time!

Ultimately though, he's the greatest! I've had my moments where it seems odd to marry your "high school sweetheart"... cliche almost. But, I guess I got lucky. Because I didn't have to go through all of the dating drama that my other friends did through college and beyond.

Yesterday, as he was leaving for work, we were talking about my current life goals and what not. On Friday, after going in for some training at a local gym for Personal Training, I had a HUGE realization that that was NOT the right path. Have you ever pursued something that once you finally got there you couldn't help feeling that it was a mistake? Well, that is what happened to me on Friday. After $400 and the past 3 weeks of studying for my Personal Trainer certification, I realized that the traditional gym approach was just not right for me. After talking it out quite a bit over the weekend, and adding to that that Adam is going to be taking a new position at Autotrader.com within the next few weeks that will again revamp our schedule, "we" decided that that is not the direction that I need to go right now. And by "we", I mean me :)

That's the thing about Adam though. He completely understands me and lets me go through all of these phases. I am still going to finish my Personal Training certification because I do believe it will ultimately be valuable, and I've come this far with it, I'm not a quitter. However, rather than going with the instantaneously profitable approach at the gym, I want to pursue my own Personal Training direction focusing more on the entire lifestyle and wellness of individuals rather than just strength training. And I want to do it at my own pace.

See I realized this Friday that for quite sometime now and just about all of 2007, I'd been seeking this career goal. I think maybe it came from being home with babies for a couple of years without much "Kellye time" outside of that. Maybe I turned to the whole career thing as a way of developing my own identity. However, my number one priority is and has always been my children. I grew up with a mom that was capable of being the one that took me to practices and could pick me up from school, and I want to be there for my children in those ways as well.

And the great thing is in this identity search... I've found it. Through triathlon! It's my thing! It's my time when I train and race, and I love it! No, it doesn't help pay the bills, but that's what makes Adam so wonderful, because he understands that, and does everything for me. I am very passionate about my weight loss experience and my athletic experiences since, and would LOVE to share that with others. That's why this year, I'm going to do my Personal Trainer thing, MY way, and if anything comes of it... GREAT! , and if not, well that's ok too. Because it doesn't have to be who I am, it's just something I do.

So, through all of these up and down decisions and craziness, Adam not only still hangs around, he supports me emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially, and does so because he WANTS to. I do whatever I can to be there for him in the same ways. But I don't think anything can compare to how he supports me.

That is why Adam is my Number 1 Fan, Sponsor, and Friend... forever!!

Until Next Time...

K :)