The Challenge

What "makes us proud"

A fellow blogger challenged her friends and readers to write about things and people they are proud of. I happily took this challenge and I challenge all my friends and bloggers to do the same. :)

I feel a great sense of pride when I think about my husband. He has faced incredible odds, bad luck and poor choices in his life. He has been through very painful and life-changing surgeries on his leg and his hip that have left him unable to do many of the physical activities that he loves. He has battled alcohol abuse and bravely faced the consequences associated with this abuse.

Even with some of these challenges, and the challenges in our relationship, Jared has grown and blossomed into a wonderful man. I am proud of him for turning his life around and for believing in himself and in us, even when it took every ounce of life he had. I am proud of Jared for completing school and for his willingness to learn new things. I am proud of Jared for being a hard worker and becoming a manager at his job. I am proud of Jared for being brave enough to move his new wife to Indiana and start a new life. And, finally, I proud to be his wife and be with him for the rest of my life.

I am proud of my mom, dad and my sister. I have said it time and time again, but I had the best childhood.

My dad worked hard to provide for his family and he always knew how to have fun with us and make us laugh. I am proud of him for giving me wonderful childhood memories. I am proud of him for working so incredibly hard to become successful and provide for us. I am proud of him for having the courage to move his young family to Kansas and then to move my mom back to Oklahoma a few years ago. I am proud of him because there is no one quite like him and that is just the way I like it.

I am so proud of my mother for fighting her leukemia! When my mom was diagnosed with cancer 2002, it was scariest time for our entire family. The questions, the unknown, the fear was almost too much for all of us. It took every ounce of my body to fight back tears and stand brave for my mom. All my sister and I wanted to do was curl up in a ball, fall asleep and hope when we woke up it would all have been a horrible dream. But, we quickly learned that it takes bravery, love and laughter to get through these hard times. And it has been working so far. Mom has been in a form of remission for over 5 years now. We are elated with the amazing results of her medicine, even though the side effects are an everyday fight for her. Mom, I love you and I am so proud of you for being so brave and for fighting this horrible villain with everything you have. Just remember, when you feel like you are having a bad day and can't fight as hard, just know we are all fighting for you, even if we are far away from you.

I am proud of my sister Alicia. Even though our relationship is not as close as it used to be, I am still proud of her and love her like crazy. I am proud of her for finishing a college degree program that I can only dream about. I am proud of her for being strong and independent through some tough times in her life. I am proud of her ability to make people laugh and her caring attitude and commitment to others.

And, finally, I am proud of my friend Shawna. Her family has faced many challenges in the last few years and Shawna has always stayed strong, kept her wits about her and kept making people smile. She always puts others in front of herself and will do anything and everything to help her family and friends. I am so lucky to have met her during those terrible days at The Morning Sun (we hated that job). We've had a lot of great times together, I miss her like crazy, and I am proud of everything she has accomplished. She has beaten the odds and succeeded in life.


There are so many people I am proud of, so if you weren't listed in this blog I apologize. But please know that I am proud of each and every person in my life for one thing or another.