how do you make it work?

i've been thinking alot about what direction i want to take this blog.  clearly, it needs to be humorous because THATS who i am!  and i want to be inspirational as well.  and really, the stuff that happens in our lives is so funny sometimes, i just want to share it with people! 

today, i thought i'd continue with the "from the beginning" and "how we make it work".  clearly, when you have 6 kids, there's A LOT to deal with! 
maybe i'll start with how mike and i met... plain and simple- on the internet.  now at first i was ... embarrassed to admit that, but what's better, "i met him at a bar"?  i was a busy single mom... where was i going to met single men?  so i tried an on-line dating site.  after what seemed like endless jerks, weirdos, and "not for me" guys, i was DONE!!  i really didn't want to date anymore!  i was content being single and raising my kids.  but.... i had been talking to this guy named mike... i wasn't sure about him... he didn't seem to fit my "criteria", but i had agreed to meet for a drink and i decided to follow through.  i was sure he'd be a loser and then i was REALLY done dating...  

little did i know, God had other plans for me :) 

before mike and i could even meet for dinner, he did some facebook stalking, put two and two together and realized i was the ex-wife of his childhood friend.  SMALL WORLD.  that actually worked out to mike's advantage tho... i remember stories from my ex-husband about his friend "mike" and they were great!  so... we go to dinner... mike was a shy and quiet, yet straight forward kind of guy.  i liked that.  he laid it on the line for me:  he was unemployed, had no car, he and his daughter lexi lived with his parents, and his oldest daughter jordan lived in chicago with her mom.  ok... that was alot to digest:  unemployed, no home, no car, 2 baby mamas.  clearly what i'm looking for.  but there was something about him.  i can't even describe it... it was an honesty... a sincerity... and i could just feel his tender spirit... that was it... i was hooked...  our first date was on a monday... by friday, i knew i would spend the rest of my life with this man.

ok, i know you're wondering how i could make such a crazy decision.  well, my situation didn't look much better on paper!  i had divorced my SECOND husband six months earlier... i lost my house in the divorce so i was renting a house from my parents... my yukon had been repossessed so i was driving a 1999 taurus that my aunts/uncle & mom were nice enough to give me when my grandpa went to heaven.  i DID have a good job (bonus!!)...  so both of us were clearly coming into this with "baggage"

i feel like taking you through the entire two and a half years of our relationship would be tedious... so i'll skip to the chase... mike and i make a GREAT team!  in the 2+ years we've been together:  we stayed in my house and have been redecorating it and making it our own... we've upgraded cars twice- and mike's is completely paid off... mike got an awesome job ~ project manager of major accounts at a plastics company ~ exactly what he loves ... i'm still at my job and got a 20% raise!  We have been blessed beyond belief! 

why am i sharing all this "dirt"... well, i really want people to feel inspired!  when you look at our life, it's very ideal!  we love each other... we have good jobs... we have a beautiful home... we have outstanding children...  but WE HAVE BEEN TO THE BOTTOM!!  we know what it's like to lose everything... and we know what it's like to make difficult but good decisions to crawl back out on top.  i'm sincerely hoping someone reading this will be inspired.  be inspired to make changes... trust in God... work hard...

i wanted to talk about how we "blended" our families and make it work, but clearly i didnt get to that... so i guess that will be for another time!