Dear Brides & Blog Reading Babes,

It’s been quite a while since I’ve given you a personal update on things; football, career, French bulldogs, ya know – my livelihood. Last time I left off, we were still settling into KC and exploring our new city. We are just as in love with this place as we were the first time we visited. It’s so weird – I have familiarized myself with the locations we were in when our entire lives were on pause, waiting for the big decision, for the final cuts of the Chiefs 53 man roster. I pass this little dingy extended stay hotel on my way to the hair salon – the one where G spent last summer with multiple roommates, guys who were picked up and cut within days. When we’re down at the plaza, I linger by the fountain where we took our first “KC” picture and I try to admire the parking garage (of all things) because it’s covered in this lattice cement that makes it look beautiful. I remember seeing that for the first time and thinking “I want to live here, in a place where they even put effort into the parking garages.”

Our first picture in Chiefs Kingdom

Our most recent picture in Chiefs Kingdom/Royals Stadium

And here we are, almost a year since! I’ve continued to write for HERLIFE Magazine, and in addition to wedding trends, travel, pets and safety, I’ve taken over the Cravings food section! I also started working for Mariner, a financial advising firm, in March. I manage the social media accounts of our advisors and corporate channels; it’s corporate AF, it’s challenging and I enjoy the stability/distraction, something that’s been hard to come by in the last couple of years. We are 307 days out from the big day! In addition to a two year long engagement (and ya know, the whole wedding blog/obsession) we have finalized more than half of the vendors and ideas for #DietersSayIDo. Planning is progressing (not without its fair share of bridezilla-esque mini panic attacks, of course!) Oh – and we added yet another French bulldog to our family, can you believe it!? This is Maggie Mae, our six-year-old adopted gal, who fits right in.

Everything we said we’d do, we’ve done it. The dream jobs, adventuring through KC; the Farmer’s Market, the shopping, the incredible restaurants, the sporting events, the late nights downtown – we’ve enjoyed every single second of this city, this community, this team. But that brings me to the inevitable:

A Summer of Stress: Round 2

Ah, yes. We are in the same boat as last year, the same position (albeit G’s tireless work ethic and commitment to train in the offseason, in addition to his rapport/chemistry with the new starting QB.) But a new number! (#4 to #12) It’s so easy to forget that our fate is unknown, yet again – because we’re HERE right now. It would break my heart to leave but the end goal is for him to achieve his dreams of playing on Sundays in the NFL. We’re living the life we prayed for, but this time is even scarier because it can be taken away. G’s future-reserves contract will keep him through camp so no other teams can sign him. He’ll still have to compete up until the final day of August to make the 53 man roster and we’re hopeful as ever. I’ve been with the dude for 5 & a half years – I can tell you wholeheartedly I’ve never seen him so happy. He loves his team, the coaches, the personnel, the stadium, the KC Blend Coffee. There’s no greater goal than being able to play in Arrowhead on Sundays. Two weeks separate us from him attending camp at St. Joe’s and the anxiety-inducing process starting all over again. I couldn’t be more confident in him or his undying loyalty to this team, but to put it bluntly, the NFL doesn’t care about that. It’s unpredictable – cuts occur with no rhyme or reason (at least, ethical rhyme or reason) but they happen; we’ve been through the ringer and we’re ready to do it again. God didn’t bring us this far to only bring us this far – but whatever His plans are, we’re ready. Please keep G’s health and fate in your prayers as we gear up for round 2: the no longer a rookie-season. I’ll keep you updated throughout the preseason, my only advice:

Buckle up, y’all. Here we go again.