So let me start out by saying that this blog is much more likely to have grammatical errors because it’s a surprise for my editor, Taylor. We have been together for 10 years today! It’s wild to say that we have been together for a decade. I remember the day I reached out to her for the first time clear as day. I was bored at the computer waiting to go to baseball practice, shocker right? I was on Myspace, yes Myspace, and I saw this girl who was going to attend Bishop McLaughlin. This was my high school and I decided to send her a chat, something similar to a DM for today’s kids. I was horrible at talking to girls and my only hope was to start connection through the computer. To my luck, she decides to respond and we start talking for the rest of the summer. Little did we know what we had just started. One of my jokes that I told Taylor over the summer was that I was going to throw her in the trash can when I saw her. Who says that to a girl they’re trying to flirt with? I guess I do. When I saw her during the first week of school, I kept my promise and threw in the trash can. You are probably thinking I’m kidding, but no I actually did. It was no wonder that this go around wasn’t when our relationship started. Over the next two years we kept talking, disagreeing, and going about our high school lives.  

It wasn’t until 9-25-10 that we finally made things official for the long haul. I was a senior in high school and she was a junior. We made the decision that we were going to make long distance work when I went off to college. I was going to UNCG for the entire year while she was in her senior year in Florida still. There were some bumps and bruises for that year, but we made it work. She ultimately decided to attend UNCG and made the cheer team. If you have read my other blogs, this is right around when things in my life got complicated. When I got cut from UNCG, I made the decision to stay close and go to GTCC. Staying close to Taylor helped me get through that semester. Taylor was my rock because my friends at UNCG were busy and I didn’t click with the guys at GTCC. When Catawba came around with an offer, it was a no brainer because of how amazing the program is and how close it was to her. I often talk about how going to Catawba was one of the best decisions of my life. This is true because of being close to the real best decision of my life, Taylor. She would bust her butt all week in school and cheerleading, then come see me play baseball on the weekend in Salisbury. We had some of the best times of our lives going back and forth to each other’s schools. 

After my senior season, I decided to move in with Taylor in Greensboro. We were living in her 4 bedroom apartment with 7 people. My thought process was that if I can get through this with her then I should be able to get through anything. It was just like any other point in our relationship, fun, crazy, tough and filled with passion. As I’m preparing to go off and play independent professional baseball, I decide that it’s time to propose to her. I set up a party and the engagement goes perfectly. We are on cloud 9 as a couple and then I have to leave her again. Long distance was a huge part of our relationship for a good amount of time. It sucked. It’s not fun, but if you know that person is the one you do anything you can to make it work and we did. That summer was one of the toughest times in our relationships because we were so fed up with being apart from each other. 

I finally get home and I think that it’s going to be smooth sailing from here moving into our first apartment together, I was wrong. We are both super passionate about what we do in our careers and our identities were taken away from us at the same time. We went through the struggle together and one huge moment sticks out for me. I told her that she needed to decide what my career path was going to be. I told her that I was either going to go the strength & conditioning route or be a baseball coach. I told her that the S&C route was much safer and I would bring in steady money while being around more often. I then told her that the baseball coach route would be tougher but I would be around baseball. She chose baseball coach because she wanted me to be happy, and she knew this was a better journey for me. It was the most selfless decision she could make and I can’t thank her enough till this day for making me stick it out. She saw the passion before I did. 

We then move back to Florida and she starts kicking ass. She gets a job at a large company and climbs her way up the ladder. It was her time to show how much she could offer to the world and she hit it out of the park. Ever since then, she’s been working tirelessly to make our lives the best it can be. She is now head of marketing for a few large brands on top of so many other things. Also this past Tuesday, she just launched her own business, House of Baesics! It was a successful launch and I can’t wait to see what is in store for her company.  I have never seen someone manifest their destiny the way Taylor has and I could not be more proud of her if I tried. 

Being together for 10 years is not something you see too much these days. We have a ton of commonalities that help our relationship. We were both raised by our grandparents. This is a very unique situation and I think it has helped us understand difficulties that we each have. We also have a good amount that we are polar opposites in. Taylor is the most kind and friendly person I know. She is always going out of her way to help people have a better day. I can’t say the same for myself. Seeing this behavior everyday has challenged me to be a better person and this is what makes our relationship so special. There are aspects in life that she is better than me at. I get challenged daily by her to be a better person and there isn’t a better quality to have in your life partner. We go through some serious lows and some serious highs in our relationship but it’s all out of love. We want the best for each other and as a coach I know that growth does not come easy. I see myself as a quality coach and I know that this couldn’t have been possible without her help everyday. She was there for me when I got cut from UNCG. She was there for me when my Mom passed away and she has been there for me anytime that I needed it with no questions asked. Any label that she has had (girlfriend, fiancé wife, best friend, and more) does not do justice for what she means to me. These first 10 years have been an unbelievable ride and I can’t wait to see what we have in store for the decades to come. I love you Bubba!