It’s ME!

You GUYS!! Its my first blog post!!!! Can you sense my excitement over here?! Ok, one of the first things you’ll notice about me is that I like to use a lot of exclamation points, but don’t let that fool you; I really AM excited to be sharing my first post with you!

So I wanted to take the time to introduce myself to you. As you already know, my name is Terasa Gillen. I am the youngest of 14 kids (yes, you read that right) and I grew up on a little diary farm in South Dakota. Aside from dairy cows, we had pigs, chickens, cats, and dogs, and almost everything in between. To be honest, I didn’t love growing up on the farm. While I thought that my friends spent their days riding bikes and only having to return home at the sound of the 6pm town whistle, I was scooping cow poop every day. However, looking back on that time, I’m really glad my parents taught us the value of hard work. It’s something that I can really appreciate now. Don’t get me wrong, I never EVER want to have to milk another cow for as long as I live, but some days there’s a yearning for the simpleness that my life used to be.

Eventually I “grew up” and graduated from high school and went to college. I met the love of my life and very best friend, Bryce, my senior year of college. It’s funny when you hear people say, “when you know, you know!” That’s really how it was for us. There’s just not a better explanation. Bryce graduated a year before me with his bachelors in business administration and eventually I graduated with my bachelors in Healthcare Administration.

Bryce and I got married in June of 2011. That was such a fun day and maybe a story for another time! After we got married, Bryce and I started a field tile installation and excavation company called Gridline. Almost a year after we got married, we learned that we were expecting our first child. The second I saw those two pink lines I was filled with just about every emotion you can think of. Mostly, I was really excited and incredibly terrified! However, as I mentioned in About Me, I became an aunt at a very young age and I thought I had this parent thing in the bag.

Our first was born and the love I had instantly for that sweet little boy was truly overwhelming (in a good way). I wont forget, when we were in the hospital, I had him sent to the nursery so that I could get a few hours of rest before the chaos of sleepless nights began. The nurses LIED (well actually they are the best nurses in the world and they really didn’t lie) to us and said what a good baby he was! I thought, well this is going to be a breeze! I’m not kidding or exaggerating when I say the second we put that tiny little human in his carseat to leave the hospital, he did not stop screaming until he was nearly 6 months old! Despite those hard first months, he really is the sweetest little boy!

Motherhood was hard that first year. I had NO idea what I was doing and honestly, it felt so incredibly lonely. I couldn’t even explain to my husband what was wrong because I didn’t really know myself. The old me was gone and I wasn’t sure I even liked the new me yet. I had contemplated starting a blog back then in those early days just to vent my feelings but that never happened. So I guess, here it is…..just 6 years later!

When my oldest was a 2.5 years old, we welcomed our curly-haired, spit-fire daughter. The first time I held her, I thought, how fun it will be to someday get manicures and pedicures together and go shopping! I’m still waiting for that day, but I am SO looking forward to it! She is not and will not ever be the forgotten middle child. First of all, no one could ever forget that HAIR! I mean, seriously! It’s ridiculously curly and incredibly adorable! I’m not going to lie though, its a B-word to comb through! Second of all, she has the personality of a diva (head on over to my instagram if you don’t believe me)! So no, she won’t ever be lost or forgotten amongst her siblings. Ever.

In June of 2017, months before our middle turned two, we welcomed another little girl into our family. She is a sweetheart! She sleeps better than the older two ever did, she loves to cuddle (which I certainly do not hate), and she has the sweetest little personality. Also, at a year and a half old, her dance moves are on point! The age that she is now is my favorite; old enough to walk but too young to talk back!

Motherhood isn’t easy but I wouldn’t trade it for one second! Many days it’s convenient to turn the TV on just to get a little laundry done or, heck, 5 mins to hear my own thought, but I know these years are short. At the beginning of 2019, I picked a word for the year: Intentional. I want to be more intentional in spending quality time with my kids and my husband. I wrote a quote on a sticky note and placed it on my mirror so that I can see it every day: “The days are long but the years are short.” I’m going to make the most out of this year and I’m hoping you’ll join me for the ride!

XOXO

Terasa