Meet my friend Tia!  She’s about to have a birthday – just about to turn 35 – so young! šŸ˜€

I first met Tia through my friend Courtney.  It was the day after my late husband’s Memorial.  December 6, 2014 if you want to be exact.

My parents-in-law went back home, my brother and his family went back home, and Hannah and Jacob went back home.  I remember sitting at my back computer, doing what, who the hell knows.  I know I looked like I was run over by a truck.  

Because the thing about me was that I kept it together through the Memorial because I felt I needed to be strong for everyone else.  The second I was by myself, the wave of everything that had just happened was like a giant tidal wave and I was knocked down.  Three weeks earlier he was signing a contract to get our roof replaced, to the next week being hospitalized and I walk in after work into his room and see he’s on dialysis because his kidneys aren’t working.  Huh.  Then a week later I am told he’s going to be put on a liver/kidney transplant list, and the next day being asked “do you have a hospice in mind?  There’s nothing more we can do for him.”

So that morning I was a HOT mess.  Hadn’t washed my face, brushed my teeth, probably still had stains on my shirt from tears of mascara that had dripped to my shirt.  When there was a knock on the door.  It was Courtney and she brought along her friend Tia.  I can only imagine what they thought of my appearance, but I remember the first thing I said was “I don’t even have a bra on” to which Tia replied “neither do I!”  

I loved her already. šŸ˜€

She and her husband have been battling fertility for years.  I love this picture from their wedding below.

She’s an awesome Mom to this bulldog Burn and the cat who survived having a broken leg not too long ago.

And with IVF, she’s been happy to report, not once, but twice that she was pregnant!

Sadly, though, she lost both to miscarriage.  They have come to the realization that they aren’t going to try anymore. 

She has a tremendous gift of talking about her grief – better than I ever could.  She’s a champion among other women going through the same things she did – cheering for those who do get pregnant, and telling others who haven’t had success to realize that life can be great, even without being a parent.  She has waves of grief for who two lost babies, and I know that roller coaster ride.  You’ll be going along fine, and then a song will come on the radio, or I’ll see something and without hesitating I’ll grab my phone to call Tony only to remember he’s not there to tell my story.

Last December 2, the three-year anniversary of Tony’s death, and the day Jacob’s grandma died, Tia brought me this live wreath – and I took that as a message as life is for the living!  I am very proud too that I kept that alive through the whole holiday season.

For her 35th birthday, she’s trying to get 3500 followers on her Instagram page. She’s funny, she goes live – even with hair tutorials, or how to chop away at your debt.  Can you do me a favor – can you follow my friend Tia?  I know you’ll love her!  You can find her Instagram page here.

Happy Friday friends – make it a great day!