At 23 when you say the words, "through sickness and health" you aren't really thinking about all the sickness you'll experience in life, all the hardships. But when those sicknesses do hit, you'll understand the full weight of your decision on who you choose to be your life partner. I am so lucky that my life partner, my husband, the man standing by my side through all these adventures is Tony.
I can not even begin to describe the man that Tony has been through this most recent adventure of cancer. From continuing to be a shoulder that I can cry on during the bad moments, to providing me with entertainment and laughter, to being someone that pushes me when I needed pushed, and loved when I need loved. He has stepped up to the plate on every aspect that a husband can when his wife is sick. There are always positives to bad situations and watching my husband be the most amazing, caring, supportive, and badass during all of this is one of those.I love you Tony. I thank you. And I too look forward to many more years ahead of us!
And because I can't help but write long blog posts, here is a recap of how Team KT became Team KT. :)
How We Met:
In March of 2006 I was visiting Boise for my springbreak from Northern Arizona University. Michelle Sweet and I went snowboarding at Tamarack resort. As we sat on the chairlift singing and enjoying life, Michelle shouts out, "hey that's my buddy Tony, we should try to catch up to him and take some laps." Tony was snowboarding on the run below the lift. Eventurally we do meet up and spend a few hours trying to impress one another on the rails in the park. Which at this time in my life I did not ride park, and neither did Tony. Through making an ass of ourselves we had some good laughs and our initial moments of bonding.
Our First Kiss:
It wasn't until August 29, 2006 that we were able to hang out again. I had moved back to Boise by this point and was going to school at BSU. I had thought of Tony often in those few months but was never able to meet back up, until Michelle calls me on 8/29 and says, "guess whose 21st birthday it is today, Tony Day. You should call him." So I do. Tony answers and since it's already the afternoon and he did not have class that day he was well on his celebratory 21st birthday path. When I tell him who I am, he freaks out and says he definitely remembers me and I better get over to his house stat to celebrate. Well, gentleman, if you want to make a gal feel special, definitely act that way when she calls you 5 months after you last hung out.
The evening was fun filled, and thanks to my handy dandy fake ID I was able to join in all the evening adventures. At the Bistro in a somewhat foggy haze, after Tony sinks a game winning shot, he leans over and kisses me. OH yeah! First kiss! In a bar, under a decent amount of alcohol. It may be a little blurry but it is perfect to us. :)
Timing Is Off:
From 2006-2007 our timing just wasn't right. In the Fall of 2006 we had some great times hanging out when we could, especially the night of my brother's wedding.
Tony even made it to the Mather cabin (in Donnelly, Idaho, about 90 minutes north of Boise) a few times. But besides our few dates we both had really busy schedules and in the Spring of 2007 I took the semester off school and lived mostly at my cabin to be a total snowboard bum. Once snowboard season was over I headed back to Boise and did summer school to make up the credits that I had missed that spring.
Michelle invited me over for a get together one night in May and there was Tony. We had an amazing few hours of hanging out and really connected. It seemed we were both ready to offiically start dating...or so I thought. Turns out, Mr. Day had a one way ticket to Alaska for the summer. Which was so cool and made me like him even more.
Love Letters & Drunken Calls:
For the summer of 2007 Tony lived on Fox Island and worked for a touring company. The only place that had cell service on this island was down at the very edge of a dock on the water. So most of our communication during that summer was writing letters to each other. For a girl, it was rather romantic. And I still have all those letters saved to this day. Occasionally the Fox Island crew would have some beers and on those nights I would get a late night call from a buzzed Tony sitting at the edge of a dock freezing. Again, very romantic and noble. :)
These letters and calls helped Tony and I really build a great base to our relationship. We got to know each other on a much deeper level and we both just knew when he got back from Alaska it would begin our true relationship.
Falling in Love:
Tony came home on August 22, 2007 and we considered that the beginning of our relationship. This August that will make 8 years! So amazing!
We celebrated his return with a fun weekend at the Mather Cabin, which included shaving his Alaska hair-do.
I knew there was something great with Tony from the get go. And our summer of writing letters made that feeling even stronger. As we spent the fall and spring dating it solidified it even more.
In the spring of 2008 Tony planned out a great surprise date for us. We went to a spa/massage and then he blindfolded me and drove me to Horseshoe Bend. I had mentioned to him once, maybe twice about this tree that sat on the hill near Highway 55 in Horseshoe Bend, which is a town about 45 minutes north of Boise that you pass on the way to my cabin. Ever since I can remember I loved that tree. It always had green grass growing beneath it and there was just something about it. Well Tony listened to me tell that story and remembered.
So he blindfolded me to trick me on where he was taking me, which was funny because it didn't work, I had a good idea where we were headed, but I loved the thought he put into it. Once we pulled off the highway, we hiked through what I am sure is private property, hoping over fences and eventually made it to the tree. This is where Tony wanted to tell me he loved me. It was very romantic, special and so cool to have an amazing memory of this. And we also wrote letters to each other to be opened the next year. We buried the letters at what is now OUR special tree.
Team KT vs. Europa:
For years I had wanted to backpack Europe and I could never find anyone to go with me. Then along comes Tony and while he was adventuring in Alaska he agreed to go with me. So we worked hard, saved our money and took off for 71 amazing and eventful days backpacking through 13 countries of Europe. You can see the link to that blog in my profile.
The Proposal:
On June 19th, 2009 Tony had another big surprise day planned. I woke up that morning and thought I was heading to work. Instead Tony had asked my boss for the day off and he took me on a scavenger hunt around Boise. We went to places that were meaningful to us, like the airport (our love of travelling), a house we lived in together, our first date, my favorite resteraunt, and a few other memoriable places. Each stop had a letter and a picture about Team KT. Then we drove out to our tree and Tony got down on one knee and proposed! And duh, of course I said yes!
The day was so thought out, so much fun and I loved all the letters and pictures, which of course I still have. We also dug up our letters we had written the year before and wrote new ones to dig up next year!
The Wedding:
In the fall of 2009 we moved to New Hampshire so Tony could attend the Physcial Therapy program at Franklin Pierce. Thanks to the help of my mom we were able to plan our wedding long distance so that on June 26, 2010 we tied the knot in front of 150 family and friends at the Kathryn Albertson's Park and the Rose Room. The night was filled with love, laughter, dancing and a lot of good times!
Team KT Adventuring Through Life:
For 5 years we have sure had our share of adventures! And we have sure moved around a lot!
- 2009 Fall-2011 Spring: Concord, NH. We lived in two houses during this time while Tony finished up the in-class side of schooling. We explored the East Coast like crazy! From weekend trips to NYC, Boston, Maine and Vermont to daily trips around NH. And one long trip to Puerto Rico for Spring Break.
- 2011 Summer: North Conway, NH. One of the best summers of our life. We lived in this small, mountain town for Tony's first clinical and we hiked all 48 New Hampshire peaks over 4000 feet. There is a blog documenting this adventure on my profile.
- 2011 Fall: Lebanon, NH - 2nd clinical at Dartmouth.
- Nov. 2011-February 2012: Sydney, Australia- 3rd clinical. And we were lucky enough to have 10 days to go explore New Zealand! One of the coolest trips.
- February 2012-April 2012: In Eagle, Idaho with my parents. :)
- April 2012-July2012: Lubbock, Texas. Tony took a travelling Physcial Therapy job. The destination was not really by choice, more for convenience. But it was fate becuase we adopted Lubby and TeamKT became three! This is also where we fell in love with Crossfit, which has obviously had a big impact on our lives.
- August 2012-October 2012: In Eagle, Idaho with my parents again.Tony started work as the Sports Resident at St. Luke's Hospital and I joined the Real Estate team, Christina & Company at Keller Williams that I still work for!
- October 2012-August 2013: We bought a house! And adopted a cat. TeamKT became 4.
- August 2013-Present Day: Carbondale, Colorado. A little slice of paradise.
For all the family and friends that have helped Tony and I over the past 7 years and roughly 10 months, we thank you. We would not be the Team that we are today if it was not for the support and love from all of you.
And to my husband on our 5 year anniversary. Thank you again for the amazing years we have had together. Thank you for the care you have shown me these past few months. And here's to all the years we have ahead of us and all the adventures we will take together. There is no one else I would want by my side through life. I love you.
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