I can't believe the season is almost over! I feel like we just got here and playoffs are already happening. The fans in San Antonio are amazing and they truly love football. The Alamodome gets SO loud and they make it so fun. Stehly had his first professional touchdown against the Hotshots in Arizona and it was so exciting! I was jumping up and down on the couch and probably could have gone into labor if my friends didn't tell me to get down haha. We are so grateful for this journey and believe that you should take every opportunity that comes your way. I am not going to lie, being a football wife has its hard days. Stehly having to travel while being pregnant has been difficult, especially not having many friends or family here. But, compared to division 2 football, the length they are gone for is a breeze! It has also been difficult trying to grow yourself when you move around all the time when you are married to a professional athlete. I have found it necessary to not get lost in his career and to find things that I enjoy for myself. Each day brings a new set of trials, but we have learned that life always works itself out and to just enjoy every single moment because it can all change so quickly.
Stehly signed with a new professional football league called The Alliance of American Football with the San Antonio Commanders. It is a new league that complements the NFL during their offseason and it is designed to give players a second chance at playing in the NFL. All of the head coaches and general managers for each team in the Alliance all have numerous NFL coaching experience. The season is 10 weeks long with two playoff games. The season ends just before the draft so that NFL teams have adequate time to bring them into camps. This league has been such a blessing for us and we have enjoyed being a part of it all unfolding! I have already met some of the most amazing people while being here in San Antonio and we have felt so welcomed!
Injuries. The one word you never want to hear or talk about when being an athlete. However, life happens, and sometimes these accidents make for the best stories (at least we hope). It was the one game I was out of town for. I was in Washington D.C. celebrating my brothers marriage. That reception was happening during the game, but I was able to slip away into a corner to watch him play his game. He was doing amazing! People probably thought I was crazy because I was just staring at my phone jumping up and down when he made a touchdown. Then, for the one minute I put my phone down, I started getting so many texts from his family members telling me what had happened. I was freaking out. I couldn't contact him, I couldn't run down onto the field (yes I am crazy and would do that), I couldn't rewind the footage.. I was just waiting. Finally at half-time I hear from Stehly and he told me he had heard a loud pop when he went up for his second touchdown. He was jumping in the end zone to catch a fly ball and jumped in an awkward stance. He came down and knew something was wrong. Of course I asked him if he caught the ball and I was actually mad that he didn't. haha! Little did I know, it was something serious. He was walking around and wasn't in too much pain until he finally heard back from the doctors. His MRI showed that he had completely torn his ACL. We were absolutely and utterly shocked. I felt discouraged and angry. I was scared and was sad. However, Stehly was positive and hopeful. He looked at this situation as just more motivation to work harder. It fueled him. Stehly is such an inspiration to so many people around him. He works so hard and can always find the best out of any situation.
We are now preparing for his Pro Day on March 31st in Commerce, Texas with the Lone Star Conference. When talking about it to my friends I compare it to pageants haha I say that it is basically his biggest interview and performance. He is already running and improving so much in just 4 months. Typically at four months you expect to start being able to run, however Stehly is already full speed sprinting and able to do things that most people don't attempt until 6 or 7 months out of surgery. We are so thankful for his surgeon, Dr. Gordon, who has also worked on a few of the NBA Spurs athletes. We only thought he would be able to do only a few drills for his Pro Day, but it is looking like he will be able to perform at a high level in most of the drills. We are excited for this next journey whatever it may bring! Stay tuned for what is next! Lets hope it is with an NFL team!
Only some of my closest friends and family members know that Stehly (my husband) and I are trying to pursue a career in the NFL. To be honest, they probably think we are crazy because of how difficult and competitive that industry is. However, that doesn't stop us even knowing that approximately only 1.5% of people make it to the NFL. People may say we are dreamers, but when it is something you love and something worth fighting for, it could easily become a reality,
Just as a little back story of how we got here. Stehly was recruited to play football at BYU in 2012. After two years, he felt the need to transfer to CSU - Pueblo. There he played Tight-End for a year and decided to return to BYU as a regular student. He felt like he needed to be back at BYU to continue his education. After getting engaged to me, an opportunity arose to play at Texas A&M University - Kingsville. I was very skeptical when he proposed the idea of moving out there. I didn't understand why he transferred so much and why it was SO important for him to continue playing football. After some major, and I mean major persuasion and conversations, we both agreed that moving to Texas would be an opportunity we could not pass up.
As soon as we arrived to Texas in 2016 (let me remind you we were married for only a week) I had a major melt-down. I had no friends, no family, and no job. Stehly was so busy with school and football that I found most of my days pretty lonely. However, I became the most amazing housewife anyone could ever ask for LOL. I learned how to cook and become veryyyy crafty. It was a hard time for both of us. We sacrificed so much. We sacrificed me leaving the University of Utah, Stehly leaving BYU, and risking his health. However, we still continued to follow our hearts and really felt the need to be in Kingsville.
As the season came to a close, we felt good with the decision of moving out to Texas. The season ended with 9 wins and 3 losses, which resulted in the team playing at the Texarkana Bowl; which they won! Due to an injury at the beginning of his season with a pulled hamstring, it cost Stehly not playing in two games. After missing those games and slowly starting to play again, he finally found his rhythm. Overall he ended the 2016 season with 8 Touch Downs for 397 yards. Thankfully, it was enough to get the right people looking at him and receiving positive feedback as long as this next year goes well.
After a very long season we left Kingsville and went back to Utah to continue our education at our Universities. Stehly had another season in Texas that we would be heading back to in 2017.
Now, we are back in Texas. More prepared as ever and ready to take on another season. I am here writing to all the other dreamers, wives who believe in their husbands, and those who risk everything in order to try and follow their dreams. Life is certainly all about taking risks. The best things in life come to those who push themselves to their limits and make sacrifices.
So, here's to the unknown, to making it or not making it, to pursuing a dream that may be too hard to reach or to ACTUALLY being one of the 1.5% who do make it and live to tell the tale.
Continue to follow our life journey as the LIFE OF A FOOTBALL WIFE.
A normal day in a football players household consists of food, food, and food. No, not good food. A lot of chicken, green veggies, and protein shakes. During the season, you can say adios to anything with sugar. Actually, anything that has flavor. Yes, he eats a lot and several times throughout the day. He has a nutritionist that designs his food plan and Stehly actually follows it pretty regularly. Lets just say that cheat meals are life savors. Not just for him, but we can finally have a date night!
In the morning I usually head off to work at around 8:00 a.m. I work as a Physical Therapy Technician. He will head off to school and go to his classes and return home before his football practice at 2:00 p.m. That break before football usually consists of laying on the couch watching our go-to Netflix series. Which, right now, is Riverdale. It is AMAZING! Then he heads off to practice at 3:00 p.m. until 6:30, usually. We will meet up at the gym afterwards and then come home, have dinner, watch some more Netflix, and go to sleep pretty early.
The average day isn't anything too exciting, but it all makes up for it when it turns to 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday night under the lights on the football field.
Right now I am currently sitting in front of my TV at 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night scrolling through channels to find something decent to watch. Naturally, I click on ESPN and watch the latest football game. WHO EVEN AM I?! Let me tell you, I am one to so easily turn on Keeping up with the Kardashians or anything related to the Real Housewives. However, after so many years of college football, I still find myself intrigued.
Currently, Stehly is traveling to Vancouver, Canada to play this weekend. I sadly could not attend because of work and the expense of travel. I have heard so many incredible things about Canada and it is definitely on my bucket list to visit the city sometime in the near future. I keep finding myself saying "Canada, eh?" And thinking about maple syrup and bacon.
Anyways, I am here to talk about what it is like being a wife while your husband travels to away games on the weekends. Well, I feel like a quarterback who has gotten sacked one too many times. I always feel defeated. I prepare myself to take on the weekend and make sure I have activities planned to keep me distracted. But, usually I get bored, lonely, and miss having him in bed next to me watching the latest Cut Throat Kitchen episode to completely knock us out and fall asleep. Im telling you, if you want a show that puts you to sleep, try watching it!
When I am feeling down while he is away traveling, I just think about all the positives we are getting out of this opportunity: I get a full weekend to eat all of MY favorite foods that I don't normally get to eat when we are together. Those include: Cheetos Puffs, Salads, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, and Tortellini. So random, I know. I get to take longs baths and get the entire king size bed to myself. I don't feel the need to impress anyone, so I don't have to put on make up or dress up. We are one more week closer to finding out what our future looks like with football.
Even though there are hard days, I continually remind myself of what we are working towards. As a wife, it is easy to complain and make your husband feel bad for leaving you, but I've learned that it just makes things worse, and he is ultimately doing this for you. Stehly is doing this for US. For OUR future. Even though I want to lay on the floor throwing a tantrum and holding onto his feet as he walks out of the door for a few days, I remind myself to put on my big girl panties and remember why and what we are so fearlessly fighting for.