Honoring Rich Messina

I have been so very busy and I didn’t post on here about my husband’s birthday on the day of his birth…November 3rd. Rich and I married pretty young. I was 20, he was 22, almost 23. The chances that our marriage would last weren’t great but we have stuck through it…through thick and thin….in health and now in sickness. I have loved this man for over 30 years. We have had 3 beautiful children and travelled the world together. We are very different people – we have different tastes in music, different interests. However, we complement each other pretty well and always have a good time. Last night we spent 3 hours at the Baxter Arena watching the U.S. Olympic men’s curling trials with Lily. We had a blast! Rich has a lot of wild ideas….and most of them come to fruition and are a success. One of them was retiring from the military and opening a Play It Again Sports store in Omaha. I thought it was a crazy idea. Yet here we are, 7 years after its grand opening, watching his business just thrive. When I first started chemo in December of 2019…I just wasn’t able to do a lot. I was so tired and felt so sick. He was really wonderful about helping out on top of all he was doing at work. November is also caregiver’s month…and although I wouldn’t necessarily call him that in this moment, he still does things everyday to care for me in a small way (which is big in my book)…like washing my car….picking up dinner….going to the Y with me….going on a walk with me. Although he is much like a 13 year old in a 53 year old’s body, and that can make my eyes roll…he is a lot of fun to be around. I have included a few photos of him below. Happy birthday to the love of my life! I hope to be around to celebrate with you for years to come!