About Me

So who is Tricia Doyle?

Well, I'm a work in progress that much I know.  But if you want more than that, I'll start with the basics.  I'm about to be 30, which for someone who has hated their birthday from about the age of 10, is a dreadful thought.  Not that I think 30 is so old but I do find myself uttering things I only associated with "elderly" people; how time flies, how sore I am for no good reason, how ridiculous new trends are.....  The list keeps going, again this highlights I'm entering that phase of life.  Brutal.  Anyway.  I live in "upstate" New York with my husband, Sean and our 3 year old daughter Kennedy. I use the word upstate very loosely.  My use of that regional term has become controversial over the 12 years I've been up here. You see, Sean and I are from Long Island originally.  (Don't worry, not the kind of Long Island people hate; we're just a couple of regular kids, from regular families, who grew up in regular towns in regular houses.)  People in New York's Capital Region are offended by being referred to as from "upstate".  I get it now, I mean there is so much further up to go.  But when you grow up as far south in New York as you can get, anything is "upstate", even Westchester.  I come from a family of six children, 2 girls, 4 boys, in that order.  I'm the second in line, the one with the "big mouth" (just ask any of them!)  What was that like?  Read the blog title.  No, but seriously, as chaotic as it was and still is at times, my siblings have each shaped me into the person I am in one way or another.  My parents are two incredibly hard working people that have given their children everything they could and even more of things they couldn't.  Simply said, I am grateful.

I went away to college at SUNY Albany the summer of 2003.  I had no idea who I was and what I wanted to be, but who did.  I went through 2 part-time jobs , 3 majors, and 4 roommates.  The 1 constant was Sean.  The boy I came upon October of my freshman year, knew was different from all the rest of them, and that I was done looking.  We graduated, I went on to get my Master's in Counseling Psychology from Albany as well, and he stayed with me.  We have been together ever since; married in 2010, we decided we'd settle here and set up shop.

Like everyone else our age it took some time for us to get "real, grown-up" jobs but we got lucky and work at places we love.  I am a middle School Counselor in Albany, New York at a charter school in one of the rougher parts of town.  I've been there 5 years.  It was my first job and from the looks of things, I'm in it for the long haul.  What is my job like?  Imagine working with an age group of kids that virtually nobody likes whose hormones rule absolutely everything and then again, refer to the blog title :)  Truly though, it is an awesome job, no day the same and so impossible to get bored.  I work long days but with co-workers that can be described with no other word than "friends".  They have become more like family and have been an amazing support system for Sean and I.

In 2012, we welcomed Kennedy Egan to our world and immediately fell in love with her.  She is a beautiful and amazing little girl.  Seriously. I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom.  Seriously! In any case, she was a game changer.  We happily settled into family life and never looked back.

 I was cautious about have a second baby because I was so content with our "perfect" little life and didn't want to rock the boat.  But, after Kennedy turned 2 we decided to give parenthood another go around.  We found out we were having a little boy, Jack Holden.  We also found out Jack would be born with Down syndrome.  Although scared, we were ready and excited to be his parents and undertake any challenges this may bring.  January 25th we suffered a devastating blow.  Jack had to be delivered 10 weeks premature due to a life threatening complication, fetal hydrops, that had overwhelmed his lungs.  He could not be saved and we lost our baby boy only a few short minutes after he was born.  (Find Jacks whole story here)

So while chaos seems to be a theme in my life, whether it be the "good" kind or the "bad" kind, I inhale it.  Every breath of it.  It is what makes me who I am.  Is that a good thing?  Who knows.  I'm a work in progress, remember?