I know you guys are curious about my sweet hubby, Steve. He pops up in my Instastories and then he’s AWOL for a while traveling and then we’re on little getaways together—I get it, it can be confusing from the outside! So, a lot of you have been asking what he’s up to and what he does for work these days. Let me fill you in!

Steve retired six years ago after playing in the NFL as a left guard for twelve years. He played for the Seattle Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Tennessee Titans, which is how we ended up here in Tennessee. When he retired at 36, which is both a blessing and a curse at such a young age, he spent a lot of time with me. We spent the first three years after his retirement doing everything together. We got up in the morning together, we worked out together, we took the kids to school together, we showered together, we went to the grocery together, we ran errands together, we picked the kids up from school together, we made dinner together, we watched shows together, we went to bed together, and then we did it all again the next day. Seriously the best. It was really, really awesome. I mean how great is it just to go grab lunch with your sweetie on a random Tuesday whenever you want? We hadn’t had the chance to spend a ton of time together while he was playing, so we really soaked it up. I cherished those days and the kids did too. We love having him around all the time. He enjoyed all the day to day stuff and could really appreciate what goes into raising kids and running a household. 

But one day we woke up and we both felt like, “OK, maybe it’s time for Steve to do something else.” The question was what?! That’s a lot of free time to have on your hands for someone in his mid-30’s. Steve has always had a lot of energy and he needed something other than me and the kids and our house to focus on. It was interesting figuring out Steve’s second act. He had spent his whole life playing football since he was six years old, so changing gears wasn’t going to be easy. It’s a lot more difficult than one might think. He really had to do some soul searching and still continues to do so. He’s got lot’s of interest, and as you know, cooking is a big one. Lucky us! 

At first, Steve tried his hand at the sports agent thing, but he didn’t love it. It felt a lot like babysitting a bunch teenagers and we already had two kids at home. Next! He did some commentating for college football on Fox. He loved that, but it was a lot of  traveling. He started to realize that he wasn’t big on traveling and being away from us for such long stretches of time. We’d done that for twelve solid years and it just wasn’t appealing anymore to any of us. So, we went back to the drawing board.  The next thing he tried was scouting. He worked for the Tennessee Titans, checking out local talent. He really enjoyed that, but then found that he was staring at a computer most days and home late and was like, “I just don’t know if this is what I enjoy either.” At the end of two years, he decided he DID like being behind the scenes, but that he wanted to customize it a little more. 

So now, Steve works with the NFL as a personnel consultant. He works from home and watches A LOT of film in his home office. Then, if a team has a prospect, Steve will fly to wherever the player is and work him out, watch him play, and write up a report for the team. Also attends the NFL combine and involved in the war room during the draft. Super cool. This job gives him a lot of flexibility and allows him to be home with the kids so much more, which is so great and he’s been a HUGE help with all I have going on. 

Steve has really enjoyed the last year when he was able to pick the kids up, take them to practices and games, and make dinner nightly. You might think that’s crazy, but Steve really, truly enjoys cooking. He’s like a little French man, well big French man! HA! He goes to the grocery every day, I kid you not. I’m all about meal planning and going to the store once a week—but not Steve! He likes to decide what to cook that day and run out for the freshest ingredients, and I am not complaining one bit! I love the gourmet meals he whips up! You guys also know that he owns about 8 BBQ grills, so when he’s not in the kitchen, he’s usually grilling or smoking meats by the pool and all kinds of stuff like that. He’s also picked up his golf game a little bit. He’s enjoyed putting in some time with such a different sport and having lessons and just using that as a hobby. He’s recently started taking camera classes and developing his own film. And of course keeps trying to convince me to let him start flying lessons. I’m not sure about that one? That kinda freaks me out. He works out every day on his Peloton bike or hits up his boxing class or a 3-5 miler around the neighborhood. He hangs with the kids, and helps me a ton! I couldn’t do any of this without him. Things are falling into place and he’s been really happy with how his day-to-day runs. 

I have to say it’s been a blessing to have him around as things have taken off for me. It’s given me the flexibility and freedom to do something I love. Through his support I’ve been able to open my store and write my book, and he’s now the one cheering me on as I do something that’s really fulfilling for me. It’s actually perfect. We have done a complete role reversal and I’m extremely grateful to have such a supportive husband. He’s the stay at home parent these days, while working in between, and I’m the one chasing my dreams. We’ve always supported one another and now he’s cheering for me from the sidelines. 

Xx
Landyn