Here are the other “players” of Team Trader

CJ:

My husband and I met in 2002 and started out just as friends. We hung out with the same group and became really close. He was interested in dating me but I thought he was too old (he is 15 years older than me), so he didn’t pursue it. A year later, something changed and I looked at him differently and started dropping hints that I was interested. But, being a guy, and being CJ, he didn’t get it and was oblivious to my subtleties. So one night as we were talking on the phone I blurted out, “So are you going to ask me out or what?” There was a moment of silence and then he said, “I thought I was too old for you.” “Well I changed my mind!” I replied and the rest is history. We dated for about 2 years before he proposed (in London, thank you very much!) and we were married a year after that, in 2006. We now have 2 beautiful girls and couldn’t be happier. He is my rock, support and still, after all these years, my best friend.

Isabella:

 

Munchkin is 8 years old. She is absolutely amazing. OK so I’m biased but still, she is more than I could have ever dreamed of. She is incredibly smart, imaginative and has an amazing gift for music. She actually tested in early for school so started kindergarten at age 4.  She also has ADHD.   She was diagnosed in kindergarten and those first couple years were a real struggle. Trying to get the right combination of medication and behavior therapy took its toll but I can happily say that she’s come a long way and is a highly functioning 3rd grader now. She reads at a 6th grade level and has a photographic memory. She is so fun and also very sensitive. I pray that her big heart will always be treated with the same love and kindness she always shows to others.  I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!

Cora:

Cora is our youngest little spitfire and is almost 5. She’s very different from her sister! Where Isabella is sensitive and reserved, Cora is outgoing and wild (hence her nickname “Punk”).  She is definitely our little adventure seeker. She is constantly running and jumping and exploring (as a result she also gets hurt quite a lot – my prediction is that she’ll be the first in the family to break a bone). She is a tom-boy who loves super heroes and Transformers and getting dirty. I love her spirit and individualism – she doesn’t care what anyone thinks!

Samson:

Samson was our one-of-a-kind yellow Labrador Retriever who died the summer of 2015 (You can read all about him in the “Samson Stories” section). We got him when he was 4 months old and were the 5th owners to have him. Because of being moved around so much, he had trust issues. But after intense therapy, he came to love us. Everything you’ve heard about labs and their energy is true. And then some. As a pup, we had to take him to Doggie Day Camp twice a week and for daily walks just to burn off all the energy. We had to give him more training than military school kids get. He was that ornery. But he turned out to be an amazing dog and we were devastated when he died. We know he’s watching us and wagging his tail from over the Rainbow Bridge.

Sandy

After Samson died, our hearts were hurting and we just couldn’t bring ourselves to get another dog immediately. I was ready after about 6 months but CJ wasn’t. Samson was his best fur-pal and he couldn’t bear the thought of getting, and then losing, another dog. A little over a year after Samson died, CJ was talking to his dental hygienist about dogs and she mentioned she had one that needed a home. We found out she was a Yellow Lab/Whippet mix who’d been passed around from home to home for over 2 years and needed a permanent family. We discussed and decided to meet her. It was love at first sight. Her name was September and we brought her  home a few weeks later. We changed her name to Sandy and she immediately bonded to me. Where Samson was sometimes a loner and always a bull in a china shop, Sandy is very loving and wants to be with us always. She loves chewing on her toys, going for walks and riding in the car. I know Samson sent her to us and she’s our special girl.

*All people photos courtesy of H&J Creative Studios