Nicole Allshouse

Hi friends! I am a television host, but really I am a daydreamer at heart. Mama to 3 ... two boys and a girl. Wife to Craig, who is more quiet and more calm than I could ever be. Dedicated to God. I crave travel, can't live without a good book and am obsessed with home decor. I cook supper for my family most nights (I think supper is a Northern term), search for fun DIY projects and won't ever pass up a good garage sale. And of course writing ... that lights my fire.
I remember being a little girl and entering every writing contest I could find. And I remember surprising myself by winning most of them. Finally. I had found something I was good at, besides eating ice cream. I was clumsy, couldn't carry a tune and certainly had no rhythm to dance. My sweet Italian mama gave me bad perms and I wore thick purple glasses, so I wasn't winning any beauty pageants either. But writing ... well, that I could do. I found such joy in escaping to a corner with my journal and pencil. And writing to me back then was a form of therapy. You see, I grew up in a hospital. Spent my entire childhood at Rainbow and Babies in Cleveland, Ohio. Shortly after my 4th birthday, a drunk driver came crashing through my home in the middle of the night. The car slammed into my tiny body, throwing it across the room and trapping me in-between a closet and the bumper. It was bad. So many broken bones, internal bleeding, a shattered knee cap, and smashed growth plate. Most doctors said I would never walk. Never be able to have children. God allowed me to be destroyed on the outside to rebuild me on the inside. I truly believe He kept me alive to be a storyteller. Probably why I've been a journalist for over 2 decades. Why I am writing this blog. And most likely why I write my children long notes every chance I get. I like to think, spending a childhood in a hospital wing, has made me into an adult that isn't afraid to be vulnerable and authentic. After all, being covered in scars and walking with a limp has a way of grounding you. Yet it's a blessed life, because I survived. And if you are wondering, the drunk driver did not go to jail and did not pay my family one penny. It was a different time back in 1981. But a Navy trained doctor saved my legs. And my husband and I birthed 3 healthy children. A reminder that God always has the last say. You will see much of what I write are thoughts He has placed on my heart. If you are joining this community I'm trying hard to build, know that your WORST day is NOT your LAST day. And you will find your smile again. We all eventually do. Know that your body doesn't have to be picture perfect to be gorgeous. And that life can change in less than one second. So don't worry about other people's opinion of you. The only one you need to impress ... well, He is already in awe of you.
I hope you leave here feeling full ... and inspired to create a life you love.