The Holiday Season of 2011 has proved itself to be the most memorable and exciting season for us here at Bella Artistry. I am so grateful for the doors that have been opened for my little company – doors that lead to the biggest and most influential people in the NHL, major Detroit-based (but national) companies, the NFL, Hollywood and the MLB. We were working double shifts for the last month trying to keep up with all the remarkable orders.
The order that kept us the busiest was an order for the Pujols family. Deidre Pujols, the beautiful and generous wife of World Series Champ Albert Pujols (currently of the LA Angels), wanted to create gifts for her entire family. It was a monumental undertaking… hand-applying 40,000 Swarovski crystals one crystal at a time. But it was so worth it. I was honored to create gifts for such a remarkable and blessed family.
Deidre and Albert met in the late 90’s at a salsa club in Kansas City. They both loved to salsa dance and became dancing partners for several weeks before they actually had their first date at a Cheesecake Factory. She said they were smitten with each other from that date on.
Fast forward 14 years, past a fantastic run with the St. Louis Cardinals, a National League Rookie of the Year award in 2001, nine All-Star appearances, three National League Most Valuable Player Awards, two National League Hank Aaron Awards, as well as World Series rings from the Cardinals’ 2006 and 2011 titles, and four amazing children (Isabella 14, AJ 10, Sophia 6 and Ezra 22months). After all that, you will find one incredible, accomplished, famous and giving family. By most standards, the list of accomplishments achieved by this family would be a dream come true: both fulfilling and rewarding, enough satisfaction for a lifetime. In most people’s minds, they have contributed enough to society for 1,000 families combined, but not for the Pujols.
Deidre and Albert started the Pujols Family Foundation (www.pujolsfamilyfoundation.org) to bless others around them.
The Pujols Family Foundation exists to honor God and strengthen families through their works, deeds and examples. Since beginning this foundation in 2005, they have sought to help those living with Down’s Syndrome here at home and to improve the lives of the impoverished in the Dominican Republic. Their goal is to promote awareness, provide hope and meet tangible needs for families and children who live with Down’s Syndrome. They also focus onproviding extraordinary experiences for children with disabilities and/or life threatening illnesses and improving the standard of living and quality of life for impoverished children in the Dominican Republic through education, medical relief and tangible goods.
A loving, supportive Godly spouse, four beautiful children, incredible and unmatched accomplishments on the field, fame and fortune are all attributes that would make a man or woman proud. But Albert and Deidre will be the first to tell you their greatest accomplishment, their most rewarding feat, is their relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ. They are a prime example of this verse: Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4. They put Jesus Christ first in their lives and He blessed them with the desires of their hearts.
I LOVE to see good people be blessed. And as a Born-Again PK (that’s a Preachers Kid, for all you lay people), I am always so excited to see strong men and women of God stand up for His name. And I expect to see even bigger and better blessings to come for the Pujols family.
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