Interviewed by Liz Gordon-Hancock
Jessica Basinger married Ryan Meyer, from Bluffton, and they have five children: Gibson is 8 1/2 years old, Emerson 7, Adeleigh 3, Charlotte 19 months and she's seven months pregnant with a baby girl due in July.

Where did you graduate from, and when?
I am a 2005 graduate of Bluffton High School.

Did you go to college? Where and what's your degree?
I have an associate's degree in radiography from Rhodes State College

If I asked anyone who knows you, they would all say "You're always smiling!"; what keeps that smile on your face?
I guess I really have a lot to be thankful for so I want to say my smile is a reflection of my joy, but I also definitely have times where I am stressed or upset just like everyone else (ask my kids or patient husband). I just think smiling is a great way to "break the ice" when meeting new people or walking into a room/new situation and honestly is probably just my way of hiding my nervousness- I don't really know I am doing it. I love that smiles are a universal language though and I definitely feel more comfortable around people if they are smiling back at me! 

I've heard you and your hubby were high school sweethearts? How did you guys get together?
We are. I actually do not remember a time of not knowing Ryan. Our moms were long-time friends, and my grandma actually shared a story of remembering 1 year old Ryan peeking in at me in my bassinet shortly after I was born.

Our parents later joined a Farm Bureau group together, and Ryan and I just always enjoyed playing together during their meetings. I remember that I started to think he was pretty cute in Middle School and then we started dating when I was a Freshman. He was the only boy I was allowed to date before I was 16. Guess my parents had good taste. We have now been "together" for more than half my life.

How long have you been married?
We celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary last December.

What's your ideal date night?
Any free time for a date is amazing. But we really love spending time outside together, so I would say a walk or especially a bike ride (very difficult to ride bikes with so many children now) is a wonderful treat and gives us an opportunity to actually talk and hear each other while enjoying some fresh air and nature. Dinner out is also plus.

When you're out and about, do you carry a purse or diaper bag (or both)? Name three things in your bag right now - anything hilarious or unusual?
I would say I am kinda transitioning more into a purse stage since Charlotte is getting older and needing less diapers/clothes changes... but will be moving back to the handy diaper bag in a couple months. As far as what's in it.... definitely a messy pile of receipts, an extra diaper, and snacks of some kind for either me or the kids.

I understand you also work.  Can you tell me where you work and what you do?
I work one day/week as a cat scan technologist at Blanchard Valley Hospital in Findlay. I feel really fortunate to be able to stay home with my kids most of the week, but also have my one day to get out of the house and do something else I love and find incredibly interesting.

Any big plans or changes looming in your life?
I would say our biggest plan ir change is the upcoming birth of baby number five. We are all very excited about meeting this new little blessing – my oldest three ask about their growing baby sister daily and are loving feeling her move around in my belly. The end of school nearing is also a big deal of course. We are hoping to fit in a mini-vacation in before I am too pregnant to travel.

I understand you are part of the MOPS group at Ebenezer Mennonite. How long have you been going, and what do you love about MOPS?
It's getting hard to remember, but I have been in MOPS for 6 years. I have been the MOPS Coordinator (head of the steering group) for the last 4 years. I really love that MOPS gives moms an opportunity to come relax, connect with other moms and be encouraged.

Motherhood is challenging and can be quite lonely, so having a place to come and find out that other moms have or are dealing with similar struggles is very uplifting. We (the steering committee) really strive to provide opportunities for our moms to build new friendships, learn new skills, have fun and be encouraged as mothers and wives and most importantly to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Tell me one thing most people don't know about you.
This one is kinda hard... so I guess I will share something I just learned about myself over the last year and that's a passion for fitness. A year ago I set out to lose the "baby weight" from my fourth pregnancy and really found a love for how great exercising and eating healthy made me feel! I realized the importance of needing to "pour into myself" so that I could "pour into others" and prior to making these improvements in my health I was feeling very empty and overwhelmed with life.

I actually decided to become a Beachbody Coach last November because I loved Beachbody's home workout programs (super convenient for mom life) and other products. I really wanted the opportunity to help encourage others through the "coaching" platform, while also having the added bonus of potentially making some extra money if people purchased the programs and products through me.

I now have my own Facebook Group Page - "Jessica Meyer- Made for More Fitness" - and also run a free and private monthly accountability group, which I love.