Tiffany Bowen is a mom, a former teacher, a businesswoman and the wife of a famous athlete, Redskins Defensive End, Stephen Bowen. We sit with Tiffany and talk about her life, the troubles along the way, and what it’s like being married to a Redskin.

How has adjusting to life in Northern Virginia been? All settled in?
I finally feel like I can exhale a little. I’m still trying to learn my way around. It’s going to take some time. I was in Dallas for five years and I remember it taking a good two years before it felt like home. I like Northern Virginia so far. I’m an east coast girl, so I like the fact that I’m back.

Tell us a bit about your upbringing? Where are you from? How was your childhood?
I am from the Bronx, New York. I never moved before I was married, living in the same apartment my whole life. So moving around the country is new. I am an only child. My parents were both hardworking—my dad working nights and my mom during the day. This system worked well for them and I was never without one of them. My parents showed me lots of love. My mother and I were so close. One of the things I love about being an only child is the bond that I have with my mom is so strong. I didn’t have a sibling to run to, tell secrets to, cry to. My mom was my sister and best friend.

You were a first grade teacher for a while. Can you tell us a bit about that experience? What did you learn from teaching little kids?
I was a fi rst grade teacher briefl y. I have a Masters in teaching so I would love to do something in the future in the fi eld even if its not in the classroom. Teaching little kids taught me a lot about patience. I can say that before teaching I lacked patience. Now I have plenty of it—at least with children!

Can you tell us a bit about the company you helped found, Event Producers, LLC. How did you get into event planning?
The Event Producers, LLC (www.theeventproducersllc.com) is a boutique event-planning firm I started with my business partner and good friend. Each event is truly a production. I love the details in events that make it truly stand out and I love seeing the process from start to finish.

You and Stephen were college sweethearts. That’s so rare nowadays, to be married and in love with someone you were with so early in life. Can you tell us how you met? When did you fall in love? When did you marry?
Stephen and I met in the cafeteria at Hofstra University on Long Island. We have very different versions about who talked to whom first but, nevertheless, we started talking. Stephen is hilarious and I realized that when he’s around, I’m always laughing to tears. It is truly what made me fall in love with him and I still laugh everyday with him. When we met I was just 17, and I was married at 21. That’s so young, but we just made a commitment that failure was not a option for us, and this marriage and our family would always be our number one priority.

Stephen is a Defensive End for the Washington Redskins; do you ever worry about him being injured? How do you deal with that on a weekly basis? Do you look forward to him retiring from the game?
Of course I worry. NFL wife and worrying come hand in hand. But I don’t let it consume me. Everyday he walks off the fi eld, I thank God. At this point I don’t think about retirement too much. It’s something that you always have in the back of your mind and are preparing for, but right now I’m trying to live in the moment. When this is all said and done I know I’m going to miss it so I don’t want to rush through it. My husband is living his dream and we have to cherish this.

This past year you were blessed with the birth of twin sons, Skyler and Stephen III. They were born severely premature, and tragically, Skyler wasn’t able to survive. You’ve lived through every parent’s worst nightmare.

How have you been dealing with your loss? How has it changed you? Has it made you stronger?
Before Skyler’s passing I had never experienced death. And then for my first loss to be the loss of a child, which is the worse one of them all, defi nitely made me stronger than I knew I could be. I always plan everything out, including the birth of my children, but this taught me that you can’t plan it all and it reminded me of who is really in control. I keep Skyler’s memory alive. Many people don’t mention him, thinking it will hurt, but that hurts even more. You can’t just erase a child. So when we talk about him and the beautiful baby that he was, it gets me through it. I always remind people that I have three children, not two.

What are your plans for the future?
For now I want to focus on the kids. The past six months for us has been so crazy that I don’t remember it all. We plan on traveling during the off -season. And then, of course, before you know it football season will be here again. I will continue to focus on my business and planning amazing parties as well!

What are you most proud of?
I am proud of my family. Stephen and I started young and we still are but we’ve both matured a lot and stepped up to the plate. We have beautiful children and we are both living our dream. Who is your role model? Why? My role model is defi nitely my mom. I just lost her aft er a 25-year struggle with muscular dystrophy. She was the epitome of grace, class, and beauty to me. She had a quiet strength that I admired so much. I am strong but I lack the quiet part!

What’s next for Tiffany Bowen?
I’m still trying to figure that out myself. I don’t want to say because in this life things change and plans change constantly. You have to be flexible and roll with the punches. What I can say for sure is that I will put a lot of my energy into our foundation, Skyler’s Gift , which will provide assistance to families with premature babies and will assist families who want to give their precious angels the proper memorials or services.