Happy 8 years to us!

Today is Jonathan and I’s 8^th anniversary. A lot of life has happened in the last 8 years. We are about to move for the 5^th time, which averages a relocation every 1.75 years or so. I’m really hoping this moving stuff slows down a bit now. It’s paid off in his career and we’ve had some priceless opportunities but golly it can be stressful, especially now that we have a child. 

I feel like with Forest I can no longer focus 100% on moving tasks because life still manages to move at a pretty fast pace when you factor in the daily to-do lists of life with a 2 year old. Jon has a better handle on it and has managed most of the logistics with our previous 2 moves while my jobs are to keep the baby happy, get the dog to the newest location and make sure all disposable possessions don’t follow us to our new home. But anyway, that’s another tangent for another day. 

Today I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past 8 years and take stock of what we’ve seen and done. We’ve lived in: Midland, TX; Houston, TX; Aberdeen, Scotland; San Ramon, CA, and are in process to move to The Woodlands, TX.

Five and a half years after tying the knot, we welcomed our baby boy to the world. A bright and joyful 2.5 year old ball of energy. At this point we say we are ‘one and done’ in terms of children but we pray about this often and try to keep our minds and hearts open to God’s will for us.  

Photo by Jennifer Wilhite Photography

We have one dog and had another that we rehomed once Forest started crawling and she was terrified of him and spent her days permanently hiding under out bed. We still miss Bailey everyday but are happy to report she’s much happier in a home without toddlers.  

We have traveled more than most, less than some. I think we do a good job of balancing our love for routine and staying home with a desire to strike out and see the world. Just a few of the places we’ve visited since getting married are: Peru, Jamaica, Scotland (obviously), Ireland, Mexico, Poland (x2), Italy, England, France (x2), Austria, Hawaii (x2), and all over Texas and California. 

Our favorite destination has been the English Lake District and the South African wine country, where we got engaged. 

Tops of our travel wish list remain Alaska, Guatemala, and New Zealand and maybe with his large chunks of time off, we can make those happen. We’d also love to take Forest back to Scotland but will likely wait until he can remember it. 

The past 8 years have been comfy cozy, despite all of the relocations. When Jon and I got married he was working a rotational schedule and it was really hard. I had just moved to a new city where I didn’t know anyone, was having trouble finding a job and was without my husband for 2 weeks at a time. It was probably the loneliest I have ever been. We always swore we'd never do the rotational thing again, but here we are. Never say never.

It’s hard to anticipate 28 day stretches of time where I’ll be without my best friend . As hard as it will be to do the parenthood thing solo, I think the being apart from my husband for my own sake will be the hardest part. Jonathan and I share the love language of quality time and I just think that spending quality time together when you are on opposite sides of the world and working random schedules will be challenging to say the least. 

I’m not looking forward to feeling disconnected from him for such long stretches. I think when our 10^th anniversary rolls around and this assignment is hopefully coming to a close, we’ll look back at the previous 2 years and breathe a sigh of relief that we survived it. I am honestly just bracing myself at this point. I’m happy that we are moving in June and that will give Jon a few weeks before he starts rotating to really help us get settled and on our feet in The Woodlands before he takes off. 

I’m already trying to jam pack my schedule with distractions and opportunities to meet people who will fill my days with friendship and support. This isn’t my first rodeo and a part of me is actually excited for the change of scenery and meeting new people. That’s the part of this nomadic lifestyle that I seem to be hooked on. I’m so sad to leave people and places behind but at the same time so curious and excited to see what’s around the bend. 

So on this anniversary I am apprehensively looking towards the future and drawing strength from all we’ve been through. This song is not especially romantic, but I always think of my sweet husband when I hear it. I feel like it encapsulates our journey so well and it also gives me strength and confidence that with Christ Jesus we can withstand whatever changes and challenges come our way. 

Tell me you're strong, tell me you see.

I need to hear it, can you promise me,

to keep your eyes open, my love?

Show me your fire,

Show me your heart,

You know I'd never let you fall apart.

Just keep your eyes open. 

-Needtobreathe