Just For Now

Today I had every intention of posting about Lake Tahoe and our 4th of July, (and I probably still will at some point today) but this morning I got up and just felt like talking to you guys.  I loved the post I did yesterday because of the e-mails and comments I got.  I love getting to know each of you better, and I like that you feel like you are getting to know me better too!

This morning I just wanted to talk about where I am in life-- living, friends, family, everything.  Most everyone has picked up on the fact that for nearly the past two years, the husband and I have been traveling the country.  We have lived in Amish country in the dead of winter where we spent a majority of our time building forts and welcomed Baby Bella into our lives. We did a few jobs within our home state of Michigan, and then made our first big drive to Colorado Springs last summer.  I fell in love with hiking at places like the Punch Bowls here and got diagnosed with lupus.  One of my all-time favorite pictures of Bella & I was taken on a trip to the Rocky Mountain National Forest (below).

After Colorado we headed back to Michigan to spend a few months with our families.  That has really been the hardest part of this whole traveling journey.  On the one hand, it is amazing to see the places we have seen and to have done all the things we have done but we miss out on family birthdays, get-togethers and seeing our nieces and nephews grow up.   Because of this we attempted to "travel" within our home state so we could see everyone every few months. While in Michigan we celebrated one year of marriage and visited Niagara Falls in Canada.  After Michigan, we headed down south to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Here we go to play in the Atlantic Ocean and found out Bella needed an expensive and invasive surgery to repair her kneecap.  Rehab was terrible, but she was back on her feet by the time I hosted by first official Thanksgiving dinner as a wife.  After Christmas we rang in the New Year and celebrated husband's 29th birthday.  A few days later, with his job ending in 24 hours we got a call about a position in Beverly Hills, California.  We weren't sure about it, but decided to take a huge leap of faith.  We took the job on a Thursday evening, packed that night and left around 5am the next morning heading for LA.  That coast to coast trip is one that I don't think either of us will forget for a very long time!

In LA I got to go to tv show tapings, eat at amazing restaurants, visit Disney and dip my feet in the Pacific Ocean.  One of the coolest things that happened there was being invited to creator of the Bachelor/Bachelorette Mike Fleiss's home in Malibu and view the season finale of Ben's season with crew and cast...and even OWEN WILSON!   I can still remember the moment when Owen Wilson walked into the party and I almost peed my pants.  Seriously, talk about once in a lifetime!  During this time I also shared our personal struggles from the months past and the outpouring of concern and love shown from the blog world was amazing.  We also got the chance to drive over to Utah and experience the beauty that state has to offer. Our time in LA flew by and our next travel job would take us to northern california just outside of San Francisco.

Here we have seen the Golden Gate Bridge, ridden trolleys, eaten amazing seafood and been surrounded by good friends. I got to visit Facebook's headquarters and tour google, apple and might even get to check off instagram before we leave.   I launched my photography business and have been having so much fun with that.  Now here we are, with our time in California coming to an end in a short 17 days.

We will be heading back to Michigan where husband will work another "travel"  job in his hometown and then we will begin looking for a permanent job.  We are at the point where we have seen a lot and done even more.  We have experienced oceans and mountains and deserts and everything in between.  We have faced the challenges of marriage head on, without our families around and have had only each other to cling to. We've done some crazy things (skycoaster in Colorado, anyone?)  and  some practical things like pay off our credit cards completely.

But we are ready for what is next.  Ready for a home, and to pick out furniture.  Ready to mow lawns, and landscape yards.  Ready for Bella to have a place to run around and dig holes, a place that I can unwrap and use several wedding gifts that we have only ever seen the day we opened them.  We are ready for a permanent mailing address, doctors who know us by name and a routine.  I am more than ready to expand our family and be there for our nephews and nieces Halloween parties, Christmas recitals and soccer games.

But, it is hard to say what these next few months hold.  While our plan is to settle down and plant some permanent roots, life has a way of constantly shaking it up.  Maybe we will get lucky and husband will find the perfect job and my business will take off.  On the other hand we may get to go to Texas like we have wanted to, but no matter what I am so lucky that I have gotten to experience so much life with my husband.  He is so special, and so sweet and I couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else.

So that is where we are for now.... maybe at the end of this year this blog will turn into talk of babies and interior decorating.  Who knows.  I am grateful to each and every one of you though, who go on this journey with me daily and are long distance friends.  Blogging has been amazing, and I love reading back through our adventures and being able to remember moments that I would otherwise forget.  So here is to the GOOD things about the blog community, and to even more ADVENTURES whatever that looks like, and to finding joy in all things every single day!

Over & Out,

A

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