On the Road & Relationships

Happy 2012! :)  I haven't posted in a very long time.  Honestly, I had many ideas for posting and would sometimes log in with the intention to post, only to see the photo in my last post and decide I loved it too much.  (perhaps a little slow to change?!)

Since that last post in October 2011, there have been so many exciting things going on and thoughts and revelations and moments and trips that I should have captured in print and shared for the few of you out there that read this blog.  But alas, I just kept on keeping on living this blessed life.  Pictures pile up, life happens, and special moments soon become memories.  It has been a cycle, but not a vicious one.

Maybe I'll catch back up someday, but for now I can recap the last couple of weeks.  In the past two weeks (well, two and a half now that I'm settled back in), I have traveled over 2,500 miles on my own through eight states in two different rental cars and completed three audiobooks....and that doesn't include the round trip flight I took from Charleston, SC to Nashville.  I traveled to two weddings, a baby shower, a Mothers Day family gathering, countless work events, visited friends, new babies of friends, family, and friends whom I count as family; yet I won't dare try to count the numbers of loved ones I've seen lately.  There was one stretch in the first week where I channeled my inner Goldilocks and slept in five different beds over five nights.  I've laughed, I've cried, I've gone through way too many drive-thrus and pumped so much gas it's probably hazardous to my health.  And somehow I only missed two days of work.  Sure, I'm worn out from it all....but it's a good feeling of tiredness because while I know I haven't done it all just right, I can rest in the fact that I've given it all I had.  Relationships with friends and family are extremely important, they reap many rewards, but one lesson I'm learning as I grow older (and wiser) is that they don't keep themselves going.  They take investments of time and effort. 

But now the time has come [well, almost].  It's a moment I've been waiting for.  Through the absolutely wonderful times I've had the past two weeks, I am looking for a fun adventure this weekend....getting to spend the first full weekend with my husband since Easter.  And that's putting it pretty lightly since I haven't mentioned that he has been attending grad school since January, worked second shift the month of April, is putting in crazy amounts of overtime hours, and has had extensive work travel in Seattle, San Antonio & Cincinnati during the semester.

My hard working husband takes care of our family and makes our adventures possible.  I am so grateful for him and how he leads us.  He is extremely caring and protective of me, which I'm extremely okay with. ;)   In the midst of his recent jam-packed schedule, he made the effort to book all my hotels and rental cars (not based on the cheapest choices as I would have arranged, but with my safety and comfort as priority), he took money out of the bank so I had cash on my trips (he knows I wouldn't do this on my own), and he has been earning awards and recognition at work.  His work ethic and humbleness are models to strive for.  Multiple times each day I am overwhelmed with the blessings we share and I can't believe just how God laid out this path for this life of joy with this man.  It's not about the stuff he does for me  -- not at all.  These are just recent examples of how he goes over and beyond to show love for me on a regular basis and even during hectic times.  He seems to naturally understand that our relationship takes time and effort.  I guess I'm a slow learner because I'm just now really starting to understand how vital they are to maintain.

I pretty much can't put into words how I feel about my husband and our family and friends.  I'm so thankful - a blessed girl for sure!  So I don't get too sentimental, I'll leave with a few fun photos from the last couple of weeks:

Amy's Wedding in Cincinnati, OH

Catherine's Baby Shower in Northern KY

My work trip to Norfolk & Virginia Beach, VA

 Jillian's Wedding in Lexington, KY

Something I'm looking forward to!

Josh is leaving again for Seattle soon.  A big downfall to my job now is that I no longer get to go with him for weeks at a time (I know, a good job is not a real problem.  So thankful I had the opportunity for uninhibited travel twice earlier this year!).  To make a long story short, I have been sad about Josh leaving for several weeks on the west coast.  He departs on my birthday and will be gone for three weeks.  I realize that this is a short time compared to military deployments and I am very respectful of those who serve our country (and the families left behind), however it is still hard for me when he leaves for these trips.

A few days ago Josh knocked my socks off with a surprise.  It was an after-work early-evening Wednesday.  We had plans to head out together for a couple of errands before our monthly evening Church service.  (Actually it marked a dozen days before my birthday.....so I could sing "the 12th day before my birthday, my true love gave to me....." but that is actually irrelevant, plus I don't sing well!).  :)

Josh told me to stay there (I was sitting on the couch for the couple of minutes before we would have to be gone the rest of the night) and he said he had to tell me something.  I told him that made me nervous, so he replied that was going to give me my birthday present early.  For starters, Josh and I are not really gift givers for each other - we would much rather decide something fun to do together.  Bless his heart, he has learned my not-so-sweet natural reactions so well that he prefaced the gift by telling me not to get upset about logistics because everything is worked out; I promised I understood, although I wasn't too sure.  He reached into his backpack then pulled out a card and gave it to me.

I opened the sweet card and a piece of paper inside caught my eye.  The paper was a printed confirmation for two tickets to go whale-watching in the San Juan Islands (Bellingham, WA) for the last weekend in September.  Hmmmm....that's funny because that's exactly the excursion I wanted to do when we were in Seattle in the Spring, however their tour season had not yet opened.  Only one problem....now I am back in South Carolina and working a job!  I was a bit puzzled about this until I turned to the other side of the paper for a flight itinerary showing my name and round trip tickets to Seattle for the weekend.  He even arranged with my supervisor (whom he's never met) for the short time off of work that I will need to take.  Yes it's going to be a super short time to make a coast-to-coast trip.....BUT WE ARE BOTH SO EXCITED!!!

We know that me being there over part of his trip will make things so much easier for us the following two weeks that he's still in Seattle.  Plus.....WHALE WATCHING WITH MY HUSBAND....definitely on my bucket list!

I am so thankful for my sweet and thoughtful husband.  He is such a blessing to me every day and shows love to me like none other.  I could brag on him all the time, however I usually keep many of his sweet acts between us.  I just couldn't keep this story to myself because two weeks from today I will be with my sweet husband in the Pacific Northwest trying to catch sight of whales and other wildlife.  WOO HOO! :)

If you have been whale watching, please share any tips or advice because I want to make the most of this excursion!  It's an all-day trip to the islands.  There will be a snack bar available plus one meal is included.  I plan to take a backpack with some snacks as well as jackets, umbrella, camera, and other essentials because I want to be prepared no matter the weather.  Since I learned of this surprise on Wednesday, not a single minute has passed that I haven't thought of whales.  SUPER EXCITED!  27 isn't an age I'm too thrilled about, however whale-watching is exciting me something fierce, so at least I get to start off my new age with a bang.