Life Lately

With our time here in Europe coming to a close it made me stop and think about the chapter ahead. An international move on the horizon for starters along with a slew of other exciting and life changing aspirations 

And it also made me reflect on this past year as well as our years here living abroad. And oh man, it has been one wild, fun, crazy, unpredictable ride. 

For starters, it's the longest Seth and I have ever loved under one roof together consecutively. 

Can you believe that? 

We've been married seven years and this tour overseas was our constant. 

And as funny as it sounds, I think us being stationed apart so much helped us grow to be the strong couple we are today. We spent so much time separated due to us both being in the Air Force and never stationed together until our joint assignment to England that when we were together we cherished it. Because we knew in a few days he'd go back to his house and me to mine.

England meant we were a family under one roof.

It also meant an insane work schedule for both of us. 

Long, 

long, 

long

hours. 

Which meant our kids didn't get a lot of time with us. 

This was one of my biggest challenges. I'm not a career woman at heart. I'm just not. 

I don't desire to be some high-powered exec and work 12 hour days. 

What I long for is to be home with my babies. 

I want to be at home covered in play-doh and helping with science reports. 

And I tried my best while working; I chaperoned countless field trips in uniform, I spent lunch breaks volunteering to read to my youngest's class, I made sure to leave work on time to make it to concerts and plays. I scrambled to make it to drop them off at school dances and practice on time. I tried really hard to still do it all but I never felt like I could be the mom I wanted to be while I was working.

In these last (almost) three years here, we confirmed to each other that when life gets tough we have each other's backs, because at the end of the day who do you have if not your spouse? 

No matter what, we were a team. 

And anything negative we each had to deal with only drew us closer to each other and solidified our bond.

We travelled to countries more beautiful than I ever dreamed they'd be. 

We ate the food, attempted to live as the locals do. 

Our children have seen more cultures in these threes years than most people do in a lifetime.

We've learned to slow down. England has a slower pace of living. 

You can't always be connected to the internet and you can't easily shop at midnight. 

You aren't rushed to finish your meal in a restaurant, and Sundays are for relaxing. For everyone.

I worked long hours outside the home juggling mom and wife roles. 

Then we made the huge decision for me to become a stay at home mom. It's important to me to be in the home with and raise my kids when they are not school-aged yet. It's just what feels right for me. 

When I had Ethan I knew I was meant to be a mom. That it was my purpose.  So when Seth and I decided to have a baby, getting out of the Air Force was the next step. 

Then the babe came along and we fell in love.

We made life plans and they changed. And we were okay with that because if there's one thing I've learned so far in life it's that you just gotta roll with what comes your way.

And I look back on how much our life has changed since getting here. 

I have a high chair and baby toys littering my kitchen floor. 

I no longer have combat boots in my daily wardrobe. 

I turned my hobbies into a business and I get to do it while raising my babies.

We came to England so differently than the way we are leaving. 

England helped bring us to where we are today. 

And it's not where I imagined I'd be, it's even better.  

England was a lot of things to me, if you know me well you know that to be true. 

But mostly, and perhaps most importantly, England was my saving grace.