before we got married, peter was told he had a possible job in goodland, kansas, so the possibility of living out there was always in the back of our minds. february ended, march began and there was still no news on when he was going to be needed.
so the second week of march was upon us and i got a call from peter one afternoon...due to various circumstances, and it working out perfectly with his jobs, he said he wanted to make a road trip from colorado to illinois to south carolina. this was completely unexpected, but i heard the desire to take this trip in his voice, i heard his excitement as he hashed out all the plans, and i heard his anticipation as he waited for me to respond to his idea.
it was a chance to see my family, visit grandparents, and road trip with peter. i was completely on board. so we finalized travel plans and hit the ground running.
march 20th was here, and before we began the 4,000+ mile trip, peter took me to a castle for the weekend. we were there with a few other couples from our church for the annual marriage retreat my father-in-law and another elder from our church puts on. it was spectacular! because we were the newest married couple, we received the honeymoon suite. and let me tell ya, this place was something special!
the weekend ended all too soon, but our vacation was just beginning. i've always liked road tripping...snacks, music, snacks, movies, snacks?...are all favorites, but being able to spend hours of uninterrupted time to talk, reminisce, and dream with peter was definitely a highlight of the trip.
family time varied from my family and grandparetns, to peters in south carolina. getting time with all these special people, meant the world. there's nothing quite so bittersweet though as finding out your baby sister has matured into a beautiful young lady. conversations like: "how has school been?" "it's been great! i'm really starting to enjoy my studies. and even though math is hard...i'm catching on!" make my big sister heart proud. or her smiling and seeing braces on her teeth...makes me realize she is growing up...and growing up fast.
i've noticed that the hardest part about living away from my family is the mundane things. the litttle stuff. those things that almost seem too insignificant to share...but are so special to be a part of or listen to.
it was an unexpected trip...but one that both peter and i are so
thankful that we ended up doing. we had such a great time and it was a joy to deepen relationships along the way.
so. where does kansas come into all of this? well. while on our vacation, the details for the work-trip began to get nailed down. we found out peter had lodging, but wasn't going to be able to bring me along. with us not knowing if this trip will be one week or two months...that really didn't excite either of us. but a huge thanks to our amazing dad and brother, they fixed up their rv and un-winterized it for us. so when we arrived home in the late afternoon yesterday, we un-packed and repacked, then headed off to grab the rv and head out for kansas.
what has this all taught me?
well, if any of you all know me, you know i like to plan and be organized and have all the finer details worked out. structure and routine are things that help keep me sane.
but. that'a not always how life works.
march and april have taken on a whole new plan than i hadn't prepared for. but it has been so good for me.
it's been a good lesson to let go of the tight grip i have around the planner, and learn that my plans aren't always God's plans.
learning to be spontaneous and flexible is proving to be an area where i get to lean even more heavily on Christ for answers and directions. it's proving to be one of the most adventurous, tiring, enjoyable things we've done yet as a married couple. and i wouldn't change it for the world.
