I have decided that I am one enormous oxymoron. I'm ok with this fact except I can't help but notice that the second part of the word is MORON and that makes me feel a bit sheepish. I won't make a list of my oddities (because there IS such thing as self-preservation) but I have noticed lately that I get as much excitement out of crazy, chaotic moments as I do when it is completely quiet and the biggest weight on my shoulders is whether I should go to bed early or stay up 30 minutes longer and finish my book. Shouldn't a person be one or the other--is it possible to truly enjoy both moments equally?
The point is, in the past 2.5 months I have done the following:
-Married Michael
-Traveled to Maui, Hawaii
-Unpacked 40 bajillion boxes of wedding gifts
-Sent 40 bajillion thank you notes
-Celebrated Thanksgiving with Michael's family
-Bought a house
-Selected a lender for our home
-Celebrated Christmas with my family
-Celebrated New Years with Kait/Steve and Myers/Karen
-Changed aforementioned lender to NEW lender due to first lender's inability to do their job correctly
-Closed on a home
-Packed 80 bajillon boxes
-Moved into new home
That, my friends, is A LOT of stuff to happen in 75 days. And while there have been a few freakouts/breakdowns, I have enjoyed it IMMENSELY. So my question is, how can I enjoy all of the above nonsense and at the same time LOVE the fact that we took naps on the beach in Maui or that I am perfectly capable of sitting on the (new!) sofa and staring at our fireplace (I call it zoning) for ridiculous amounts of time? Interesting.
Pictures are to come soon but we did have quite the excitement last week with our house closing. After a huge headache on Wednesday of finding out we would NOT be able to close on Friday, we switched lenders, were re-re-re-approved (I say that because we'd already been approved twice by the previous lender) and were still able to close on Friday. Both sets of parents arrived on Friday night and we spent the weekend moving into our new home!! It is crazy that we have a garage, backyard, and neighbors that all have multiple children... all very surreal. Mom compared our street to Wisteria Lane but I am praying that is not the case. Cheaters, killers, and tornadoes--feel free to bypass 110th street and head on over to California, Vegas, or Kansas!
Michael and I made 2 New Year's resolutions: read the entire Bible and workout more. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will be able to keep up with both of them for both our spiritual and physical health's sake!
It's been an exciting few months but I think the pace is about to slow down. We already have many weekends booked due to Mardi Gras, baby showers, trips to visit friends, Bachelorette parties, weddings, etc., but at least we have those 5 days of the week where we can come home and just BE. I guess it IS good that I love a chaotic mess as much as I love a book in bed because that appears to be the life of the Haynes' for quite some time.
As with every new year, I sit back (on our new couch), reflect on the previous year and wonder how it flew by so fast. For example, at this time last year I was newly engaged and thought life couldn't get any better, Kaitlin and Summer were happily dating their own Steves, and Melissa was a glowing newlywed. Fast forward 12 months and I am now married with a brand new house, Kait and Summer are both engaged, and Melissa recently brought Maddilyn Rose into the world. WOW. I can't decide to laugh or cry about the huge happenings that are occurring so often in the lives of myself and my friends. And to think this is just the beginning...
Here's to a great year--It's going to be fabulous!
1 comment:
Jamie and I can totally sympathize with the chaos of the first (and second) year of marriage. There's a lot to do at this age. We haven't bought a house, but we did have to move twice last summer in Chicago - not a pleasant experience - and it seems like now our tiny apartment is a regular hotel, with visitors nearly every other weekend!
I love that you've realized that the only proper posture in the face of all this is one of gratitude. Truly, it's right to give God our thanks and praise for all of this! Congratulations on your new home. I'm sure that in the coming weeks and months, even if ever so slightly, you'll feel more and more like you're at home, and as you do, the blessings will increase.
Take care, and thanks for the update here. Give Michael my best. Hopefully one day he and I can actually chat over beers, preferably in a Chicago pub ; )
Cheers,
Kellen
Post a Comment