Where the wind takes us

Written mid-September, 2012

Well slowly but surely we have begun to let the world in on our little secret.  It's incredible and exciting and daunting...and really, really wonderful.  Our excitement grows as we realize that the urgency we felt right from the start was more nerves than anything else.  In times of stress, it's natural to grasp for the tangible things to feel overwhelmed about, rather than to take a step back and realize that, in due time, all will be accomplished.  And what isn't accomplished in due time?  Ehh, it's probably not a big deal anyways. 

So yeah, we're in a bit of a calm right now.  Physically, I'm feeling much better than I had been feeling for a while, so that makes the days easier for sure.  My activity level is a fraction of what it once was, and I have to admit that at times I struggle with that, but there is beauty found in embracing afternoon walks over afternoon runs.  I'm taking the scenic route these days. 

It's amazing to think that just a year ago we were still in Mongolia.  At this time last year, I was preparing to move back to Boston and leave my man behind for a few months.  I had just experienced one of the craziest years of my life, and I looked forward to settling into a routine, a peaceful walk to work, a life surrounded by family...I yearned for those simple, everyday pleasures that most people consider to be the monotony of life.  I yearned for a casual dinner with family.  An afternoon jog.  A morning coffee.  Fresh vegetables. 

And then it was mine.  And I embraced it, enveloped myself with it.  It felt right, comforting, home.  Chris returned to Colorado in November, and we spent a glorious Thanksgiving weekend looking forward to our new life and being grateful, oh so grateful, for everyone that awaited us both in Colorado and Massachusetts.  We were surrounded by those who knew us best, those who loved us - as we would utter a few short months later - not because of ourselves, but in spite of ourselves.

Life changes...we got married on the most beautiful day in June.  Crystal clear blue skies, a sea breeze, more joy than we could imagine.  A ceremony filled with family, right down to the Preacher.  Smiles, tears, well wishing and reflection.  All of it beautiful.

A honeymoon of adventure in a 1986 VW Vanagon.  Two weeks to enjoy the coast of Maine, to eat lobster, and to journey where a whim carried us.

Back to our lives in Massachusetts.  The news, a short time later, that two would become three.  And then, another short time later, sharing that news with those we love.  More smiles, more tears, more well wishing, more reflection.  The feeling that we could not be more fortunate than to bring a baby into a family full of so much love.

I tend to think about life as one big adventure, and surely this is the next.  But adventure need not be something grand or daring; rather, adventure may be two parents striving to show their child small wonders in the everyday.  The beauty - the importance - of a casual dinner with family, a walk on the beach, a wander through the woods.  The joy of home baked cookies, casual weekends by a fire, evenings under the stars.

It's true: adventure need not be something grand or daring.  But it doesn't ever hurt to sprinkle in a little of everything just to be certain that things don't get dull, and surely we'll strive for that balance.  Skinned knees and scraped chins, be damned, we're off on once heck of an adventure.  They're always worth it in the end.