It has been a long summer. Long and hot. I’m ready for fall!! Anyway, we visited our families for almost 3 weeks and I have so many pictures from those days that it would blow up Instagram to post them all. So, hello my little blog. I have missed you.
Annnnddddd…that’s a wrap!
I liked flying the very first time I was ever on a plane. I was 18 years old. It was an hour and a half long. By the second flight (same day), which was to INDIA, I was done. I hated flying.
My feelings haven’t changed. In fact, they’ve gotten worse. Especially now that I have children. The last flight I was on was Christmas time. I was 7.5 months pregnant with a 1-year-old that was going through a “mama only” phase. SHOOT ME. I thought I felt claustrophobic alone? gah.
When Nick and I sat down to buy our tickets this time around, I literally almost had a panic attack. Every time he would go to hit “purchase”, I would stop him to recheck the time or the date or my calendar or anything I could think of. I was so nervous. I am still so nervous! My plans Wednesday? Stress out and panic. Thursday? Freak out.
1. I have never nursed on a plane. I don’t even like to nurse outside my house because Belle doesn’t like it…so thats fun.
2. Solace is mobile. Need I say more?
3. It’s so long. Seriously. I love the Pacific Northwest but why is it so far from the east coast??
4. I get claustrophobic on planes. Always have.
5. What if I don’t have enough snacks? food? toys? games? energy? clothes? diapers?
6. The day will never end. Isn’t that how it always feels on travel days even when you’re alone? Multiply it by 10 and that’s how it will feel with 2 children.
I am probably making too big of a deal about this, but OMG I DON’T WANT TO DO IT. Why hasn’t time travel been invented yet?
Back in the day, I used to travel a lot and stayed in tons of people’s homes. I loved that part. I met so many awesome people and built up some crazy, fun stories to tell. This is one of those stories.
I was engaged. I was planning my wedding. Didn’t have my wedding dress yet; I was still on the lookout. I can’t remember the name of the family we stayed with but my friend, Bethany and I were staying with them and they had a daughter that was recently married. We talked wedding stuff constantly and looked through her daughter’s wedding photos. Her dress was absolutely beautiful.
I couldn’t stop thinking about their daughter’s dress. It was a beautiful ball gown dress. It was a deep, light rose color. Ok, that probably only makes sense in my mind. But it was gorgeous. It was simple and yet stunning.
So, we each had our own room that week. If you know anything about me, you know I am nosy. Like, nosy. I can’t help it. Don’t let me be in your house by myself. (That’s an exaggeration…maybe) Naturally, I started poking around the room I was staying in. I had the closet left. And what do you think was in that closet? The Wedding Dress.
There wasn’t a lock on my door. That didn’t stop me. I grabbed it out of the closet and opened it up and there it was. It was as beautiful as the pictures said. I thought for maybe a second about putting it back after that, but insanity kicked in and I started ripping off my clothes and put on that girl’s dress. (In my defense, she’d already worn it and gotten married.)
It fit like a glove! I’m not even lying. I was amazed. Like any girl would, I twirled around in it and admired myself in the mirror. Then someone knocked on the door. I flew around to the side of the bed and ducked down; heart racing, “Who is it?” Fortunately, it was Bethany. I told her to come in quickly and the look on her face was priceless. She’s one for “breaking rules” and thought it was hilarious that I had it on. She agreed it was gorgeous.
She left and I carefully put the dress back the exact way I found it. I seriously considered asking if I could wear it for my wedding, but it was way too nice for what Nick and I had already had planned.
If we had a re-do wedding? I would wear that dress. No questions.
No really, I am moving to Washington. My little family and I are headed to Tacoma, WA where Nick got a brand new job. He’ll be working for Soma as their National Director of Communications! It’s a perfect job for his skill set. I’ve never been out west, let alone the pacific northwest, so I am excited to experience it!
However, I am devastated to be leaving my amazing friends here in Minneapolis. My heart is heavy with grief just thinking about it. I’ve had several people attempt to ease that pain with the consolings of “you’ll make new friends.” While that’s well and true, it doesn’t lessen the pain of leaving friends here. And moving even further away from Nick and I’s family. And leaving Drew and Linds.
I’ve lived near or with Drew for the past 6 years. And now that Lindsey is a part of the family, and one of my dearest & closest friends, I’m unsure how I’ll handle being apart from them. As well as her beautiful baby belly; my little niece or nephew.
I’m excited to go, and sad to leave. I’ve been doing a lot of praying and relying on Jesus to be my strength at this time. I’m so proud of my husband who provides so well for us and is literally amazing at everything he does. I know we will be taken care of.
The kicker is, we are leaving Mpls the beginning of June. Nick is driving out with all our belongings June 9 and then Sol & I will fly out the 12. I know. Soon. We already found a place to live that we really like (at least from the pictures). It’ll be fun to get settled. I won’t be landlocked anymore! It’s so bittersweet.
Come visit us before we leave! I’ll be packing like a mad woman.
This past weekend was Monica and Andrew’s wedding! These guys are in my small group and I’m so blessed to have them there. I couldn’t imagine not going to their wedding so, Katie, Carrie and I road tripped to Montana to celebrate with them. It was SO FUN. I had never road tripped with just my girl friends before. I was surely missing out on some good times!
I can’t even begin to tell you all about the funny things we experienced. However we did encounter:
-Flooding in Fargo
-The endlessness of North Dakota
-Wendy’s is gross. In a hurry? Eat somewhere else. It’ll mess. you. up.
-Katie’s version of Yoga
-How tired you get from sitting in a car doing nothing
-Waffle Makers at our hotels. WIN!
-10 year old girls (Hannah and Madison) that had a room connected with ours and got up at 6AM!
-A pact to keep our attitudes happy after being woken up early and angry. see above ^
-Monica’s Wedding!
-Red mud out in the middle of nowhere while trying to find the wedding
-The 2nd Largest Dinosaur Museum in….MONTANA!
-The Theodore Roosevelt National Park
-BISON!
I wish I was still on that trip. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. Of course, I did need a whole day to recuperate afterward. I think it had something to do with 10 year olds and flooding. yeeeeah.
1. Nick has been gone for a mission trip to Guatemala for a week. He won’t get back until next Sunday. Do you have have any idea how ridiculously not fun this has been? It’s below the “I’m having the worst week ever and wish it never happened” meter. Poo. Next time, I’m going.
2. Katie and Trent are married! I sang at their wedding with Jason Calcote. Very fun and very nerve wracking. I didn’t want to mess up her song as she walked down the aisle! That would have been terrible. But God is good and guided my voice the way He wanted.
3. I was an over achiever and decided to move while Nick was in Guatemala instead of waiting for him to get back. This has resulted in me being overwhelmed and earning the nick name “beast” from several people. However, Saturday was the moving day and it went by fantastically! We had so many wonderful helpers and great fellowship (minus the man across the street who doesn’t get a story on this blog. ever).
4. I can’t move around in my new house with getting a workout. I am crawling under, over and around everything. Therefore, I bought 2 bookcases from IKEA (I love that store!) and, over achiever me, put them together when I got home. Drew did most of the work, and what I did, I failed. But that was only in the first one! Remember, folks, I bought 2. The second time round was faster and smoother. Needless to say they are standing tall and proud in my living room which actually now looks like a living room. All of Nick’s books, only Nick’s, are going on these 2 bookcases. That will either be a late night task tonight or my morning task tomorrow. We’ll see!
5. Ice cream and LOST are calling me. I can hear it from my loft bedroom. Who ignores that? Cheers!
Lady Solace
Lady Belle
Butterball Boy
Becky Laparra 