If I were to remember the wilder early days of when my husband and I first started dating, I would tell you we were young, and spontaneous, and slightly irresponsible. I would probably tell you about our epic road trip which originated to get to Allen's cousin's wedding in Tacoma, Washington. We took the loooong way to get there. We went up to Yellowstone National Park and explored Glacier National Park and camped all along the way. We stopped in Olympic National Park and then finally arrived at the wedding. I remember laughing and singing and not having a care in the world even though we had almost no money at all. We were young and looking for adventure.
Certain music can make you nostalgic. The Grateful Dead and Citizen Cope were some of the more extensively played artists on this particular trip. I think of having the windows rolled down when the weather was sunny, the snowstorm we went through in Glacier National Park, and the rock slide that almost nailed our campsite in Yellowstone as our music blared. We lived in the moment and were completely carefree. A few months after we returned, I was pregnant with my first child and life changed. It changed in a wonderful way, and we grew up gradually over time together as a couple and as a young family. It wasn't easy because we were so young, and had different ideas about things, and maybe a little stubborn too. But life surprises you and I am so grateful it worked out the way it did for us. Last weekend we went to see Citizen Cope and Trevor Hall live at Red Rocks Amphitheater. If you ever get a chance to see live music at this venue, go! The huge rock walls surround the audience and provide amazing acoustics and also protection from the wind. The city lights can be seen over the top of the stage and you can see the stars when you look up in the sky. We had not ever been to live music together. Separately, yes we have seen loads of live music, but having kids changes your lifestyle. Not in a bad way. Your priorities change and there are seasons of life. Now that our kids are older, we are in a new season of life. Still very engaged in our children's lives, but they are also busy with their own endeavors. It's a very special experience to recalibrate in marriage. We get to be kids again, in a way. We are rebranding our friendship and our marriage. While considering what this next phase of our lives looks like, I look forward to us knowing each other in new and better ways and honoring all of the past that belongs to us together. I like all the history we have. In fact, I love our history. I love that it wasn't perfect and that we struggled and we are closer now than ever before. We learned about each other, apologized a million times, tried harder to be better to each other and the best parents we possibly could for our kids. All the while, we tried to make our own way in the world individually. We have grown up together and alongside each other. Life isn't perfect but you can't appreciate the light without experiencing the dark. We get to see what's next for us and how we want to continue to grow in this next chapter. I love our story because we are on the other side now. We faced challenges together and got through it and we are better for having gone through all of it.
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AuthorMy cathartic stream-of-consciousness processing of the day-to-day. Archives
September 2023
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