As the new year rang in I found myself on a plane somewhere over the Pacific headed to China. I’d always wanted to go to China (for the Chinese food, obviously) and I was finally going for work. But I wasn’t as excited as I wanted to be: two days before the man I love had asked me to marry him and now I was 7000 miles away from him.
Thirteen hours after getting stuck in a tiny seat between two large men, I landed in China. I didn’t have time to be sad, though: the next two weeks held nonstop adventure, work, and plenty of Chinese food.
February, March, and April were a flurry of wedding preparations. I’m forever grateful for our community and friends who stepped in and volunteered their time and energy to help me do something I’d never done before and I hope to never do again. Wedding planning is not my thing.
I’ve never been so aware of the blessing that family and friends add to our lives. Their generosity and creativity blessed us both so greatly. And now I had an even bigger family, whom I have grown to love too.
April 29th went off without (and with) a hitch. We then set off on two weeks of adventure that included all the best forms of transportation: plane, car, boat, bike, and train. Snowy mountains, hot desserts, and sunny beaches welcomed our stressed and tired selves.
I’d never been farther west than Ohio (except if you count China) so seeing Colorado, California, and the Hawaiian islands was the greatest fun. Riding in a sleeper car for 23 hours, driving (yes, I drove it) a train, riding our rental convertible through the Sierra Nevada mountains in a blizzard, seeing San Francisco, and experiencing the sunrise from a Hawaiian volcano were the highlights of the trip.
The adventure of married life had begun. It’s fun being married to your best friend: you get to go camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, eat sushi, and travel together any time you want.
My circle had already expanded to include my husband’s wonderful family, but it became more of a reality when his sister moved back into the area in the summer, allowing me to be an aunt to three adorable children. I was again an aunt in August when my brother and his wife had his first, a baby girl.
In October we had the joyful news that we were to have our own little one. How appropriate that he/she is due on Father’s Day, 2018. Again, I was reminded of how God places people around us to support us in things that we ourselves know nothing about. Babies are that thing. Luckily my body seems to know what to do without me telling it. (Although I’d happily tell it to stop being queasy, tired, and sore if it asked me).
On December 13 we closed on the most adorable house in Potsdam (if you see it, you’ll agree). Being a homeowner is going to be a whole new adventure. I’m not really worried, though, because M can fix anything: cars, leaky pipes, electrical outlets, and anything else I break.
World traveler, wife, aunt, homeowner, soon-to-be mom… 2017 held many changes for my life. Some difficult, some easy and joyful. But as I reflect as the year comes to a close, I’m more grateful than anything else. God is good and He always provides, protects, and loves more than we could ever think or imagine.
You may be thinking “Nice story, Deb, but what does this have to do with me? Why am I even reading this?” Well, you might be nosy. Or just curious (congrats on making it almost all the way through this, by the way). Or you may want to join me in celebrating what God can do in a life in a year.
So often I look at my present situation and wonder how the problems I face will be solved. They seem insurmountable. But look back to a year ago. I didn’t think anyone would ever marry me, I didn’t think I’d get to “see the world”, and I never thought I’d be a mom or own a home.
I never dreamed all of the adventures, joys, and love that could be found in a single year. This isn’t one of those “I had a rough year but I came out ok” posts. This is actually to say: rejoice with me, for God is good. And even though I know this, I need to remind myself of it daily to combat the daily difficulties. I hope that today as you remember your year, you are reminded of it too.