Soul Vacation

In the last post, I promised I would tell you all about my month-long voyage across these beautiful United States back to the Pacific Northwest to visit family and friends. Yes, I drove. To Washington State. From Texas. By myself. And no, I'm not crazy, at least not completely:) I decided to break the driving up into 4 days so that I would have a safe place to stay each night and get to see some of my favorite friends along the way. My first day landed me in Alamogordo, NM, home to the beloved Holloman Air Force Base. I'm not being sarcastic. I absolutely love Holloman and am so thankful that we got to spend 4 wonderful years there. It was great to see some friends from our old base and catch up over dinner. The next day I traveled to Denver, CO, where my good friends, The Browns, reside. So wonderful to spend an entire evening with them, full of laughter and fun. Day 3 brought me to Boise, ID, where I stayed with The Olsons. How wonderful that was:) After all these years, my former roommate and I still have a wonderfully unique bond that is still mysterious to the both of us. Finally, on Day 4, I arrived in my old stomping grounds, Centralia, WA, where I was greeted by my mom, step-dad, and grandparents. I love my family and I'm so glad that I got to spend a few days there with them. During my 3 weeks in the NW, I attended 2 weddings and 1 family reunion. I also got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with some old friends and various family members that I haven't seen in quite a while. I always get to see my family when I come home, at least for a few hours, but this trip allowed me to spend days at a time with my grandparents, aunt, sisters, brothers in law, nephews, dad, mom and all of my in-laws. How blessed am I to have that many people to love. I am forever thankful for that time with my family and friends and it was a great time of clarity and renewal for the next chapter in my life.

This trip was really great for my marriage. I will admit, it was difficult to be away from Ronnie for an entire month, especially at a time when the military is not requiring us to be apart for a typical TDY or Deployment. At the beginning of the trip, I didn't really miss my husband at all. It scared me at first that I was so glad to finally have "alone" time, but looking back now, I can see that I was just recovering from overload. Between trying to be a good Foster Mom to hyper 2-year-old twin boys, trying to be a good domestic diva in my dirtier-than-it's-ever-been house, and trying to be a good wife to my busier-than-ever husband, I was at the end of my rope and my sanity. After the boys left, I had nothing left to give to Ronnie, I am sad to say. I was depleted on every level and I just needed to get away. I left on my soul vacation emptied and discovered along the way how full my life really is. It was rough on Ronnie and I at first, but after a couple of weeks, we started to miss each other. We began to have long conversations on the phone, discussing things that we hadn't been able to discuss in months because of our crazy schedules. We really started to prioritize those conversations and our time together was very special. The fire was reignited and we were longing to be together again. Praise God for that revival in our marriage. Needless to say, by the end of week 3, I was desperate to be back home. I began my 4-day journey back and retraced my steps back across this country. During my drive, I spent a lot of time in thought, in conversations with God, listening to music, listening to sermons online, and listening to a lot of books on disc. Among those books were: "Same Kind of Different as Me," "Bossypants," "Safe Haven," "Oogy," and "Love Wins." I really enjoyed my time on the road and wouldn't have traded it for anything. When I was driving back into San Antonio, I was on autopilot; I had one mission and that was to be home and in the arms of the man I love. To make a long story short, I got home safe and sound, and I had a smiling face and loving arms ready to embrace me:)

I have been home for a month now, and Ronnie and I are doing better than ever. We are taking some time to invest in "togetherness," working on our relationship before we continue Foster Care. We want to make sure we are ready before bringing precious little souls into our home. So for now, it's just us, and that's okay. Truly. I am so thankful to have such an amazing husband, that I can honestly say that I'm content if it's only ever just the 2 of us. I would love to have a child and my heart still longs for a baby, but I am already more blessed than any one person deserves to be. Thank You, God, for never leaving or forsaking me. And Thank You for teaching me about your grace and redemptive love by blessing me with Ronnie. My heart is happy.