Well… I moved again!
Since I have shared personal moments of my life on here, albeit not always in great detail, I feel it necessary to explain where I am in the world right now, who I am, what I’m doing, and all the other things most people wouldn’t be comfortable telling strangers.
I’m kind of an open book anyway. But no, I’m not sharing my address or anything silly.
I realize that the last time I wrote a post was after I moved halfway across the US, from the NorthEast to the MidWest. It was a much needed adventure that felt like the direction of God and I am so thankful I went for it.
Although I didn’t need to move to beat depression (I will tell you what God has taught me about beating it in another post soon), I did need to step out of my comfort zone, gain some independence as not just a widow, but also as someone who had just come out of a failed engagement and a failed relationship (that’s right, two failed relationships since I lost my beloved late husband). I wouldn’t say I was a mess when I moved though, I would say it was the first time I didn’t feel like a mess in a few years! 3 years of feeling spiritually benched. 3 years of needing to heal and also not sitting still enough to do so. 3 years of being impatient. Finally it was over and the time was right to move.
My father was so sweet and drove a UHaul across the country for me as I packed up the rest of my belongings in a car I had just purchased (yes it was my first car, yes I found it on Marketplace, and yes it had plenty of issues! But I loved it) and headed south on a road trip first to see friends from different periods of my life, including the marriage of a dear college buddy of mine. I certainly took time to smell the roses and do some reasonable solo adventuring (I’m talking restaurants and parks, not solo hikes like some of you crazy people!). I remember stopping at a thrift store and meeting a local painter and being completely hypnotized by her work. I picked out three paintings for my new life and talked with her for a while, and met some strangers who were headed to the same state in the MidWest as I was, at the same time. It was fantastic.
Then I left the South and headed toward my new home. I was not alone there, I had family in town, but it was still a fresh start, a new home, and a place to make new memories.
Hopefully, if you have seen any of my YouTube videos, the different settings will make more sense. This apartment is from my MidWest chapter. It is the first place I got to work from home, learn how to sew a dress, and get to share a “home” building with complete strangers! I felt like I was in an episode of Friends or something. And I did make friends. For privacy I won’t tell you much about them, but I was able to enjoy craft nights, movie nights, heart to hearts, and even a Friendsgiving with some of my unit neighbors! And I learned the names of everyone in my section (only 5 other apartments so it wasn’t too bad).
This was a lot different than the woods and the countryside I was used to! Now, it wasn’t a metropolis either but God knew I wasn’t ready for that. That comes later…
I really enjoyed exploring this area on my own. Although it took a few weeks and lots of YouTube videos on rules, as well as maybe one panic attack at least, I actually took my bicycle and went for a ride – on the street! That was way out of my comfort zone. Back in the boondocks we would ride beside the road. Here I had to ride on the road because the sidewalks weren’t allowed (by the way, sidewalks are awesome!!! I love them!). I remember when I finally got up the confidence to take the center of a lane to get through an intersection. I hadn’t been so bold and nearly got run over on a different occasion (maybe I’m overreacting but it was scary!), so I had to learn to get right in there! I remember someone cheering for me from their car when I moved to a left lane to turn left at one point as well. I was completely shaking, but determined to do it right.
This little area had a lot to offer! I would go for walks to numerous little shops and there were often various sorts of festivals close by. Sometimes for music, sometimes for corn (it was the MidWest after all).
Another great thing about this chapter was that I was in need of community and easily found it here! The first thing I did was start visiting different churches each Sunday and Wednesday. I had never seen a cafe in a church before! This was like… the fabled Bible belt culture! I think I visited 6 or more and finally settled on one – it happened to be my grandparents’ church, but I chose it because it was where I felt noticed and able to connect with other young adults (the only time I have been surrounded by my age group was during my 3 years of college, never before nor since because I was a homeschooler from the woods! haha). That was awesome! We didn’t have a “group” for hangouts so I began talking to pastors and young adults from the churches I had visited and invited them over to my home and my uncle and aunt’s home (they bought a property with hosting in mind and were only too eager to let me invite people over). I was also invited to new friend and family’s houses, for which I was so grateful!
And during all of that adventuring on my own… God had allowed me to meet someone wonderful – online! On Facebook! Like my car and all my furniture, ahahaha.
But jokes aside, we connected online a couple days before I left for the MidWest. I was about to move a thousand miles away from him, but he ticked all my boxes, loving God first and foremost, so I asked him to give long distance a shot. And one month later, once I was well settled into my new territory, he jumped on a plane for the most expensive first date of his life and we met in person at the airport!
I was able to stay at my grandparents’ house so he could stay at my apartment (don’t use long distance as an excuse to sleep under the same roof… trust me!), which meant he also got to meet my extended family on our first date! I know this online dating stuff is pretty common now, but even 3 years ago this still felt a bit novel to me.
Anywho! I won’t go on and on about that part of our relationship (I could write some long-distance dating tip posts in the future though!), so I’ll skip right along and tell you – we were married in 6 months to the day we met at the airport! (See bouquet in progress and engagement location below)
This month will be our 2 year anniversary and I just want to say, although life will have its ups and downs, God is greater (We put that on our wedding bands! G>^V ). He’ll get you through this chapter and bring you somewhere new and it is always meant to bring you closer to Him. Just follow Him and you’ll always be right where you need to be.
Turns out, that meant getting hitched and moving to Canada. There. I told you I would tell you what happened.
