We've Come a Long Way, Baby

When I was 19 I waved goodbye to my parents and boarded a plane to Holland. With only 2 suitcases in my hands, a small Max in my belly, I sat in that plane for hours hoping I was making the right decision. But once you are hanging over the Atlantic Ocean at 35,000 feet, there is no going back. So off I was to start my new life with my, then, boyfriend of only 10 months.

After living with my in-laws and getting off to a rocky start in Holland, we finally got the keys to our house in June of 2006. I was a bit shocked when we walked in our house to see that there were no floors, bare concrete walls, and no toilet in the bathroom. With only a little bit of money, quite a bit of debt, and only a few months until Max was scheduled to make his grand entrance, I had no idea how we were going to make that house a home.

For months we ate from his sister's patio furniture in our bare living room, we sometimes struggled to make ends meet in the middle of the month, and sometimes when everything came pouring down on us, we also struggled to work things out without screaming at each other. But thanks to some pretty amazing people, we did it. By December of that year we had a house filled with second-hand furniture that I loved, a stronger relationship, and a beautiful baby boy.

Although 2007 was easier than 2006, we still had our trials, and most importantly, tribulations. After Rob's first deployment that Spring we finally tied the knot in August. Our (very tightly budgetted) wedding was one of the best days of our lives. I don't think I have ever laughed, danced, and ahem drank so much in my entire life. As with everything, all good things come to an end and Rob was back in Afghanistan 4 months later.

2008 through 2009 is a blur of deployments. Between the deployments we made a couple of trips to America, I finally found a job, we took an amazing trip to Italy, Rob got a job offer in Alabama, and we expanded our family with the birth of our little Lucas.

And now, after 10 long months of preparing for our move to The States, WE MADE IT! The next few months, as the next 100 years, are sure to promise more trials, tribulations, and a whole lot happiness. But for now, we're taking it one day at a time and hoping our container gets here soon!

It all sounds a bit crazy looking back on it, but falling in love with the most wonderful man in the world was worth every bit of...well... everything.

PS- More updates on our last week coming soon!