The Good, The Bad, The Update

There are a lot of humans and animals in this house,
but we love each other...except Theo and River.

Life loves to create awkward moments, to cause undue levels of stress, to cramp your style. Sometimes, it feels like every part of life is uncomfortable and difficult. With the wonderful, comes the difficult. It wouldn't be realistic if everything went smoothly. But man, sometimes things are so much MORE than we can handle. This year has been a wild and crazy trip. We packed up everything we owned, trekked almost 1,800 miles, and found ourselves in a swampland we'd never even visited. We found an amazing church, made wonderful friends, and had some crazy adventures (canoeing chigger bites, cemetery tours, Bourbon Street, and most of all - jumping out of an airplane!!!). We suffocated in the heat, blew a lot of money, and suffered some medical hardships (eye problems, miscarriage, back surgery).

About the time that everything seemed to be going wrong for us, my husband decided to start applying for jobs closer to our family, and/or long-time friends. He did several interviews, but every time it was a "no", it simply broke his heart. And then, just when we decided it was time to really settle in to our life in Louisiana, a job offer came! Back in our former home, the beautiful state of Montana. We jumped at the chance to go "home", felt we needed the close-knit support system we'd gathered.

So with my mostly immobile husband recovering on the couch, I packed up our little house entirely by myself, helped a few nice guys load our moving truck (which was a fiasco itself...wrong size truck? Kill me now...), and drove that same 1,800 miles home, following a UHaul. And honestly, leaving Baton Rouge was harder than I thought it would be. We met some amazing people. And it was extra difficult because, unlike when we left Montana, I knew that we would probably never see a large portion of those amazing people again. More than anything, I hate goodbyes. They break my heart. Permanent goodbyes, doubly so.

Now we're back in Billings, where we feel like we belong, freezing our butts off. We're living off the generosity of amazing friends that are letting us stay in their basement, while we HOPEFULLY finish closing on a house (inspection repairs are still up in the air). Our friends are incredible, putting up with us daily. But while we're so very grateful for them, it's still hard to not have our own place. Living out of suitcases is messy and wrinkly and frustrating. Air mattresses are uncomfortable and loud and cramped. Our dogs are stressed, we're cranky a lot, and our friends can't wait to have alone time. To top it off, I'm a clumsy fool, fell down the stairs, and broke their railing. Those things really are tough, I'm not discrediting that. But in the long run...this short time will just be a blip on the radar. This too shall pass, and we need to focus on being appreciative of what we do have–the support system we so desperately craved when nothing seemed to be going our way.

It's so easy to focus on the negative in life. Our society seems to thrive on negativity these days. But I believe we need to choose joy.

This last year has not been easy, but it has taught us so much about ourselves. We've grown as individuals and as a couple. We've faced fears (Seriously. Jumped. Out. Of. An. Airplane.) and pain (turns out miscarriages make you feel like you’re being stabbed in the abdomen, and ruptured discs are debilitating) and survived (by the skin of our teeth!). We've overcome, we're stronger than we think.

With the good always comes the awkward. That's life. But we can't give up, simply because times get rough. It's impossible to move forward if we latch on to negativity. I'm beyond grateful for everyone that welcomed us to Louisiana, for an amazing and hilarious softball team, for the opportunity to experience a place that is so different from anything I had ever known. I'm also so appreciative of the network we have in Montana, for the beautiful snow, and for this awesome new job opportunity. There can be joy in everything, if you choose to look closely enough.

Positivity can literally change the world.

Always,
Jaci
(Apparently I'm really into parenthesis tonight.)

The air mattress is GREAT for cuddling!

When your toy gets stuck in the laundry basket,
it feels like the end of the world.

Living out of a suitcase is messy...
even more so if your dogs think it doubles as a bed.

The snow is wonderful, beautiful, and fun. 

It might be cold outside, but snow angels are worth it!

Extremely fancy writing zone.