March brought Jeremy's 40th birthday and his first spring training trip to Phoenix. He was blessed to be hosted by Bobby Evans, GM for the Giants. He and our pastor, Ryan, flew together and enjoyed three nights and four days of baseball bliss. Jeremy took tons of photos and had much to share when he got home. I managed the home front really well until the fourth day. We were expecting to have daddy home by dinner that fourth night, but snow storms in Denver affected his flight which ended up getting cancelled. He luckily got another flight, but he didn't arrive home until close to midnight. That fourth night of managing dinner/bedtime/homework/school/extra-curriculars for three kids finally did me in. It was exhausting and I needed my partner. I'm thankful that Jeremy had a wonderful trip away to refresh and recharge. We all need to find things away from family that bring us joy, but I'm thankful that most nights and weekends, my man is right beside me helping take care of our crew and he WANTS to be there.
Jeremy's parents came soon after for Easter and Spring Break which I talked about in detail in two other blog posts.
April brought my first trip away from Anna Kate, 18 months. I attended the spring women's retreat at Hume Lake with the ladies of Bayfarm Community Church. Hume Lake was GORGEOUS. It's located in the Sierra mountain range in the Sequoia National Forest near King's Canyon. It took us about five hours to get there. The camp was larger and nicer than I expected. There were about 1000 women there on retreat! The campus was huge! The praise band was so professional and inspirational. I thoroughly enjoyed worshipping in song with them. The women speakers preached and taught the Word. They were amazing women of faith and my heart soaked up so much. I enjoyed activities such as archery, hiking, and jewelry-making. Other activities you could choose included boating, high ropes course, off-roading tours, recreational sports, or simply enjoying the view while sipping on your coffee or milkshakes. The food was actually really, really good! With a camp for this many people, you just never know. However, when I'm not the one shopping for it, putting it up, cooking it, cleaning it up, etc., I find that my enjoyment is even greater. How wonderful to be served well. To eat uninterrupted by little children. To drink your coffee while it's hot without needing to warm it up all morning. These little things were appreciated immensely. I feel like my figurative cup was getting empty and depleted from constantly pouring out for my family. It got filled up and even overflowed by the end of the weekend. I needed this so much.
We used the opportunity for three full days and two nights away to wean Anna Kate. I was down to about 2-3 times a day of nursing her. It's hard to abruptly stop nursing when you're still around your baby all the time. Getting away was the way to do it. Jeremy managed the children well in my absence. He managed Saturday soccer, Sunday church, and dinners/bedtime like the great dad I already knew he was. The wild card was just how Anna Kate would do without her mama milk. I knew he could handle Em and Caleb with ease. Luckily, she did OK. Sometimes I miss how easy I could calm and settle her with nursing (especially in the mornings when she wakes up too early and is cranky), but overall, we've done well with this transition.
April also brought our 10th anniversary. TEN YEARS! Where has the time gone? We've had three children. We've moved three times. Two of those moves were with children and one of them was cross country. We've experienced dual income no kids years. I've worked full-time, then part-time, then prn. Then, full-time mama of three! Jeremy's had jobs he's loved and jobs he just barely tolerated. We've experienced dozens of new places for vacations, day trips, new cities, etc. Our life together is very full and happy. I could write a whole post about my nostalgia on our tenth anniversary and I just might do it! Last night we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Mamacita on Chestnut St. in SF. We walked to the Palace of Fine Arts afterwards. It was a relaxing and lovely evening. Our kids were well taken care of by a wonderful lady we know through our church. We've made a good life here in the Bay Area. It is difficult to imagine where we will be in another ten years. Will we adopt? Will we still be in California? Where will we buy a home? Will we get to take that trip to Greece to see our family? Will Twitter stock rebound or keep falling? Will I go back to work as a physical therapist or in some other capacity? Will Jeremy's app be a success and provide a new job for him in time? Our children will be 16, 13, and 11 in ten years. Oh my goodness, I could just cry thinking about how big and old they will be then. This has been a reflective season for me. Jeremy just turned 40. We just had our 10th anniversary. I have my 20th high school reunion soon. Our biological family is complete (we think?) We are dealing with heavier issues. Heart issues about how to raise our children and where. You better believe we will be praying every step of the way. If you're still reading this long post, then you must love us so please pray for us to be wise.
We leave for Hawaii soon to celebrate our life and love. We have much to do to get prepared for the final details of the trip. I'm thrilled to get away, but also nervous. Mostly just very excited. Five days and four nights in Maui! It will pass so quickly. I hope it won't take another 30+ years for us to go back.
We leave for Hawaii soon to celebrate our life and love. We have much to do to get prepared for the final details of the trip. I'm thrilled to get away, but also nervous. Mostly just very excited. Five days and four nights in Maui! It will pass so quickly. I hope it won't take another 30+ years for us to go back.
