I had an interesting realization this week: As of this Friday (October 31, 2008), it will have been an entire year since I moved back to Coeur d'Alene, ID from Huntington Beach, CA -- An ENTIRE YEAR. It was a huge leap of faith that has paid infinite dividends. So much has changed, and though I would never, ever go back on my decision to leave, I do have many fond memories of a year spent in California, celebrating my youth, my freedom from college, and the ability to move to a new, exciting place... just because I felt like it.
The older I get, the more I realize that many of life's unexpected twists aren't necessarily destinations, but rather, pivot points in a long string of events that brings us to greater happiness at each turn. I never dreamed I'd live six blocks from the beach. I thought, "Hey, if this is permanent, I'm in paradise!" And now? Well, for starters, I'm almost a thousand miles away from where I was before (938, if you ask Google Maps), and I suppose you could interpret that in a literal and figurative sense. A year has brought a potpourri of jobs and friends, marriage, three different places I've called "home", and a greater, more solid sense of who I am and why I'm alive.
And am I still in "paradise". Oh, yes... more than I could have imagined. The definition has just changed.
You see, I've learned that my "paradise" doesn't necessarily include palm trees or dance parties. It's not really a place, but a state of being. Paradise isn't looking across the ocean anymore; it's looking across my tiny, one bedroom apartment at a man I barely knew a year ago, and seeing the smile on his face that says more to my heart of paradise than any Pacific Ocean sunset.
And if you can handle just a few more sappy words of wisdom, I think Kenny Loggins knew how I'm feeling now when he wrote "Danny's Song"...
"And even though we ain't got money... I'm so in love with you, honey, and everything will bring a chain of love. And in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes, and tell me everything is gonna be alright."
Let's observe the facts...
OCTOBER 2007
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
Marital Status: Single and looking. Had a crush on every boy. I wanted so badly to find the man of my dreams, but was having a hard enough time finding anyone to date in a place where I was surrounded by eligible bachelors. I didn't understand it then, but I do now...
Home: House, 6 blocks from the Pacific Ocean
Roommates: 7 (Kari, Jana/Heather, Allison, Jess, Lisa, Jessica, and Sugar)
Best Friend: Allison, my cousin/roommate... and many other close girlfriends
Jobs in the last year: Marketing Rep , Server, Nanny, Window Sales
Activities: Dance parties, working out, planning FHE activities, Institute, shopping, eating out a LOT
Dates Included: Fancy dinners, Disneyland, Motorcycle rides, California sunsets
Wish List: A boyfriend (heck, a date would suffice), to find greater joy
Happy?: Sure, but still looking for something more
OCTOBER 2008
Location: Rexburg, ID
Marital Status: Married... Very happily married. Next week, I will have been married for 6 months. Wow!
Home: Apartment, 6 blocks from BYU-Idaho campus
Roommates: 1 (Adam)...
Best Friend: My husband, Adam
Jobs in the last year: Cust. Service Coord., Plasma Slave, Actor, Taffy Maker, Substitute, Barista
Activities: Cooking/Baking, decorating, finding crafty ways to make extra money, Scrapbooking
Dates Include: $5 Dominoes Pizza and $1 Red Box movie rental, at home with Adam
Wish List: Kids, a house of our own, financial stability... and I sure do miss shopping.
Happy?: More so than ever. Joyful.
I thought I was losing everything, and was given a hundredfold in blessings in return for having the sense to follow my heart. What a journey.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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5 comments:
What?! I've been replaced on the best friends list? Who does Adam think he is . . .
Oh I loved this post. So cute. And whenever I read about other happily married people it is kind of like a little reminder of how much happiness I have found in only a couple of years. And congrats on the six month mark. It just gets better and better ;)
The things that all seem important change so much when you fall in love, we're so happy for you and even your return to Rexburg!
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** We shamelessly own all 10 seasons of friends. And even after watching them over and over again, we still find them hilarious.
** On our first date, we walked 8 blocks in the cold to Wingers restaurant and watched The Incredibles at the movie theatre.
** We going into a family restaurant business called Cafe Chulo!
** We both love Steve Nash (in different ways). If you don't know who he is, SHAME ON YOU!!
** We have a little boy named Austin and a Baby Girl on the way who we will name Brooklyn. Coinsidently both are named after cities.
** We lived 2 hours apart when we were kids and never knew it, but then moved thousands of miles apart when we were in highschool. In the end we ended up at the same college town after we graduated highschool.
It's crazy how much things change in a year, even after you're married. This time last year things were totally different than they are now. I think recording those kinds of changes can be neat, especially seeing the good in those changes.
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