Saturday, October 4, 2014

7 Years

I have no idea why I'm still awake.  Because I'm a night-owl, I suppose.  And because my husband is still at work (and probably will be until midnight -- good times!).  I should be asleep.  Because my munchkin doesn't care when I went to sleep the night before.  She'll wake up at 7 or 7:30.  And she'll be so happy.

Which is good, because it makes me happy too :).  Her happy squeals from her crib that wake me up make forcing myself out of bed a not-so-bad thing.  I actually smile as I hear her.  Who knew motherhood could do that to a not-morning-person such as myself?

But I felt like writing.  And then I felt like looking over where I was in life around this date of the last seven years.  Thank you blogger.  Can you believe I've had this blog for 7 years?  I kind of can't.  My life has changed drastically in 7 years.  It's so crazy.

Last year my baby was a baby.  Where did the time go?  I mean, I remember the days...  And it just doesn't seem possible that they are gone -- that they were a year ago.  That that baby in the pictures can now walk.  And talk some.  And actually do what we ask her to do most of the time.  She understands so much of what we say.

The year before that, I was overwhelmed, emotional, nostalgic.  And pregnant (which probably explained all of those symptoms), but we weren't telling people yet.  We were still newlyweds with no clue how our boat was about to be rocked.  Ignorance was bliss, people.  Ignorance was bliss ;).  (Don't worry...  we survived the boat rocking.  And we are much better for it!  Apparently parenthood is a shock to many...)

The year before that I had just moved into my own little house.  Finally.  After so much time waiting and hoping to be on my own.  Sometimes I don't think I gave myself the opportunity to enjoy that as much as I should have.  But that's okay.  I'm kind of crazy that way.

The year before that, I was getting ready to turn 30.  And listed a whole ton of toots and sweets.  Which made me laugh as I just sat here reading over it.  Holy cow.  Sometimes I crack myself up.  Plus, Lea and I had gone to the play Fame and took pictures with some of the cast members.  That was good times.

Then there was the year before that, when I was tripping to Florida and Alabama.  Or getting ready to at any rate.  My awesome friend April was getting married, and I was going to get to be there :).

And a year before that I was in a blogging funk.  So I was doing tag posts.  I did a one-word tag post where my answer to every question had to consist of one word.  One question was:  significant other?  And I wrote "future."  Hahaha....  Clearly I was full of hope for what would be.  And clearly my hope was founded -- and the promise fulfilled.

Which brings us to the year of my blog's birth.  This blog, at least.  When I was living it up in Tuscaloosa.  Making great memories with Virginia, Le, and Annie, Jeni, and a myriad of others.  I was in a place -- both geographically and metaphorically -- I never thought I'd be.  But I was surviving.  No... I was thriving.

7 Years is a long time.  And so much can change.  It is hard for me to believe that that 26 year old woman beginning this blog would, 7 years later, be a wife and mother.  That her dreams and hopes would come true.  Her prayers would be answered... again and again and again.

Sometimes I can't believe she and I are the same person.  And I guess, in many ways, we are not.  7 years have changed me.  Hopefully for the better.  But either way, I am different.  But grateful for the intervening years.  Grateful for the amazing and abundant life I've had.  Even when it was hard.
Our most recent selfie :)...  It was a pajama kind of day...  A warm pajama kind of day :).

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