Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Capturing Love in 2015

2015 has been such a contradicting year for me. There's been some positives and some set backs. The year did not start off so well. January was the month we lost the second baby we thought we'd be welcoming in 2015. April and August 2015 marked the expected due dates of the two pregnancies we lost. Whereas we were suppose to have a third baby for its first Christmas this year we do not. However right around the August due date we found out we were pregnant for a third or fifth time I guess depending on how you count these things. In November we found out we'd be expecting a baby boy, and now in December we've been faced with worrying about his health in particular with his heart. So our dream of having and raising three happy, healthy children has been the mountain to climb in 2015. That journey will continue into 2016. God willing we will have a baby brother to bring home with us in April (or May if he's late and depending on what he needs) and he will be healthy even if we have to go through some medical hurdles after his birth to get there.

Whereas that's been the tough part of 2015 watching the other two blossom as they turned six and four has definitely been one of the highlights. Every age I think I love the best. They both have such entertaining and loving personalities and in such different ways. Seeing the love your children have for each other is just one of the best experiences of parenthood. They have their moments where they fight but they really are the best of friends. They're both so smart and I don't what other way to put it but socially gifted. They do great in school and with their peers. We really have been so incredibly blessed with them. I pray they continue to blossom and thrive in 2016 and I know they will both be great big sisters to their little brother.

Job wise Nate and I both made changes that have given us our best, most enjoyable year of teaching in our 11-12 year careers. We've both had moments of wondering if we could stay in the education field but right now I think we've both found contentment with our careers, which when you spend so much of  your time at this point in your life at work and it's not exactly something you can go without, this has been a huge blessing of 2015. Hopefully this blessing carries through in 2016!

After struggling financially through 2013 and 2014 with buying our house and renting the other one in the city year #3 in 2015 has been the year I feel that we finally got our head above water! As much as we like to say money isn't everything; it is something though. The hard facts are when you're struggling with it, it's unfortunately like the first domino that falls that starts knocking everything else off balance. It's been a rough road at times to get to this point but I am so thankful that we finally made it here!

I would consider 2015 a successful year on the traveling front for us. After our upcoming trip for the holidays we again made it to both of our families at least twice, saw all seven great grandparents and all five grandparents, all the aunts and uncles and first cousins, most of the great aunts and uncles and second and third cousins, and friends that are like aunts and uncles. We were able to get together for three events in May, July, and last weekend with our Phi Psi friends, visited with our VA friends 3-4 times throughout the year, and of course spent several Saturday nights with our beloved Baltimore family. As much as I love traveling to new places part of it too is making the time for all these amazing people in our lives. I wanted to build a life completely on my own in my own individual way and that included where no one else was but in order for that to be successful in my eyes it had to still include the people that have always mattered in our lives. Too often we move on in our lives and when we do that we leave people behind. Making time and traveling for the ones we love is part of what makes not just this year but all the years prior successful. On top of the trips to MO,PA/NY, and VA we got in our wonderful beach trip to Alabama, along with a short stop in Chattanooga TN, camping in West Virginia, and the beach for the weekend in New Jersey.

Aside from the highlights and setbacks there's been the usual. With two houses it feels like something always needs to be fixed; however, the flooded basement did result in us getting to redo our basement into Nate's envisioned man cave (still minus the bar though). Oh and I did get a dishwasher in 2015!  Nate got his new truck which I'm sure is a highlight for him and luckily that gives us one vehicle under warranty while my car is I think possessed as I've never had the car in the shop as much as this one. We also had to say good bye to our Bette boy, our ten year old weimaraner that had been with Nate and I from pretty much the beginning. There are times we really really miss him and I love that the girls still bring him up; maybe they'll remember him. But I know he had a great life with us, and I love that he's now forever a part of our story.

Here's the thing I've learned. As we've moved forward towards our goals with work, the house, finances, and building our family there is no reaching perfectionist. I think when you're a control freak, list checker like me we tend to think once this is done or that is done it will all be perfect, just the way I envisioned. Maybe like those happily ever after moments we do get moments here and there of reaching perfection but if we keep looking ahead to when we expect something to be perfect we'll miss the moment that is. Because perfection isn't in what we think it is. It's not everything lined up perfectly. It's seeing the beauty in what is right here, right now.

I spend way too much time worrying about what is next. Even as much as I know that about myself, it's not the easiest thing to change. So sure I could get hung up on the struggles of 2015 and sometimes I do let myself but then I stop and I see right here, right now with where we're at in life is a great place to be. Sure there are things-good and bad- to look back on, and things ahead to anticipate in excitement or worry excessively about but I'm not standing in either of those places at this moment.

So no matter what you're leaving behind in 2015 or what you're expecting for the year ahead in 2016 let it go, at least for a little awhile, and be in the moment with the loved ones you have with you to celebrate this holiday season. And if  you have no one we'll be in Missouri, join the party, there's so many of us we won't notice the extra people. Just join the conversation and you'll fit right in. Happy holidays and wishing you a blessed holiday season and year in 2016!

With much love, The Glenns

                                                         Capturing Love in 2015















































 

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