No Place Like Home

A colleague once told me that “I can never claim normal again,” and she is so right. Four years ago we set off for our honeymoon and were unsure if we would even make it through one year abroad. Fast forward a few years and you would think we ruled the world. We have taken on a lifetime worth of adventures. When we began this journey, I would have never imagined that I would be writing a post from Japan, live in the Middle East, swim with sharks and an eagle ray on a remote island in Nicaragua, sled down a volcano, sit within a few feet of gorillas for an hour, or that I would travel out of a backpack, most definitely not for eight weeks. That is only the surface of what we have done, and for this little girl who swore she would never live anywhere else besides Nashville, (sorry John and Nanny for breaking my promise) I could not be more proud of us and all that we have accomplished.

I won’t lie and tell you it has been easy every step of the way. We’ve taken gigantic leaps of faith, and there are days when I’d rather stop “adulting” if you will, but I thank God for the lessons learned and memories made. While I am forever grateful we will never be “normal” again, I am so excited for our next ~~normal~~ adventure: home! I know we will miss aspects about life abroad, but it’s time to lay down what’s good and find what’s best. Right now that means home for us, and we are looking forward to what’s ahead.

Thank you to mom, John, Austin, Cindy, Mark, Whitney, Tammi, our grandparents, Brieana, Kristie, Emily, Rachel, and Jordan who have encouraged, visited, and been there for us along the way. There’s a real sweet song out right now that says something like “we will build this love from the ground up,” and despite a few small bumps in the road, what an awesome foundation we have to build on.

Some favorite moments from our last four years: