Me again. Back after another year. I’d like to think that I’d one day get into a cadence of writing more than once a year but let’s be honest. Life is busy. Birthdays feel like an appropriate time to reflect and we’re now a little bit beyond a month past my 32nd trip around the sun. My last post left us when Marc, my now husband, got down on one knee in one of the most picturesque sceneries out there. Second best day of my life thus far.
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| Let's take a minute to remember this amazing moment |
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| Radar the morning of our wedding. We are the black dot. |
In hindsight, our actual wedding day was far from perfect. The hair and makeup artist I booked 6 months prior cancelled less than two weeks before the wedding. We woke up on the big day to tropical storm winds and rain with a forecast that wasn’t promising. The decorations previously set completely blew off the tables. The white chairs arrived looking like they’d been tied behind a truck and drug for a few miles on hot black asphalt. The lights strung throughout the yard went out more than a few times as the darkness of the country night set in.
But like we’ve learned, perfection is about perspective and imperfection is often where the truly important shines through. People talk about tribes and, man, were we reminded how lucky we are to have ours. I still get tears in my eyes and an indescribably overwhelming sense of gratitude for the love and true friendship I have in my life. Our best friends and family spent their day taking down and putting decorations, scrubbing chairs with a toothbrush (not kidding), setting up chairs inside the tent then outside the tent then inside then outside, driving through torrential rain to pick up cakes and umbrellas and utility rugs to stop the flooding, fixing electrical issues with the lights (yay for smart friends). The memories made laughing our way through that imperfect day are just as fond as the ones we made when the skies miraculously cleared, the temperature held in the 70s, and the celebration went off like nothing was ever an issue.
Our best day was one where we got celebrate our love and partnership with those closest to us, and by those standards, it was absolutely perfect.
Exactly two months later I got to tell my new husband that he was going to be a dad. Baby Leachman is due in March of next year. Pregnancy has been nothing like I thought it would be. All four wheels on this previously well-oiled machine fell off at about 5 weeks, and it has, without any doubt, been a lesson in patience and grace. But that is a story for another time. With 23 weeks down, the best way I can describe how I’m feeling is honored. I’m extremely honored to be able to bring our son into this world in a few short months.
So in the last 13 months we’ve gotten engaged, bought a house, renovated a house, finished a second Masters degree (him not me), gotten married, and grown half a human (me not him). Before we enter life’s next biggest chapter of parenthood, we’re closing this one out with some backpacks and barbells. We just set off on a month-long tour of Australia and New Zealand.
But like we’ve learned, perfection is about perspective and imperfection is often where the truly important shines through. People talk about tribes and, man, were we reminded how lucky we are to have ours. I still get tears in my eyes and an indescribably overwhelming sense of gratitude for the love and true friendship I have in my life. Our best friends and family spent their day taking down and putting decorations, scrubbing chairs with a toothbrush (not kidding), setting up chairs inside the tent then outside the tent then inside then outside, driving through torrential rain to pick up cakes and umbrellas and utility rugs to stop the flooding, fixing electrical issues with the lights (yay for smart friends). The memories made laughing our way through that imperfect day are just as fond as the ones we made when the skies miraculously cleared, the temperature held in the 70s, and the celebration went off like nothing was ever an issue.
Our best day was one where we got celebrate our love and partnership with those closest to us, and by those standards, it was absolutely perfect.
Exactly two months later I got to tell my new husband that he was going to be a dad. Baby Leachman is due in March of next year. Pregnancy has been nothing like I thought it would be. All four wheels on this previously well-oiled machine fell off at about 5 weeks, and it has, without any doubt, been a lesson in patience and grace. But that is a story for another time. With 23 weeks down, the best way I can describe how I’m feeling is honored. I’m extremely honored to be able to bring our son into this world in a few short months.
So in the last 13 months we’ve gotten engaged, bought a house, renovated a house, finished a second Masters degree (him not me), gotten married, and grown half a human (me not him). Before we enter life’s next biggest chapter of parenthood, we’re closing this one out with some backpacks and barbells. We just set off on a month-long tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The Kiwi and Aussie Itinerary
Cairns, Australia
Port Douglas, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Queenstown, New Zealand
Te Anau, New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand
"Life is short, and the world is wide."
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Just a few of my favorites..
