…okay, what a year and a half I guess you’d say. After being what I felt was chained to a desk for 4 years we decided to pick up and head back down south a bit. Quite the disappointment for the grandparents of our brand new baby girl. Not only did we expect their support, but asked for their help to load the moving truck. We sought independence and flexibility. An opportunity to grow and set time aside for us. House hunting in Kentucky in 95 degree weather with a 9 day old baby wasn’t exactly ideal, but hey, we like road trips. After barely getting settled into our new home in the country we were faced with tragedy 3 months in a row involving family up in Michigan. A death in the family is never easy to bear. Especially when they are young or unexpected, and of course when they’re young and unexpected. We certainly did our best to be there for our loved ones, and give what support we could. As the shock settled in we were able to regroup and become closer. Eventually Jenna and I were able to have a couple nice, quiet holidays with our little bundle of joy. Over time we enjoyed different places to eat, met new friends, and even got a little crafty when building some things around the house. It was pretty much what I was hoping it would be like, but something was missing.

Somewhere in there we had friends and family who were kind enough to visit. It was always nice to see familiar faces. They were all fairly surprised to see how we were literally living in the middle of nowhere in the rolling hills of Kentucky. It was pretty cool seeing Amish riding horse and carriage on a regular basis. I loved it. So much wildlife, friendly people, and nobody was really ever in a hurry. Almost a different world really. It would take an hour inside the grocery store just to get a couple things because people would stop us and talk about how cute Adriynn is and then tell us their life story; oh and then tell us all their kid’s lives stories. “Don’t these people have somewhere to be?” was something we’d laugh about regularly. Over time we learned to appreciate it and slow down.

Work was going well. My leader that I worked directly under was one of the best leaders I have ever worked for. A real passion for what he did. It was contagious. While I was there I developed relationships with colleagues that I will always carry with me and appreciate. I was happy with how things were going, but still something was missing.

One afternoon Jenna called and asked to meet for lunch. I figured it was just a chance to meet and see Adri for a quick break. Turned out it was to give me the news that we had another baby on the way! I was surprised to say the least. We tried for years to have our first child. But this was a turning point for me. Our family was growing. When knowing you’re going to have that second child something changes. I came to realize what was missing. Having that face to face interaction with the people that I have spent years building relationships with on a regular basis. The idea of not being able to share the joy that I feel when watching our children grow was taking me over. When thinking about having another child in the mix it was just an easy decision to make. I wanted our kids to know their family. I wanted them to grow up with their cousins and our friend’s children.

It comes down to having that genuine connection with people. There’s just something special about it. Not just with family, but people from all different areas of life. Whether it’s family, sports, business, music, movies, art, whatever. When you talk with someone and find that one thing that you both happen to care about; it clicks. You let your guard down and you can be you. Of course I can be me wherever I am, but now I’d prefer to build upon, and establish new relationships in an area that I can share the joy of my children with their family.