Another Big Year

Via

 I guess we're just in that stage of life where things seem constantly in transition. We're settling into our careers, finding that perfect fit, testing out soil for the best place to dig deep and plant our roots, growing our family, and finding out what this stage of adulthood really looks like. Arguably every year of my life has been a big one, full of its own changes, blossoming maturity, and soul searching. But the past few years have felt bigger and on a slightly faster track.

My so-called resolutions for 2012 were: graduate with my masters degree, buy a house, and get pregnant. We bought our first house in September 2012 and I graduated with my M.Ed in December 2012. We started trying for a baby that November, but didn't actually get pregnant until January 2013. Even so, 2012 was clearly a big year.

2013 felt even bigger. We got pregnant, I carried Grayson for a full 40 weeks, and had him in October 2013. I got my first "big girl job" as an academic advisor at Georgia Southern in June 2013. Everything got serious fast! Suddenly I was no longer a student, I had a full-time career, was a homeowner, and a MOMMY!

2014 did not have as many huge life milestones, but it was an important year of finding ownership in all the recent changes of the past two years. It was a year of striking a balance between work-Christy, wife-Christy, mommy-Christy, and just plain Christy. I added a few more responsibilities to my work life, including teaching an orientation class in the Fall 2014 semester. Grayson turned 1 and I marveled at my ability to see him through his entire first year of life. It both crawled and flew by at the same time. 

Now, twenty days into the year 2015 and I can already feel the weight and anticipation of another big year. We aren't moving yet, but we're talking more seriously about it. We're dreaming up new cities and new Universities--closer to family but still our own. I'm coming to terms with saying goodbye to this place that has become my true home. I will have lived in Statesboro, GA for 11 years this August. 11 years! I have no other place that I call home anymore. This is it. Georgia Southern is my home. Connection Church is my home. This is the town where I fell in love with Scott, fell in love with Jesus, and fell in love with Grayson and being a mom. I have so many friends here. It's comfortable. And this year I'm starting the early stages of weaning myself from it--gearing up for something new. It won't happen this year, but I can feel it coming. Which means this year will be one of cherishing all that I love about Statesboro, while also practicing the idea of letting it go.

We have big goals for this year--mostly financial. We're setting up new savings plans, looking seriously into investment options, and thinking to the future in all that we do. We've added life insurance policies and will soon be drafting a will. If that's not adulthood, I don't know what is! We're working on paying off our existing car and buying a second one -- a minivan. We need something to support our growing family, which brings me to my next point. We are ready to grow our family again! There is no set date yet, but we know we want to start trying for baby #2 this year. Granted, there is no guarantee that it will happen right away or that everything will go as planned, but the fact that we're trying again is a big step in that direction!

This is year of new traditions, new priorities, and really focusing on our own little family. Grayson will turn two this year, and as we near that date, we'll work on weaning from the paci, sleeping more at night, and weaning from breastfeeding. He'll get more teeth and say more words and do more things. It's more important than ever that we're modeling Godly behavior and values to him. It's more important than ever that the decisions we make are made prayerfully and intentionally.

Also this year Scott will be wrapping up his second bachelors degree in Spanish and teaching his first section of FYE 1220 (the orientation class at Southern). Connection Church will be moving into our new building, which will mean big transitions and potential growth for the Konnection Kids band (which Scott leads), and maybe new opportunities for me to serve. My brother will hopefully have enough saved to buy a car and be able to move out on his own (though we'll miss seeing him so often!). We're welcoming a new brother-in-law into our family as Scott's sister gets married. And all in all, it just feels BIG!

So maybe it's not as huge as buying our first home or starting my first big job or having our first baby, but there is a lot on the horizon and it's a time of newness and everything about it just feels overwhelmingly good! I can't wait to see how it all plays out!

How is your 2015 going so far?