thankful Thursday: birthday trip to SSI

Zack knows his wife well and took me on the perfect little getaway for my birthday. On my actual birthday, I worked some and visited with friends. Zack was working, so we went out to a late dinner. 

We got to celebrate big with a trip to St. Simons Island later. We flew down on a Monday with no plans at all, stayed at the hotel recommended by the FBO staff, and ate our way around the village. We came home on Wednesday. I am so thankful that I can work a flexible schedule and go on trips with Zack when he is off work! I enjoyed walking on the beach, shopping, and of course the food.

Eats

I was most excited to revisit Southern Soul Barbeque. If I had to pick one must-eat in SSI, this is it! You could even walk there from the airport, eat, then fly right back home. I like the pulled pork, fried okra, and collards. If you get a craving for a fried Oreo and it's not state fair season, this is also your place.

We ate breakfast both days at Palmer's Village Cafe. The omelets and grits were just that good!!! They serve breakfast until 2:00, which is perfect for vacation--no rush! I will be back next time I visit the island. 

Zack loves coffee, and we stayed thoroughly caffeinated on our trip. Wake Up Coffee Company has the friendliest staff, and we went there both days, too. We are creatures of habit! We went with the recommended island mocha, one frozen, and one iced, both excellent! The chocolate chip cookie was delicious. The patio was nice and relaxing, and I have a feeling if I lived in SSI, I'd be working there every day.

We had dinner at The Half Shell and Del Sur and would go back to both of those as well.   

Shopping

I did the most damage at Butler's Stash, where I found some cute tops to go with my favorite LuLaRoe piece, the Cassie skirt. Redfern Village is a great place to walk around and shop, and I especially liked looking around the beautiful, newly renovated shop Two Friends. 

Transportation

We flew into Malcom-McKinnon airport (SSI) and rented a golf card from Island Carts. We had a great time cruising around in the perfect spring weather!

I'm so thankful that we took time for a spontaneous trip. It was especially sweet to go back to where we spent a few hours on our honeymoon. I can't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday!

Zack's big birthday

Yesterday, my love had a birthday. We were the same age for just over a month, but now he’s moved on to the next decade. 

I’m so thankful for Zack. I still pinch myself when I realize that I get to live life with him. 

Zack is an amazing, encouraging husband. He can find the positive in any situation. Zack is devoted to Jesus and reminds me that I should pray. Even when I’m mad, discouraged, or feel like giving up. Especially then. He shared his favorite verse with me before we were dating. Psalm 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” He pointed out that God gives us just enough light for the next step. That should have given me a peek into my future life with Zack: we only know enough to take one more step. He keeps me on my toes!!!

Zack and I connected over flying. The very first time we flew together, I was impressed with his calm manner and skill as a brand new flight instructor. Zack has made flying his career. He has blasted through numerous checkrides and earned his ATP this year. Zack lives incredible, adventurous stories, and he is truly an excellent pilot.

Every single meal I make, Zack tells me that it is the best meal ever. He doesn’t like tacos, so I usually eat them when he is gone to work. The other night, he came home earlier than I expected, when I had made tacos, and he fixed two plates and told me the food was great.

When we were house shopping, Zack told me that he’s not much of a handyman. Since we moved in, he has installed dimmer switches, replaced the ice maker in our refrigerator, and built a dog house. It’s not just any dog house; it has insulation and an architectural roof. The dog isn’t even his; hand me down Dan came with the marriage to me. There are so many more things he’s done around the house that I can’t explain because I don’t understand them. I realize how much grace God showed me by not letting me buy a house before I was married. I have no idea how I’d handle this on my own. Probably find a great handyman! Ha!

Even though Zack works and I stay home, he still helps with regular around the house tasks. He is much better than I am at vacuuming and even sweeping. He swept the other day and under the pie safe, swept out a bottle that had been there since our niece came to visit, almost four months ago, oops. Zack enjoys taking care of everything in the yard, and he has learned so much this year about caring for our grass and plants. Like everything he does, he’s done an exceptional job.

Many of these special characteristics may be a mystery to others, but anyone who’s met Zack knows his charming personality. I saw what an impression he makes on people when I was referred to as “Zachary’s wife” by our dentist’s office receptionist, and the man at Discount Tire said “Oh yeah, I remember your husband. He’s that cool pilot dude!” I can’t even count how many times people have asked me if he is that fun/hilarious/complimentary/generally enjoyable at home, and the answer is YES! Even when I’m mad at him, he can still make me laugh. I often wonder why in the world God chose me to be his wife. It is a privilege to be his partner.

Happy birthday, Zack! I hope we celebrate many more!!!

six months

We are six months into marriage today! I love being Zack's partner. Many people have asked me how I've adjusted to changes over the last six months, and I often say, ask me in a year. We are still in it. Someone asked recently, what does a Christian marriage look like, and I said, a lot of forgiving. Months ago, my mother in law sent me this quote: 

“A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers” – Ruth Bell Graham

So far, I'd agree. We are both sinners, so living together peacefully takes a lot of forgiveness. Romans 5:8 says, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

When I think about all that God has forgiven me for, how could I not forgive my husband? 

moving

I wish that moving was my excuse for the lack of blogging, but it's been about two months since this happened! 

I can tell you a bit about our experience, though. 

For advice on moving across the country, I found this post helpful. 

Zack and I were packing up our rooms at our parents' houses, a storage unit, lots of stuff from our parents' garage and basement, and WEDDING GIFTS. We each came at this from different angles and with different attitudes (lessons on marriage. . .). It totally stressed me out to pack from five different places and try to get everything to one place. I think we're about 85% there now. Truthfully, now that I have a well equipped kitchen all to myself to share with Zack, and my clothes live here, I'm pretty content with the move.    

Unfortunately, Dan didn't go with us that time. He stayed with my parents until a few weeks later, when we returned, rented a UHaul trailer, and made another trip. Actually, both of our pets came with us that time, but that's another story. 

This guy was my passenger on the 7+ hour drive. I am so thankful that Zack drove the truck! We rented a 26 foot Penske truck, which was the size recommended for 5-7 rooms, and it was the right size for us. We packed most of the furniture we would need for a four bedroom house in that size truck. We've purchased a few things since we moved in, but as you can see, there was some extra room, had we had all of our furniture. 

Zack did an awesome job piling things up to make sure we had room. He and his dad loaded the furniture. They worked so hard!!! We hired movers on the back end of the move, thank goodness. 

Homeowners! Newlyweds! Are we crazy?! 

One of the first things I unpacked were my "snake boots" -- absolute essentials for taking the dog out or for living in a new place with unfamiliar fauna. 

Speaking of which, this is the snake Zack found in our neighborhood. I was at home wondering what was taking him so long when he FaceTimed me to show me THIS. 

I joke that our house is a mix of antiques, college boys apartment, and sorority house. That 32" TV seemed huge in my college apartment bedroom . . . not so much in our living room. 

Dan finally got here, but we had to wait a while to get our fence completed. We went back to the days of the "umbilical cord" as I tied him around my waist to do things around the house and yard. 

After two months in our house, we are still getting settled. Right after our move, people asked me often, "are you all moved in?" or "are you all settled?" and I would usually laugh. It made me feel better when most of them commented "we've been in our house two years and still have boxes," etc. 

Earlier today I was reading the Bible and meditating, and suddenly, I felt thankful for the process. There are some bare spots, and I don't like many of the plants in our yard, but I'm looking forward to gardening. Many of our things are still in boxes, but we get to decide where we want to put them. There will always be things we need, things to get rid of, things to clean, and things to organize. Living with someone else and making decisions together is a challenge--one that is growing us, as we merge our lives. It's easy to complain that I want things done, but maybe I'm forgetting that the process itself is rewarding. I will have to pray that I remember to enjoy it! 

Though I'm not rushing, I look forward to having pictures on our walls and a room without boxes, and I do plan to share more of our hand me down style home then. 

a tadpole with legs

Zack loves analogies. Every time he explains something to me, he relates it to something else. When I'm taking notes in church, I write all of the analogies to the side so that when he asks me what I learned in church, I can explain the message by the analogies. 

My very favorite analogy that Zack has made up has to do with our engagement and how it's such an awkward time between dating and marriage. He called us a tadpole with legs. Not fully swimming tadpole, not fully hopping frog; a tadpole with legs.

It can be tough trying to move between states, set up house, and take care of errands for each other when we aren't legally married. We don't live in the same place, but we will soon. We don't have to make decisions together, but we will soon, and we want to now. We celebrate holidays with both of our families as if we were married, but we go home to our separate houses. Our stuff. is. everywhere.

I am so looking forward to finally being a frog!

thankful Thursday: downtime with my love

I definitely need some perspective in the midst of what's felt like a never ending search for a place to live. I went down to where Zack lives last week and made a little progress on our home search. 

The very best part of my visit last week was that I actually got to spend some time with Zack! His work schedule is pretty unpredictable, and he was out of town the first night I was there, but then he got to come back! I was basically jumping up and down I was so excited to see him. I rushed to the airport to meet him when he landed, and I just barely missed getting a video. I was so disappointed. The next morning, I went with him to work and got a video of him taking off (!!!) AND I went back to pick him up and got a landing on video. It was awesome to see him flying the Learjet! He's so cool.   Then he gave me a ride on the tractor, tugging Learjets around.

I'm so thankful that we got to spend some time together, even if it was just a few hours between shifts. 

thankful Thursday: family

I moved out of my office this Monday and took with me some personal decorations that I had put up in years past. This year was so crazy that I only took the time to put up three pictures in my office: a church directory photo of my family from 2006, a church directory photo of my grandparents, and a snapshot of Zack's family at the fair. 

I hope I do the same with my time that I did with my office decorations. Family time is important, especially when I won't be able to have that time so easily soon. I can't go to church with my love on Sundays, so I did the next best thing this Sunday--went with his dad! None of his children made it to church on Sunday (working, etc.), but he had both of his daughters-in-law with him. I think that says a lot about the wonderful family I'm marrying into! I enjoyed spending time with all of my in-laws-to-be this weekend. 

My dad helped me move on Monday, and I'm getting more time to spend with my family now. I can have lunch with my mom, go on walks with my dad, and visit my brother, sister-in-law, and brand new nephew while I'm still living nearby and don't have work taking up my time. What a blessing!!! 

thankful Thursday: a visit

I feel like I'm finally getting in a rhythm with this long distance engagement. Last weekend, I had the chance to go visit Zack for the first time in his (soon to be our) new city. Another first -- I took my first solo flight. I mean I piloted an airplane without passengers for the first time long ago, but last weekend was my first time taking a commercial flight without traveling companions. The crazy thing is that made me more nervous than flying an airplane by myself . . . 

It was so nice to spend time together planning for our future and seeing each other face to face. I may actually have some answers now for all of you who ask what it's like where I'm moving. 

After so much excitement leading up to our visit, I didn't take one single picture of us together all weekend. I did deliver many important documents to Zack from home, including this drawing. One  of my students always asks about Zack and one day pulled out of his folder a drawing he'd done of "Miss Kathryn's boyfriend" and wanted me to give it to him. Weeks later, I finally got it to him, and I had Zack send me photo proof. 

Just six months after our first date, I was heading down to research places to live with my husband to be. Wild. If there's a lesson others can take from our story, it's that your life can change so quickly. Enjoy the season you're in, and live it to the fullest. I didn't do that perfectly as a single woman, but I'm so glad that I drew boundaries and made room for my husband even though I had no idea who he'd be or if he even existed. He is the sweetest person on earth, and he deserves the best of me. 

thankful Thursday: patience

Patience is a virtue, and it's the one we hesitantly pray for, or don't pray for at all because we're afraid we'll have a long season of waiting and then we'll get it. 

I am so thankful for my parents' patience with me, for Zack's patience with me, and most of all, the Lord's patience. His faithfulness knows no bounds, even after I make the same mistakes time and again. One of my favorite passages is in Lamentations 3, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." 

I love Priscilla Shirer's talk on Jonah, when she emphasizes the Lord coming to Jonah a second time. When Jonah disobeyed, the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. She thanks God for giving us a second, third, fiftieth chance.

How has God given you a second chance? I pray that my heart is not hardened and I take that chance while I can.