Six Years and Counting

Gregg came home from his trip Wednesday night, a little later than expected because of the icy conditions here in Northern NJ. I was so glad to see him again. I hate when he goes away, but the reunion is always oh, so sweet. Gregg didn't have to be into the office until 1oam the next day, which was nice. He had a very good first day at work. I really hope this job is everything he wanted. He's had some bad experiences the past few years, and it made me wonder if he was ever going to get a break.

It was around this time last year that everything started to go south at King Street Church. They wanted my husband to put in more hours and work harder, meanwhile he was already working over 50 hours a week with no overtime, busting his butt and hardly getting to see me. How could he possibly give more than he was already giving? The day he returned to work after our Christmas vacation, the senior pastor gave him an ultimatum: do better and work more or turn in your resignation. There was really no choice at that point. Having just found out we were expecting Colton, there was no way Gregg could continue working all those hours and sacrificing family time. It was a major disappointment. The worship pastor he worked directly under threw him under the bus big time. He knew it, everyone knew it. But instead of making a big stink, Gregg just quietly walked away.

He took a pay cut to go work for a "friend" next just so he'd have something. But this so-called friend was running his business into the ground and losing money- fast. Towards the end he didn't have enough to even make payroll. More empty promises, more disappointment, more worrying about finances.

But- I'm not going to dwell on the past. What's done is done, and Gregg now has a fabulous job and we're back where we should be. Our anniversary is this Sunday. Six years, three moves, and one child later here we are. Our marriage has been tested over and over with the curve balls life has thrown us. We've grown apart, grown closer, fought, laughed, cried, and prayed.

I've been thinking lately how our relationship has changed now that we're parents. There's less time for romance and meaningful conversations. Activities and outings all revolve around Colton's schedule. We can't be as spontaneous as we used to be. During the time Gregg was in Michigan, we couldn't really talk until after Colton was down for the night because he'd start to scream in the middle of our phone call, and I'd have to go take care of whatever he wanted. We're no longer just husband and wife; we're also Mommy and Daddy.

I'm trying to find that balance between being a mom and being a wife. Meeting Colton's needs and Gregg's needs, while also giving myself some time in between is not easy. I'll be honest, I do miss it being just the two of us. I've resolved to put more effort into our relationship and plan more "alone time" so our marriage stays fun and fresh.

Since we haven't seen very much of each other this past week, I'm so glad it's the weekend and Gregg will be home with me and Colton for the next two days. We don't have anything fancy planned for Sunday. We'll go to my in-laws' after church like we usually do and enjoy a nice dinner. Maybe put Colton to bed early. So we can watch our wedding video and ponder the true meaning of marriage, of course. Why, what were YOU thinking?

No post would be complete without some pictures of our sweet little boy. Here you go:















Meeting Pooh Bear for the first time.
















Hmmm, I wonder what he tastes like.
















Mom, do I really need to eat this stuff??
















All gone! I got more of it on my face than in my mouth, hee hee.