Imma be livin' that good life

Okay.  This post is going to be a bit of a whirlwind.  Today was our fourth wedding anniversary.  I remembered while I was sitting at the dinner table with my two munchkins.  Some of you think I'm a lame wife...some of you can totally identify.  Ha.   Last year we remembered our anniversary one week later at the dinner table with my folks!  We're not big "date" people.  We forget peoples' birthdays, which we've caught plenty of flack over.  We forget when relatives died.  We forget lots of things.  I'll be the first to admit that my memory totally sucks.  I can barely recall any of my high school happenings....middle school and under are almost a complete wash.  


So, when I was sitting at the dinner table tonight and my 2 and 1/2 year old starts belting out "Imma be, imma be, imma imma imma be", I thought about the rest of that chorus.  Imma be livin' that good life.  I started thinking about my life, and bam!  I remembered my anniversary.  Then came the flood.  The sudden rush of memories and emotions that have made up these four years, and I had to discretely swipe tears so that my boy didn't get worried about his mama.  It's been a crazy journey thus far.  Here's just a sampling....

We've moved three times in these four years.  For some of you that's nothing.  For me, it's been really hard and has been a huge learning experience.  Clinton...Jackson...Pelahatchie.  Who knows where we'll end up next?  We've learned that some landlords like to patch pipes with 2 liter coke bottles and that others don't make good on their renovation promises.  We've learned that we're pretty much destined to have crappy neighbors who chainsmoke in their "smoke-free" rental, listen to Enya at 2 a.m.,  and allow their yappy mutts to gnaw on our legs.


We've learned that Ulcerative Colitis is an ugly disease.  We've learned that all doctors do not have positive intent, and we've learned that some are amazing, brilliant people who are totally into saving lives.  After two trips for me, and three for my husband, we've learned that Cleveland, OH just isn't a place we ever want to see again in this lifetime (love ya Cleveland Clinic...Cleveland snow and residents...not so much).  We've learned that meds can make us do and say bad things, that colonoscopy images are scary, and that ostomies can bring people closer than they ever thought possible.  We've also learned that living with a pseudo colon is a day-by-day learning experience...for all of us.


We've experienced the joy of bringing two babies into the world.  Oh what joy.  I'm going to start bawling right...about...now.  Yep bawling.  Our babies are uhmazing.  They love on us, inspire us, and frustrate us like no other beings can.  We've learned to be better people...better Christ followers because of them.  


We've enjoyed being free of baggage from previous relationships.  We were the firsts.  And anytime things get rough and I'm ready to bail, I remember how we were so perfectly made for one another...how we waited for one another.  


We've met new people and lost touch with people we thought we'd never distance ouselves from.  We've switched to a new church after spending a decade at another.  


We've held a total of at least 10 different jobs in these four years.  We've gone from being a dual-income family which struggled off and on to being a single-income family which budgets like nobody's business and cuts costs left and right.  


We've realized that we don't always get what we want, but we definitely get what we need....which is not always fun. 


We've come to understand that love is not just something you say.  It's a lifestyle.


We've learned it's ok to just "be" every once in a while.


And while writing this post, I've been reminded that I don't want to even imagine what my life would be like without him.


Happy Anniversary