It Takes Two

April 2020

So for the last nine years, I have been living life with my best friend and partner in crime, Danny. We have only been married for the last two, but it feels like we have been married for all nine. We met while in high school (thank you to our 12th grade English teacher for sitting us next to each other), and essentially the rest is history.

Danny and I both went to The University of Oklahoma (he says I followed him- and he might be partially right), and after graduation moved back to Texas to begin the next chapter of life. In that chapter, we both started our careers (Danny is in automotive finance and I am a teacher), got married, moved into our first apartment, moved into our first house, got our first fur baby, Finley, and with a quick turn of the page, sold our first home to begin chapter two of our lives together.

I’ll pause here and say that while many (many) details of our lives have been left out from above, our lives have been nothing short of exciting, and full of love and laughter. We have made incredible friendships through school and work, been to more weddings than I can count on two hands, and have had our fair share of ups and downs. And we have done it all together. Our relationship has always been defined by two major principles: we are a team, and honesty is always the best policy. Danny is one of the most loyal and loving human beings I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know (I lucked out), and he has always supported me through every set back and every celebration I have experienced in the last 9 years. He challenges me everyday, and I am grateful to call him my husband.

Now back to chapter two. In the midst of the quarantine we are facing, we are trying to navigate our new normal. Even though his job had moved him to California, he was able to come back to Texas in order to follow the work-from-home orders in the middle of March. Definitely a silver lining that despite not really being able to go anywhere or do anything, we have been able to share this time together (in between emails and Zoom calls of course). While we are both still working ( I am just a month shy of finishing my teaching contract), we have supported each other as much as we can. Whether we go for a walk or play a game, we are finding our way through this messy, but beautiful (and temporary) new normal.

I began this blog to share advice, tips, tricks, and the like. And it has already become so much more. It has allowed me to evaluate my life and what’s important. It has allowed me to come out of my shell, and find confidence in who I am. It is pushing me to better myself, not only for the sake of a good story, but for the sake of the lifestyle I want to live. When I first told Danny I was going to write a blog, he paused and then very excitedly said “good for you, I think you should” ! The love and support in his words solidified my desire to try something new. Pair that with a whisper I had heard from God ( check out my rec under the Books tab), and a strong gut feeling, I knew it was time.

So here is to you chapter two: to the lessons learned from working from home, sharing WiFi, supporting one another through new challenges and opened doors, and (eventually) making our move to California official. I won’t say that I have loved you, but I have loved what you are teaching me.

*First photo and thumbnail courtesy of Laylee Emadi Photography. https://layleeemadi.com