I Have Led An Uneventuful Life
...or at least that is what I have always thought about myself.
Nothing ever spectacular has happened to me. I am a stay at home mom. I graduated with honors from high school, graduated college, had an average wedding, got a job, worked until I had kids.
In our 14 years of marriage we have only lived in 3 cities (Kingsport, TN, Strasburg, VA & Mechanicsville, VA) and 4 residences (2 apartments, 1 townhouse, 1 house). We have two kids, one boy one girl.
Our kids have never been to Disney, we belong to a gym, I stay at home, our vacations consist of visiting family twice a year in Tennessee. We don't have trust funds or even college funds for the kids. I have never won anything, Garren has a few AP Awards from his days as a reporter.
Don't get me wrong, I am happy with my life, always have been (you know generally speaking, any given day your life can "stink" and you know it!)--but it has been a mundane life to me. Nothing exciting, nothing earth shattering--until I really looked closely at it.
14 years ago today I was sitting at a desk in a basement newsroom hammering out new stories of the day for my anchor to report. Probably for the 6am show, because I seriously earned my dues working the overnight shift for more than a year at my Johnson City, TN CBS station. While I longed for a better newscast to produce, I figured that was my life: working 12-14 hours a day on an adrenaline high of news and top stories and "talent" drama. I never knew what the day would bring, and I loved the excitement. I was an excellent writer and it came so natural. I would be a TV news producer until I retired. Garren and I would battle over the merits of newspapers and TV journalism every evening and I would probably give up first because he loves a good debate, and I don't. We weren't going to have any kids, and maybe we would move up the career chain, but we would probably stay in the state of Tennessee.
11 years ago today I was waiting for my first child to be born very soon. I was living in a small apartment in a small town and I was sure that this was just a small stop on our journey of life. Garren had taken a job at a small paper in Strasburg, VA and the rural area offered no jobs to someone like me with a college degree. So, I cleaned houses for a while and then worked the holiday shift at JC Penney's to make some extra income to help pad our move to this small town where the cost of living was surprisingly (and much) higher than our moderate city in TN. We weren't going to stay here long. Garren would surely get picked up by a bigger paper, and I would be staying at home with our first child and life would be good.
4 years ago today, I was likely still crying my eyes out 5 months after leaving the only place I ever wanted to call home. The people we meet and loved and knew were more family than neighbors. Garren couldn't have not jumped on this opportunity to leave journalism for good and go into politics. Its in his blood. We were fully moved into this house and Gracie was blossoming at her new school and Thomas was doing all the fun things 2 year olds do.
Last year, we had recently rung in the new year with new friends and Thomas was close to finishing preschool for good and I was trying not to think about Kindergarten. I was probably just getting around to cleaning up the Christmas decorations and getting frustrated with how small this house is and how much it is falling apart. We probably had already sworn two years in a row that we wouldn't rent this house another year!
While, compared to most people's lives, this may not sound like much--but there has been more change than I seem to remember...or recognize. And, none of those transitions were easy or carefree. They in fact were very hard, and very trying for us personally, as a couple and a family.
When we moved from Tennessee to Virginia, Garren struggled so much being away from his family for the first time in his life. We were a 7 hour drive, and we made frequent visits back to help ease his heart and mind. I couldn't get a job. I had a college degree and that is what disqualified me! No one wanted to hire a college educated person because they couldn't/didn't want to pay them a wage that reflected that skill. It was confusing and tough, and I never regretted cleaning houses, and I still remember convincing the lady that owned the company to take me. She hired high school dropouts and those who were just out of high school and weren't going to college.
When we left Strasburg my heart was broken. I had found a home and a family I never knew I wanted or needed. I was sure I would never heal or be the same again. I only wanted to go back. I wasn't working at all and completely gave up on my career when Garren got into politics. While I freely acknowledge that I never thought I would be able to return to news now that I had kids (I can't even watch it anymore--the babies!!), when Garren took a political job that ended any news career I might have after they are grown. (Again, I was okay with that, but there was another nail in the coffin of a 4 year college degree and student loans we are still paying for a career I will never use again).
And now, well last night my husband signed a paper to allow a realtor to offer another couple an enormous amount of money to buy their home. It will be our first home. Our first home that we own. Our "home" is always where our family lives, but this structure would belong to us lock, stock and barrel. The kids have friends, we know people, we are involved. We have "friends," and now we are looking to purchase a home in the Richmond area. We have come so far, and survived many curves and bumps in our road to get here. And even this curve isn't without turmoil. You see this house is not in the kids current school district. While Gracie was already going to have to change schools when she starts Middle School next year, Thomas will have to leave the elementary school we love, the teachers we know, and the staff we trust for a whole new school where we don't know any kids, parents, teachers or administrators. Thomas will leave his best friend behind, and we will move 20 minutes away from the person that has been the best and most helpful to me since we moved here.
I guess my life hasn't been as mundane as I always thought it had been. I went from bright eyed college graduate to a wife and career woman, to a stay at home mom in a small town, to a mom of two in a state capital, and now I am looking to turn around the next bend. I have no idea what still lies ahead, and 4 years from now I could be reporting a whole new adventure in life--but I think despite a whole lot change; the joy and laughs have far outweighed the tears. So, we shall remain thankful, and hopeful, and prayerful as we continue this crazy journey called life.
Thanks for riding along wherever you joined in. We are glad you came with us, and more than likely miss you if you got off the ride before now--more than you'll ever know.
Nothing ever spectacular has happened to me. I am a stay at home mom. I graduated with honors from high school, graduated college, had an average wedding, got a job, worked until I had kids.
In our 14 years of marriage we have only lived in 3 cities (Kingsport, TN, Strasburg, VA & Mechanicsville, VA) and 4 residences (2 apartments, 1 townhouse, 1 house). We have two kids, one boy one girl.
Our kids have never been to Disney, we belong to a gym, I stay at home, our vacations consist of visiting family twice a year in Tennessee. We don't have trust funds or even college funds for the kids. I have never won anything, Garren has a few AP Awards from his days as a reporter.
Don't get me wrong, I am happy with my life, always have been (you know generally speaking, any given day your life can "stink" and you know it!)--but it has been a mundane life to me. Nothing exciting, nothing earth shattering--until I really looked closely at it.
14 years ago today I was sitting at a desk in a basement newsroom hammering out new stories of the day for my anchor to report. Probably for the 6am show, because I seriously earned my dues working the overnight shift for more than a year at my Johnson City, TN CBS station. While I longed for a better newscast to produce, I figured that was my life: working 12-14 hours a day on an adrenaline high of news and top stories and "talent" drama. I never knew what the day would bring, and I loved the excitement. I was an excellent writer and it came so natural. I would be a TV news producer until I retired. Garren and I would battle over the merits of newspapers and TV journalism every evening and I would probably give up first because he loves a good debate, and I don't. We weren't going to have any kids, and maybe we would move up the career chain, but we would probably stay in the state of Tennessee.
11 years ago today I was waiting for my first child to be born very soon. I was living in a small apartment in a small town and I was sure that this was just a small stop on our journey of life. Garren had taken a job at a small paper in Strasburg, VA and the rural area offered no jobs to someone like me with a college degree. So, I cleaned houses for a while and then worked the holiday shift at JC Penney's to make some extra income to help pad our move to this small town where the cost of living was surprisingly (and much) higher than our moderate city in TN. We weren't going to stay here long. Garren would surely get picked up by a bigger paper, and I would be staying at home with our first child and life would be good.
4 years ago today, I was likely still crying my eyes out 5 months after leaving the only place I ever wanted to call home. The people we meet and loved and knew were more family than neighbors. Garren couldn't have not jumped on this opportunity to leave journalism for good and go into politics. Its in his blood. We were fully moved into this house and Gracie was blossoming at her new school and Thomas was doing all the fun things 2 year olds do.
Last year, we had recently rung in the new year with new friends and Thomas was close to finishing preschool for good and I was trying not to think about Kindergarten. I was probably just getting around to cleaning up the Christmas decorations and getting frustrated with how small this house is and how much it is falling apart. We probably had already sworn two years in a row that we wouldn't rent this house another year!
-------
While, compared to most people's lives, this may not sound like much--but there has been more change than I seem to remember...or recognize. And, none of those transitions were easy or carefree. They in fact were very hard, and very trying for us personally, as a couple and a family.
When we moved from Tennessee to Virginia, Garren struggled so much being away from his family for the first time in his life. We were a 7 hour drive, and we made frequent visits back to help ease his heart and mind. I couldn't get a job. I had a college degree and that is what disqualified me! No one wanted to hire a college educated person because they couldn't/didn't want to pay them a wage that reflected that skill. It was confusing and tough, and I never regretted cleaning houses, and I still remember convincing the lady that owned the company to take me. She hired high school dropouts and those who were just out of high school and weren't going to college.
When we left Strasburg my heart was broken. I had found a home and a family I never knew I wanted or needed. I was sure I would never heal or be the same again. I only wanted to go back. I wasn't working at all and completely gave up on my career when Garren got into politics. While I freely acknowledge that I never thought I would be able to return to news now that I had kids (I can't even watch it anymore--the babies!!), when Garren took a political job that ended any news career I might have after they are grown. (Again, I was okay with that, but there was another nail in the coffin of a 4 year college degree and student loans we are still paying for a career I will never use again).
And now, well last night my husband signed a paper to allow a realtor to offer another couple an enormous amount of money to buy their home. It will be our first home. Our first home that we own. Our "home" is always where our family lives, but this structure would belong to us lock, stock and barrel. The kids have friends, we know people, we are involved. We have "friends," and now we are looking to purchase a home in the Richmond area. We have come so far, and survived many curves and bumps in our road to get here. And even this curve isn't without turmoil. You see this house is not in the kids current school district. While Gracie was already going to have to change schools when she starts Middle School next year, Thomas will have to leave the elementary school we love, the teachers we know, and the staff we trust for a whole new school where we don't know any kids, parents, teachers or administrators. Thomas will leave his best friend behind, and we will move 20 minutes away from the person that has been the best and most helpful to me since we moved here.
I guess my life hasn't been as mundane as I always thought it had been. I went from bright eyed college graduate to a wife and career woman, to a stay at home mom in a small town, to a mom of two in a state capital, and now I am looking to turn around the next bend. I have no idea what still lies ahead, and 4 years from now I could be reporting a whole new adventure in life--but I think despite a whole lot change; the joy and laughs have far outweighed the tears. So, we shall remain thankful, and hopeful, and prayerful as we continue this crazy journey called life.
Thanks for riding along wherever you joined in. We are glad you came with us, and more than likely miss you if you got off the ride before now--more than you'll ever know.
Hi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteIm just a guy from the Netherlands. I dont know how i got on your blog, but i just read your message about your life. Thanks for sharing that with the world :P Thats a pretty big thing to do! U need guts for that! But in my eyes your life is already a big adventure! Just wanted to say that....well have a fun life :D