While I was pregnant my fear of him being gone all the time went up about ten notches. I worried about all the firsts he'd miss. I was scared. I remember when he got back on the road when Magnolia was only a few weeks old. He was gone for an entire week & there were a few days when I literally didn't sleep for 48 hours. It was really hard in the beginning. I handled my fear a little different this time around. I didn't pressure him to apply for new positions simply because the job didn't require travel. Instead I prayed & I believed that it would all work out the way it was meant to be.
Fast forward to 2018 & something happened within myself. God worked on my heart. I grew comfortable with him being gone. I shared a little bit about us being apart here. This isn't to say I (and now we) didn't miss him. I just found my gratitude for his work to outweigh the absence. I felt incredibly grateful to be able to stay at home with Magnolia & we got to travel with him whenever we wanted. The hotel points & flyer miles were a perk that I decided to celebrate. I found that cherishing the freedom we had to travel with him gave me a certain level of peace. I guess I could say for a few years our prayers about getting him home went unanswered.
A few months ago a management opportunity came up & he applied. This promotion would mean less travel & a completely new position for him. During the applying & interviewing process he asked for my thoughts & opinions on it all. I think he was equally as surprised as I was with myself. I told him I was 100% without a doubt supportive of whatever he decided to do. Then he was offered the position & I was able to say again I'm completely happy & supportive with whatever makes you the happiest. I always wanted to be the wife that could say that! One year ago I would have selfishly said take the position without thinking about his happiness because I would have wanted one thing & one thing only, less travel. Ryan & I have always been able to see God's work in our lives. The timing of certain things, especially the big life changing things, has always been perfect. Perfect, because God's timing is perfect. This opportunity came to Ryan when his heart was ready & mine was too. Ryan wanted this position & I wanted him to be happy. Two years ago it was the reverse.
Two weeks ago he signed all the paperwork to accept his new position. We went out to celebrate & got Hawaiian shaved stuffed ice & there was a huge rainbow in the sky. We did something else special on this exact day that I'll share next.
Last weekend, Magnolia & I took him out to his favorite BBQ restaurant - Jack Stack - to officially celebrate his promotion. As we were leaving there was another huge rainbow over his work. Instead of going home we drove to a neighborhood that we are seriously thinking about building a house in sometime next year. On our drive home there was a huge double rainbow in the sky. We had to pull over for this one. And then, to our complete surprise, we got home & there was another rainbow going through the fluffy white clouds above our house. Four rainbows in one day!
The double rainbows in this photo actually look like they are shining down on the area we had just looked at to build a house.
I cannot even begin to write & express how much I appreciate Ryan's dedication to us & his work. He is the kindest man I know & nothing makes him happier than to make others happy. He is going to be such a wonderful manager. His employees are very fortunate to have him leading the way & I know this because he absolutely LOVES his work. We all know the trickle-down-effect of a good (or bad) manager. If his love & dedication to his work is contagious then his group will be very prosperous in the years to come!
The other EXCITING NEWS for our family is that we are getting a fur baby sister for Magnolia. I signed the contract for her on the same day that Ryan accepted his new position & the day we saw the rainbow at the shaved ice place. I've shared all about her dog allergy on this blog & social media. This decision to add to our family did not go without a lot of prayer, research, conversations, doctors visits & even blood work. After talking to an allergist & confirming via a blood test that she is in fact allergic to dogs (I never doubted it, but the doctor needed a number) we are going to get a non-shedding hypoallergenic standard poodle. A poodle has hair not fur, and they don't shed like other dogs. Without the shedding we can avoid all the dander from being distributed around the house. Magnolia is obsessed with dogs. I wish I could just bottle up all her happiness when she is around doggies & keep it on a shelf forever. Her excitement about dogs is like imagining unicorns + cotton candy + glitter thrown up into a rainbow sky! She is already the happiest little girl, but with her very own doggie she is going to be on cloud nine. The other sweet coincidence about the puppy is that she was born on my grandparent's wedding anniversary.
When we finally decided on a standard poodle & after meeting one in Florida in April, I knew it had to be a pure white one. A day will come when she is pink & it'll be a dream come true. I can already imagine Magnolia walking her pink poodle.
One of the babies below is our VALENTINE LOLLIPOP.
Her name is going to be Valentine Lollipop!!! Ryan came up with it, full credit goes to him, and I absolutely adore it. I was beyond impressed with his sweet creativity.
Her official name in writing here. I think it's a little serendipitous that we've had a pink poodle hanging on our wall since we moved into this house.
Her mom & dad are champion show dogs! Aren't they just beautiful?
I hope our exciting news is a little reminder to trust in God's timing. This year started out really hard with two losses & my heart still aches for them each day. During all the heartache I didn't see all of this coming true, but here it is. Life is full of seasons & right now we are celebrating our blessings.
Rainbow symbolism has such a powerful meaning to each of us & bestows the energy of blessings. The symbolism of a rainbow intuitively tells us to hold onto hope, to believe beyond a shadow of doubt that sacred blessings open to us when we are following our hearts desire. And the symbol of the rainbow tells us we are guided to our hearts desire when we open to the spirit to guide us.
Hugs xo
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