Life's Adventures

Check out my recent life changes and current adventures: As of this June, you may have known that I was living with my parents in NJ, that my father has been seriously disabled by recent back and hip surgeries, that I have completed my first year of teaching at North Hunterdon High School, and that I was engaged to be married next summer. Since June, I have been on a bit of a roller coaster filled with some unpleasant surprises, disappointment, and confusion but also with a growing sense of family togetherness and deep personal thankfulness. I look forward to speaking with you all more personally if we haven’t already had the opportunity to do so, but in the meantime, here are the highlights.

Moving home to reunite with my family after four years away at college has been both a difficult journey and a tremendous blessing. My dad’s heath has been very shaky for a year, but after two back surgeries, two hip surgeries, and a serious staff infection, he is actually starting to recover. The process has been very, very, very slow, and has been incredibly discouraging to him and the whole family, but I can finally say that I do think he is getting better. For a long time, I was very uncertain if he would ever make any positive progress. So, though it has been a difficult road, which is far from over, I am very thankful that he is making progress. And I also feel very blessed that our family has grown so much closer and stronger during this time of stress and trial. While I would never wish this past year on anyone, I also would not trade the family closeness and support we have developed during the last year.

While my dad’s poor heath has been a consistent concern this year, the biggest surprise and disappointment of my summer occurred during the month of July when Harry and I decided to break our engagement. The short version is that Harry began having second thoughts and asked for some time and space to figure things out. When I was not pleased with his level of commitment and honesty, I broke things off. Originally, I had been planning on spending the entire summer living on Long Beach Island in order to be near Harry and to plan the wedding. However at the beginning of July, I ended up coming home to NJ very upset, confused, surprised, angry, etc, etc, etc. In other words, I was rather blindsided by Harry’s change in behavior, and it took me several weeks to begin processing all that had unfolded and how I was going to reclaim my summer and my future. I am making great steps towards my own personal healing and closure. While still sad and a bit angry, I feel very thankful that this happened now as opposed to a few years from now when we were actually married. I still have a ways to go, but I know I have a bright future, and I am looking forward to what God has in store for me.

As far as my future, another surprise (but this time very positive and exciting) occurred just last week at the end of August. If all goes according to plan, by the end of September, I will be a first-time homeowner of a brick, two-bedroom townhouse with a basement, backyard, and garage in Wilson, PA!! It all happened rather quickly, but I am so excited to be starting this phase of my life. While I didn’t originally plan on buying a house for one or two years, I did have very specific requirements for what I would be looking for, and this house has them all plus more. In addition to what I already mentioned above, the house has hardwood floors, central air, and brand new kitchen cabinets. My house is on a well-maintained street (all brick homes), and I am thrilled to be living in a familiar area (5 minutes from where I went to college). Basically, I feel like I am back in my old and well-loved stomping grounds – with nearby friends, family, coworkers, church, restaurants, stores, etc. – but this time with my own house!! I will be continuing at North Hunterdon (where I couldn’t be happier), and my commute will stay the same, just from the opposite direction. And now I will be able to carpool with several fellow teachers. Needless to say, I am on cloud nine – a very pleasant change from where I was several weeks ago…Once again, I just feel so thankful and blessed to see how God is working in my life. Though one door closed in my life, others are opening, and I feel very at peace with my recent major life decisions.