It was a sad yet exciting transition. It felt surreal to leave friends and mentors that were a major part of my life for five years (it was my first and only job upon moving here to Maryland). It is always a little sad knowing a chapter in your life is coming to an end, even if something exciting awaits you at the other end. However, creating my own schedule was far beyond anything I imagined I would be experiencing at this time in my life!
In case you didn’t know or forgot, I worked for a port agent in Baltimore (importing/exporting military household goods) called Mid Atlantic Port Service.
So I’m going to give a shot-out (since I know you Mid Atlanticans will be reading this!), but it also comes from my heart and is very genuine. I cannot say more about my bosses and co-workers! I know it was a one-of-a-kind experience having the people I work with become my circle of best friends. I wish for one day I could let someone take part in a day in the life of Mid Atlantic, you wouldn’t believe what a typical day is like. For those of you who have called me during office hours, you might have heard in the background and be able to understand the craziness of what we knew as ”the norm”. I can safely say there is/was/never will be an HR department. It’s a “tell it like it is” kinda place. I mean, at what other office can you backhand your boss and not get fired? (just a joke). The stories are endless, the memories are more than I’m capable of remembering (I guess that’s what reunions are for), and there are inside jokes that have now become part of Ryan’s and my sense of humor. Thanks Hon’!
So now on to what life looks like for us these days. Ryan and I feel so blessed to have this unique season of life where we are both in charge of our work schedules, and in turn are optimizing our play schedules. I am now babysitting for neighbors of Ryan’s parents (just a mile away!) two days a week, where I schedule the days and hours I work. Amazing! I watch their two babies, River (16 months) and Tanner (4 months), and I just keep falling in love with them! I have also picked up a side job helping a friend of mine with her personalized stationary website www.thepapercafe.net, I am currently entering data in for new products. Most of it consists of copying and pasting, but I do get to come up with a one-line description of the featured product. I never thought I’d see my journalism major be put to work….my dad would be so proud!
On top of my work routine, Ryan and I have created an (almost) daily morning routine that consists of: waking up and going to the gym together, grabbing coffee (this treat only happens occasionally), eating breakfast together and then going our separate ways for what we have scheduled that particular day (usually around 9 or 10 am). And if you know me, I am hands down a morning person, so I can’t explain how much I enjoy this amazing start to each day! There have been mornings where we’ll be eating breakfast together and the sun is shining in on our sun room and I’ll turn to Ryan and say, “Who does this? It’s like we’re retired!” This is not to take away from how hard Ryan works every day (and a lot of late evenings), but simply to stress how awesome it is to have schedules that we can control.
So we both feel truly humbled by this peaceful season of our marriage and we are trying our hardest to soak it all in and not wish a single day away. As hard as it is to be patient with God’s timing of starting a family, we are reminded that this will be the last time for us to enjoy such a time. So I, the anxiously waiting to be a mother-to-be, am finding peace and contentment in our freedom for now.
