Clay & Laura's Big Adventure!

I am at that place in life I always dreamed about as a child. Married to a wonderful person, good job, in a beautiful place. I really wanted to fast forward through the hormones and angst of the teen years and the soul searching in college and just be with someone stable, and be put-together myself. Having the memories of lessons learned, but not experiencing the pain of going through them. What I did not know then is that when you're a grown-up you still learn, grow, and experience challenges. There will still be heartache, grief, financial strain, big decisions, and unknowns. Insecurities fight their way into life and you have to swat them away like nagging flies. But there are magical moments too. Like celebrating your husband's 40th birthday!                                       Clay's 40th birthday in June was a wondrous celebration. Both of his sisters, his brother-in-law, and his parents traveled across the country to visit us. We did a Santa Barba

On New Year's Eve we ushered in a new year with a confirmed diagnosis. Clay was diagnosed with cancer (stage 1) -  surgery was scheduled promptly (9 days later). My mother-in-law, Melissa, scheduled her flight as soon as she heard the news. The day of surgery felt long. We arrived at the hospital early. Our pastor and his wife came to pray with us, which was a really nice way to start the day. Melissa and I waited in the waiting room. We were chatted up by a receptionist with an exceptionally raspy voice and a chronic cough.  She claimed she wasn't contagious. Melissa and I weren't sure about that. I'm sure we both washed our hands a million times that day. The doctor finally came in and told us everything went well.  His presence was calming, and I was impressed with the way he answered our questions and the information he shared. Clay came home to a new recliner we purchased the weekend before.  Let me tell you, this recliner is like sitting on heavenly pillows. O

Such lofty plans I had for this blog.  Change of scenery = new blog = new life = lots of interesting and new things to write about. It would be a way to stay connected and keep people updated.  Clay was going to write posts.  We were going to take turns.  Such plans. And so many blog posts did I compose in my head...so many witty quips to share.  So many pictures of places and things.  So many thoughts and feelings felt.  But alas, it was not written for posterity or for anyone.  But here are the highlights.  With some prayer, resolve, and some discipline, I hope to be more consistent...but I cannot make any promises.  I'll start with a small goal - 6 posts a year.  (That will double last year's post count!)  Baby steps. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER... (It has been quite the year.  This WILL be a LONG post.  Not snack sized.  Not visually appealing.  If you only read a few pa