We just got home from visiting our families in Greensboro. Our weekend was so fun and full! We had the chance to babysit Lila and Amelia on Friday night while Matt and Evan were out. Lila and I got to lay in bed and "girl talk" before she fell asleep. By the way, I totally miss girl sleepovers and talking ourselves to sleep, Luke just does not know how to do it. Lila fell asleep as we finished talking about princesses, favorite colors, nail polish, her light-up turtle, dancing, etc. What a sweet time it was. And then there is Amelia who is the snuggliest, sweetest, baby I have ever met. Her cheeks make my heart melt...
Saturday morning we got up and had a fabulous breakfast with Connie and then I headed over to Evan and Matt's to play with the girls again. Lila and I spent time "flying" and having a fake birthday party all while catching up and spending some QT time with Matt and Evan...
Later that day, Luke went to Squatty Pant's wedding in Durham while Evan, Connie and I celebrated Connie's birthday at the spa (her bday was in November but this was the first weekend we could make it down). We had an AMAZING winter salad and french onion soup at the Greensboro Country Club and then headed to Chakras for facials. It was so much fun...relaxing and spending time with family is one of my favorite things to do.
After the spa, Connie had a painting party to host, so Evan and Matt got a babysitter and we headed to dinner at Lucky 32. The food and conversation was wonderful, and afterward Connie met up with Luke and I for a drink at the new 1618 bar.
And then this morning my parents hosted a brunch for everyone and we got to spend the morning eating and catching up. It was fun to have everyone over at my parents...I love how marriage can bring families together. After playing and chatting it was time to head home and for the first time in a long time I felt genuinely sad about coming back to VA. This weekend reminded me of how much I love being close to my family and friends in NC.
I have been in Harrisonburg for 3.5 years now and having been driving back and forth to NC ever since. The 3.5 hour drive is beautiful, but it is also annoying and exhausting. This has left Luke and I in a debacle:
We have wonderful new friends and an amazing church here in Harrisonburg. We feel at home here and love the people we have created new relationships with. But, we still find ourselves constantly driving home to continue relationships with friends and family that we deeply care about. We value these people and the thing they all have in common is this: they are at least 3.5 hours away and all live in NC. Not only does this cost a lot of money, but also spending weekends away from your home can be tiring. It seems that we pack up every Friday and have to unpack every Sunday...
How can we "be here" but also "be there" at the same time? How can we make sure we are making new friends in Harrisonburg while also making sure we do not miss our nieces growing up? Or important family events? Or weddings and showers of those we have known for over 10 years? I never realized it until this weekend, but I really envy my friends in Harrisonburg who have family close by. They are constantly going there for Sunday dinners or dropping off their kids at their grandparents...but Luke and I just have eachother.
Being in Harrisonburg has been the greatest gift to our new marriage and life together. We have established ourselves as a couple and God has blessed us with people in our lives that only know "The Logans" and not "Taylor Register and Luke Logan." No one here knows me as "Tay Reg" but only as "Tay Lo." Sometimes it is so refreshing, but other times it makes me sad.
So, friends, that is our debacle. Our heart is both in Harrisonburg and NC at the same time and sometimes it feels like life would be easier if it was just in one place...who knows where we will end up after I graduate, but either way we need to balance our present and see where we are right now as a gift.
Also, for those of you in CSPA...lets start thinking about a metaphor for this one :)
Hey Taylor!
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to this post- especially your question, "how can we 'be here' but also 'be there' at the same time? I feel like my heart is in Norfolk, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, and Harrisonburg all AT THE SAME TIME- those are all the places we (I) have lived, where people we really really love still live. I wish we could just scoop everyone up and put them in one town! One thing I think about, is that it reminds me that what I am REALLY longing for is heaven- a day when there will be all the time in the world to visit with people we love, and there won't be any "goodbye's." So glad the Lord has blessed you guys in Hburg, and I am confident that this is just the beginning, no matter where He brings you in the future! Love you, friend!
That's tricky. Jared and I are dealing with the same thing. We have cousins here in UT we seldom see and our immediate family is so far away on both sides. The closest sibling is 4 hours away, the next closest is 10! Don't even get me started on the drive to TX, because I haven't done the 20+ hr trip in several years. Save my pennies for flights.
ReplyDeleteLike you and Luke, Jared and I are just that—us. It's nice, but we wish we were closer to family. But either way we go, we are far away from someone since we have a bi-coastal dynamic going on.
Anyway, that doesn't really help the debacle, but I can commiserate with you. ;-) Good luck making a decision. Happiness will follow you wherever you go.