Getting Settled

This past weekend I went back to Illinois to spend time with family. Ryan isn’t always able to join me for trips down South and this happened to be one of those solo trips for me. One of my nieces is celebrating a birthday this week and we celebrated last weekend. Before I got married, I had attended every single birthday party for all of my nieces and nephews. I knew after getting married and moving to Iowa that I would not always be able to attend those celebrations, but I try to when I can. Thankfully, technology makes it a little easier these days to be in “attendance”.

Driving down to IL frequently will probably slow down before too long due to the weather. So, I try to soak up the time that I’m here. FaceTime and Marco Polo have been great tools to have during quarantine and I’m sure they will be used a lot more during the Winter months.

Changes

I know the longer I live in Iowa the sweeter my time will be when visiting IL. One of the hardest things for me last year was missing Easter because it’s my favorite holiday, but I know in years to come it will get a little bit easier each time. Ryan and I recently talked about how long we thought it would take me to feel settled in Iowa. Sure, the house is all put together and there are no longer boxes to unpack, but we were talking about being really settled and referring to Iowa more as home. Considering I lived in Illinois for the first 36 years of my life, we’re thinking it may take me awhile. It’s a big change and it takes time.

As I’ve mentioned before, when I’m in IL, I miss being on the farm. When I’m on the farm, I miss the familiarity of what I grew up with. I miss being able to walk into a store and see people I know and have known for a long time. I miss meeting people on the road, recognizing them by their license plate. I miss being able to run over to my parents’ house to hang out or have a spontaneous dessert night with all of my family at my parents’.

My Essential Farmer

As much as I miss those things, I don’t miss being single when I did them. I would much rather have someone to travel down to IL with. I love knowing that when I’m visiting family alone, there is someone waiting for me back on the farm. When I visited my grandparents a couple days ago, my grandpa asked me, “Say, how’s the essential farmer’s wife doing?”. I laughed and responded that I was doing good. He then asked if my essential farmer knew just how essential his wife is. Laughing again, I said I was pretty sure he did.

In the first year of our marriage, we were just trying to get used to living with each other, especially after living individually for so many years, and to the idea that we were now husband and wife. (Sometimes we still stare at each other in awe that we are husband and wife.) Now, almost completing our second year married, we realize just how much we need each other and appreciate each other. When trials come in life, it’s so much better to navigate through them when you have someone with you. And, when exciting things happen, it’s more fun to celebrate together. We are each other’s biggest fans and encourage one another daily.

Encouraging Words

In closing, I think it’s important to remember that we all need to be an encouragement to one another, whether it’s our spouse, child, parent, friend or stranger. No matter who you are or the relationship you have with a person, we all need to be encouraging, especially in our world today. I’m reminded of Proverbs 16:24 that says “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” My sisters and I learned a song when we were younger with this verse and I’ve never forgotten it (primarily due to it’s catchy tune). Pleasant, encouraging words are always nice to hear and can truly lift a person’s spirit up.