11 years and 5 weeks ago today, in small town Western, Pa at my childhood home, I married my best friend. In those 11 years and 5 weeks, I feel like my love for him and for “us” has grown. I have known since the day we married that we balance each other. He has shown me to relax, slow down, be patient, trust that things happen for a reason, and enjoy life. I have helped him to see his own strengths, have a plan, and bring urgency when it matters. See, if we didn’t have that balance, neither of us would be our best. But with each other, with our balance, we are the best we can be at this place and moment in time. After now three weeks or so of packing…preparing…planning…organizing…and eliminating, I have come to appreciate our balance even more. In the worst moments of the last few weeks, we were able to help each other see the light at the end of the tunnel. And we were able to celebrate and enjoy the memories that the last 11 years (9 in this house) have given us. In the last few weeks, my best friend and I have had countless hours of packing, lifting, and loading to prepare our belongings for a 1300 mile adventure. Without my best friend, the last few weeks would have been dreadfully lonely. The days would have been long. And the memories would have meant so much less. Although packing and loading all of our stuff without the help of movers could have been awful, instead, it has been a journey. And that journey, has been hard and long, but mostly, it has been wonderful.
Our house, and central Florida, are where our family got its start. We have raised three little boys in this house, bringing two of them home from the hospital to the cradle their grandpa made just for them. We moved here when B was just a few months old…in time for his first fall…Christmas…Easter…and birthday. So many firsts have been made in this space. Although we could spend our time in sadness, there is something so much more important than our leaving this space behind. We are taking with us, our memories, and each other. See, the space, means nothing, without us…and without our “stuff”. Saying goodbye to the space seems easier knowing that the most important things we are taking along on our next adventure. We will have each other. We will have the foundation of a family that we built here. We will have the excitement of a new adventure and a new space, where we will build even more memories.
So as we prepare to say goodbye to this space, we look forward to the next part of the journey. We look forward to continuing to make memories and build a foundation of love and adventure for our boys. We hope to find laughter and excitement along the way, but recognize, as with any adventure, there will be challenges. There will be sadness. There will be disappointments. But in all of that, we will have the memories and our foundation, built here, to get us through. 
