The Year The World Was Supposed To End

2012... The year the world was supposed to end. Ryan and I had a lot of fun joking about the end of the world in the years of marriage leading up to it. As it turns out, in our tiny view of the grand scheme of things, 2012 really did look to be an important year. That being said, it was easy to use the demise of said world as an excuse to avoid a lot of uncomfortable topics. School. Jobs. Children...

Our fall back answer for pretty much any life altering question was, "Hey, if the world is going to end, why bother?!"

It's amazing how life works... 

2012... The year the world was supposed to end... and the year ours truly began.

The year began in the most miraculous way possible: new life. Yes, Pierscen was technically born in 2011, but I went home from the hospital on New Years Eve. Our new life was beginning with the dawning of the new year. We experienced our first major diaper blowout that night. I was getting little P up out of bed for a feeding in the middle of the night when I felt something all over his pajamas and bed. I had no idea what to do or where to begin. I frantically woke Ryan up, who in his groggy state, came to my rescue and together we managed to clean everything up. Not much says "Welcome to parenthood" better than that! So sure, the first night was a bit of a rough one, but it was the beginning of the most glorious experience I could imagine.

Becoming a mother and watching my little boy grow is something I cannot find words for. It is joy beyond joy. Hope beyond hope. Purpose beyond purpose. But watching Ryan become a father is something that tugs at my heart and threatens to bring tears each time I think of it. He is such an amazing father. We were both nervous about the transition and what it would mean to our way of life, but Ryan took to fatherhood like a fish to water. There is something magical, exciting, and humbling in watching him interact with Pierscen. He is a wonderful father and I am so grateful to have him as my husband and best friend.

I returned to work to March. It was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I was still working full time to keep the health benefits. I went back to teaching piano as well, though I had to switch the days and times around to accommodate for our new schedules. Life felt pretty normal, though obviously very different.

Our balancing act was short lived as Ryan was offered a job in Wyoming. We were totally thrilled at the offer and the excitement of "moving on" but it was still a big thing to adjust to. We always said we wanted a chance to move away - to have our own little world experience, but the reality was still intimidating! (Especially considering I would need to stay behind for a while to work and prepare for Pierscen's surgery.) He was given a month before he had to "report" and he moved out in April. At that point I dropped all but a couple of my piano lessons and cut down my hours at the hospital to part time. Thanks to my PTO hoarding over the years, I was able to stay at the full time rate for insurance using my saved up PTO hours, but only work a fraction of that time. And of the hours I was putting in, I was able to work most of it from home. It was such an incredible blessing, one which I cannot thank my boss enough for. I owe so much to her!

Two quick months later Pierscen underwent major surgery for Craniosynostosis. The surgeons did an amazing job, but wow - what an emotionally trying thing. Ryan was able to come back for the surgery itself and then had to go back to Wyoming the following day. It was a huge relief to have him there. I could not have done it without him. We stayed in the hospital for 5 days. Following our release, Pierscen and I moved in with my parents so we could pack everything up at our apartment. One week following our release from the hospital, we moved to Wyoming.

Two months after moving to Wyoming, we bought our first house! Somehow in all of the crazy things that had happened that year, this was the most surprising. Not so much the act of buying a house, because we knew we wanted one, but the speed at which it happened. We thought we would be looking for a long time. In fact, I am still not sure why we started looking so soon after our arrival, but I am glad we did! We moved into our home the very end of August. 

Since Pierscen and I moved to Wyoming, we have made 5 trips to Utah, one with my sister-in-law Jodi, one by myself, and 3 with Ryan. It is an all day ordeal to drive out there, but we are really glad that if we had to move away, that going home is still a feasible act. 

In 2012 Pierscen attended his first parade (which he slept through), took his first airplane ride (x3), went to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, watched his first 4th of July firework show, helped with a Trunk-or-treat activity for Halloween, ate turkey and mashed potatoes with family in Utah for Thanksgiving, celebrated his first Christmas and had two huge birthday bashes for his first birthday. It was a good year. :)

It's amazing how life turns out. We think we have things planned and under control and that we know what's best for us. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows us better than we know ourselves and is always there to guide and direct us. If you had asked me what I thought the year 2012 was going to be like, I don't think there is any chance I could have accurately guessed any of it. Ryan and I have been married for 6 years as of this last July. Each year has been new and exciting and has come with its ups and downs. But nothing compares to the year the world was supposed to end. Not only did we survive, but we truly LIVED. Yes, we are alive and thriving in windy Wyoming and are looking forward to a new year of this incredible blessing called life.