It’s been a while, but time flies when one is planning a wedding!
And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing over the last four months since I wrote here last. Well, that and apartment hunting and preparing for our new life together! Oh, and starting new jobs! AND watching Stranger Things!
Dang, it’s been a busy summer. Let’s catch up, shall we?
“So, what do you do?”
It started with me. The company I was working for as an independent contractor took a down turn, so was stuck looking for a new job. It was an interesting point in life, because I was looking ahead to a future with Sydney, but I suddenly had no idea how I was going to financially contribute to that. The income that previous job had provided was actually a big part of why I felt comfortable proposing in the first place, so it was definitely a blow to that monetary security. But, as anyone who has lived long enough can tell you, monetary security is never entirely secure.
So, that’s where we were. Sydney was really enjoying her new job working with children at YMCA, and I was unemployed and trying to find something that could ideally be an opening to a new career. It was emotionally trying — looking at how much of my working life I’d wasted on mindless jobs that I knew would go nowhere, and trying to start all-but-fresh in my mid-30’s. I set my focus on human resources positions, though at that point I was also open to just about anything that wouldn’t be a complete step backwards in salary.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case! 🙂
In May, I started working as an HR Assistant for a management company, and it’s been an absolutely perfect environment to learn in. I was actually hired on as a part-time, long-term temp, and part of the offer was that while I helped the HR team catch up on projects, they would in-turn teach me all they could. Just the other week, though, I was made an offer to stay on with the company as a full-time employee, so this is my home for the time being – and they have really excelled in offering ways for me to further my career-learning!
And as for my bride-to-be, well… she made an even better leap. Sydney was enjoying her time working at YMCA, but she was also feeling ready for something more. Unlike myself, who had comfortably nested at Blockbuster Video for a majority of my 20’s, Sydney wasn’t content to settle for less than she was capable of. Plus, I was still working only part-time hours as we moved into summer, and looking at the reality of our collective income meant that at least one of us needed to be working/making more if we didn’t want to be newlyweds living in my parents’ house. God brought her to the perfect position, though, and for the last couple of months she has been working as a case manager for a law firm (so fancy!). The best part about this new job of hers? She works in the building right next to the one I work in. #carpoolCouple
A roof over our head
With Sydney now pulling a very generous income, we had our price range for apartment hunting. And the hunt began. We had a few “ideals” of what amenities and features we wanted in our home, so we started there and searched our little hearts out. Sydney came across one that checked off every box on our wish list, and for a great price, so I contacted them that night. I received a response that let me know they were booked on showings until a month later, and that the apartment I was looking at was no longer available.
I was bummed, for sure. Not that there weren’t other apartments out there, but I was sad because Sydney had her heart so set on this one. That next morning, as I read Psalms, I was reminded that God loves her even more than I do. I thanked Him and said a simple prayer, based on that morning’s text inspiration – “God, help me to trust You more.” It was a very sincere prayer.
And within an hour, God showed me exactly how much I need to trust Him.
As I drove to work that morning, my phone rang. Thinking it might be a response from one of the other apartments I’d contacted, I was sure to answer. But no, this was a call from the place I thought we’d lost. They had an opening for me to come by that week, and while the 1-bedroom we’d looked at was no longer available, they had one available in September… which would work out just perfectly for us, as move-in day is just a couple weeks before the wedding. I hung up, and couldn’t stop laughing. God made me with my sense of humor, and in my deliriously happy state I was pointing up and saying “God… you. You’re a funny guy!” I eventually went to check out the complex, everything looked kosher, and after the application process went through without a kink, Sydney and I have now signed the lease for our first apartment together.
30!
And so here we are. Thirty days from now, Sydney and I are getting married. Wait, let’s try that again. We are getting married in THIRTY DAYS!! For those who have known me since my pre-Sydney life, my goodness has this day be a very long time coming — a path that has been filled with plenty of ups and downs and loneliness and confusion. Since knowing Sydney, I have grown by leaps and bounds, and while I give all glory in that to God, Sydney was certainly instrumental in my journey.
I also just really like her a lot. 🙂
Weddings can take a lot of planning, but most of it has gone really smoothly. I’m lucky in that Sydney is so easy-going, too. She may change her mind from time to time, but she is so sweet-natured and go-with-the-flow, that it’s been a really fun experience. We found our venue early on, but as things have come up and we’ve had to shift gears on catering or compromise on other things, it has definitely been a good opportunity to work together as a team. And that’s what life with her feels like… like we’re a team!
It is absolutely surreal, walking around and suddenly remembering, “Oh yeah, I’m getting married next month!” I have had so much darn fun being able to tell anyone, at every opportunity I naturally can, that I am getting married next month! And it isn’t just the wedding, with the party and all of the fun festivities that come with it. It isn’t just the honeymoon and the excitement of physically bonding together as man and wife. Above all, it’s the beyond. I get to spend the rest of my life with this person, being challenged and challenging in return, laughing together until our sides hurt, encouraging each other to pursue God above all else.
Sydney is already my partner for life… in thirty days, we’re just going make that partnership official. 🙂