Adding a new chapter to our lives

A year from now my little angel will be 9 months old. It is weird to think about this. I've just begun to set up her room and her clothes only go through the first year. I've organized them in her closet and labeled them with closet dividers from newborn through 12 months. Amazing to think how one year will change our lives.

It has been a little over seven years since I met Greg and fell in love with his voice over the phone. Since then, Greg and I have had several chapters in our lives. I guess this is fitting since we are writers. There was the first chapter where we corresponded through email (March through May 2004).

During the second chapter when we dated in Washington, D.C. (May through June 2004), followed our long-distance relationship with me in Texas and Greg in Florida (July 2004 through May 2005). This chapter included my graduation from Baylor, move to Florida and first newspaper job--three really big changes.

Then there was the third chapter, our engagement year in Florida filled with three moves (for me) around Palm Beach County, planning our Texas wedding, Greg's graduation from PBA, the wedding and moving into our first place together (June 2005 through May 2006). Until recently chapter three was one of my favorites because of all the new beginnings.

Chapter 4 was our first two years of marriage--and for many reasons this was the hardest chapter we've had so far. We moved twice (once from one town home across the street to another), learned to lean on each other, celebrated many marriages of friends and family, mourned the loss of family, and learned to cope with job loss and success. These challenges lead us to reconsider what home truly is--and we found it with each other. We realized that no matter where we went, if we had each other it would be an adventure. We felt empowered, so we took a few risks...

Then in May 2008, chapter 5 began. This chapter took us to Washington, D.C. It lasted three years and was a time for building up each other and gaining skills. We learned to love culture, urban life, and broadened our minds and hearts. The greatest thing is we got to do this side-by-side. We both built on our careers, discovered a love for academia and teaching, and grew closer to each other. This chapter is in transition...and where chapter 6 begins is not so clear just yet.

We know many things about the newest chapter of our lives. It begins in the Mid-West, specifically in Columbia, MO. It begins with our first home, Greg's Ph. D at University of Missouri, our little baby girl "Miss P" and already some great new friends and neighbors. But for the most part the story is still unwritten.

This week a sorority sister of mine from Baylor said goodbye to her son James after he was diagnosed with an extremely invasive brain tumor. As Kara and her husband Matthew said on their blog, James beat the tumor in his own way. Her son was only eight months old, but brought joy to so many people. His life was short but his journey was epic. What Kara and her husband have said during this 24 day ordeal has truly changed the way I think about life. Life is not just about chapters, but the bigger story. James Camden Sikes and I never met, but his crazy hair photos and smile brought me joy, and the perseverance of his parents through this ordeal has strengthened me.

I'm not quite sure how this applies to our new chapter, but it got me thinking about Miss P's life. She has yet to enter this world. She has a blank slate. My prayer is that she will have many chapters--but they will all be in her own time and she will experience them all with joy. I'm just grateful that Little Miss P's been part of my story so far.