As soon as 2009 rolled around it seemed as if all the crud from the first year of marriage fells off of us. It was like coming out of a dark forest into a sunny field of flowing grass and flowers. I know I make the first year sound more rough than good…even when I talk about it I wish I could go back and change the way I handled things. Life would have been at least a little easier. But at the same time I am thankful. We learned a lot from that year and 2009 was looking up.
That year we went through a lot of transitions. We were still getting used to each other, my job status consistently changed and we learned that we would be welcoming Olivia to the family. That year we had many family venues to be part of and we began the journey of learning more about each side of the family.
For our first year Anniversary we traveled to Tampa, FL. We took a few days to enjoy some military benefits of free admission to Busch Gardens and the cheap on-base hotel prices at McDill Air Force Base. We had a great time and made a few pit stops along the way such as a candy outlet, Paynes Prairie and some local shops in Tampa.
That year was the year that I started my own little tradition of lighting up a victory cigar for surviving a year in marriage. Every year since I have lit up a stoggie. I can’t wait to light up another on Friday.
Another transition was finding the “right” church that fit us. Back when I got married I decided to part ways with Ridgecrest and join forces with Christ Church International. We got involved with the youth and had a good time while we were there. But it was time to seek out something else. About that time frame we started visiting Church of the Nations and we helped lead the youth group there too. Well, that didn’t last long. I didn’t feel I was I deserved to be in such a role because I was still dealing with personal and spiritual issues. So we ended up back at CCi. We spent a good amount of time with CCi at that point.
Jobs were all over the place. I started the year with White Engineering and was let go of that place. I started a painting company and kept Bane Enterprises Painting Co. going as long as I could. But when the real estate rental company Christen worked for went out of business I lost my main customer. So I had to find something else and ended up at JC Penny’s for a few months. Christen found a new job at a lawyers office and currently still works there.
In the midst of all the jobs switching I was part of a new Air Force Reserves Unit down at Hurlburt Field, FL. The 556 Red Horse Squadron. It was a great unit to be part of.
After JC Penny’s I worked at the Sheriff’s Office as a dispatcher. I love the job but hated working with some of the people there. It was not a good atmosphere at all. I won’t go into details but I will say that it got to a point to where I was so stressed about even the thought of going to work that I was physically ill. Yeah so I had to get out of that place. It was hard because I like the job. But I didn’t quit till early 2010.
Later in the year we discovered that we would be having our first child. We were very excited about having out first child! Olivia changed our lives.
2009 was a breath of fresh air compared to 2008. It was strange how once the first year was done that everything seemed to smooth out. Granted there were still some bumps in the road, but our love for each other grew stronger in 2009. Lots of transition. Lots of choices and scenarios.
