Coming back to our ROOTS!

Ever feel like you lose a little bit of perspective in life?

Like, sometimes you just find yourself off track from what your original purpose or intention was?

I found myself in that kind of “fog” with this blog until recently.

I started coming here with an “I HAVE TO” mentality…and I didn’t like that.

I began to feel pressure to turn this into an “EDUCATIONAL” blog like SO many other blogs that are out there.

I felt – oh, I MUST do a “top 5” list or “Mommy how-to” every week.

I mean – isn’t THIS what my friends, those that read this blog – WANT?

But then, after some praying and meditating on what post I was going to write today, I felt a deep & resounding question RISE UP in my soul: “When did a STORY stop being one of the best lessons in life?”

WHEN DID OUR STORY STOP BEING ENOUGH!?

I know that I personally learn BEST from stories. Jesus knew this when he taught mostly in parables during Biblical times. He knew that people can learn BEST when they can relate to the message.

In the beginning of this blog, I just simply wanted to tell you ALL the miracles I was experincing on a daily basis. What I had prayed for and expected all my life was finally manifesting in front of my very own eyes.

I was thrilled to come on here to share some of God’s goodness, His faithfulness and in hopes that it would ENCOURAGE and INSPIRE you too.

Over the past year, I’ve noticed that FOCUS dwindle – and maybe you have too.

God is STILL doing MIRACLES in our lives – I’ve just forgotten to keep sharing them.

So to you my readers – I APOLOGIZE! I apologize for selling out and feeling the need to make this something that it was never intended to be.

The beauty of it all in the end, I feel, is that in its rawness – in its pure state of remaining a blog about me, my family and our journey – is where it serves you all BEST.

So, here I am, confessing my humanness and ready to bring this blog BACK to it’s original GLORY.

And where shall I begin? Well…it DID all begin with a story, so here’s another one…

Kim and I have now known each other for almost 25 months.

We’ve been married for 22 of them. In 2 months, we celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary.

Actually, we get to celebrate TWO. Technically, we got legally married in VEGAS on December 30, 2018. Then, about a week later, on January 5, 2019, we got married in front of many family & friends on the beach in California.

In 2 years, we’ve done a whole heck of a lot together. God has us on his fast track!

I immigrated to Europe

We got pregnant (only 6 months into marriage) & have an amazing son

We started a business together – and CLOSED it (for now)

We became full-time parents to Kim’s amazing, almost 12 year old daughter, Billie

and just like the rest of you, have survived a GLOBAL pandemic!

How’s that for your first 2 years of marriage? In many ways, we feel like we’ve been married for 5 years! Not because we’re “bored” with one another – but because of how much we’ve been through in the first two. We also continually feel blessed by how CLOSE we are intimately and tell each other every night before falling asleep that we are already more in love with the other than the day before.

As if that wasn’t enough of a fairytale, we are still living and thriving in Europe. Since immigrating here I have visited Spain, Netherlands, France, and Germany. Kim & Billie added quite a few more to that list this summer with a road trip through Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg.

Perhaps before next summer, we hope to add Denmark or Italy to that list – COVID pending!

Right now, we find ourselves all in a busy season with Billie officially starting “middlebar” (America’s equivalent of middle school), Kim back teaching Dutch at a new school, and I am a stay-at-home mom & business woman with our amazing 7 month old son keeping me on my toes.

Quite literally, at 7 months old, he’s already standing and pulling himself up on his own. He’s also crawling and walking around the couch. Mommy is growing eyes on the back of her head and continually stretching to prep for all the running after this amazing guy that is in our future!

And speaking of our future – there’s a lot continually unfolding in our hearts that we look forward to sharing with you when the time is right.

Very soon, we will be celebrating Mason’s first Halloween, Billie’s big 12th birthday and maybe even a mini Thanksgiving celebration with Kim’s family here in November.

And oh, Mason and I are headed back to the States for a visit! In December, he and I will be taking on another solo adventure to Florida to visit my parents. I know Mason is anxious to test out his new swimming skills in Nana & Papa’s pool – and work on another tan.

And I – I am looking forward to continuing to share our story…what it’s like to live in Belgium, to raise a pre-teen who doesn’t speak your language, being married to a European man, raising a bi-lingual baby during Co-vid and all in between 🙂 Stay tuned! Lots more COMING SOON!!!

XO, Chey