When I was a little girl, my Mom and I drove through the mountains of B.C. in a Volkswagon camper.  We pitched tents in the forest and watched northern lights in the early hours of the morning.  We drove countless kilometers and became a part of some pretty epic stories.

It was my first real adventure.  And it was a great one!

Steve and I have had an adventure or two in our time together!  We’ve travelled…we’ve stepped outside of our comfort zones {hello, self-employment!}…and we’ve made some epic stories of our own.  We have found – over time – that it keeps us grounded.  It reminds us not to get too lost in the trials of everyday life.  And it also reminds us to be grateful for that everyday life.  Because – even with the trials – it’s a life we love!

And then we began a whole other adventure…being parents!

Sometimes, when I really stop to think about it, I’m surprised that any of us survive those early days of parenthood at all!  When you learn to drive a car, you do it in stages; you take tests…you gradually work your way up to being fully licensed.  Even becoming a spouse comes with some time to adjust; you date first…then you get engaged…all the lead up to becoming a husband or wife.  These parts of our life tend to happen gradually.

But parenthood isn’t like that.  At all.  One moment, life is all about you…the same way it had been for decades.  Then suddenly – a moment later – you are a parent.  Forever.  There was no training…no gradual, drawn out babysitting experience…no little card that deems you as certifiable.  You just suddenly have a child and in that single moment…everything changes.

Marriage is – by far – one of the biggest things to change in the midst of having children.  Your time is more limited…your conversation is monopolized…your understanding of what life used to be like is entirely pulled out from underneath you.  You also laugh more…love more…embrace life more.  But as far as marriage goes…those early years can be a huge change.  And at times, a huge challenge.  We’ve certainly experienced one or two!

Thankfully though, we are surrounded by people who still believe in adventures!

So, pretty soon, Steve and I are off to take another little one of our own.  An adventure in remembering what it’s like to be just us.  Gen and Steve…husband and wife…partners in crime!  A little adventure to a place we’ve never been…to lay our eyes on things we’ve never seen.

By this time next week, we’ll be in another country…a few short hours away from returning home.  And while I can’t wait to spend some much deserved time with my handsome husband…to eat some amazing food…and to sleep in for a few days {scratch that – I don’t need to sleep in…I just need to sleep through the night!}, I sure am going to miss these faces!

Hudson and Avery, you are – by far – our greatest adventure of all…