Part Thirty One: After The Wedding Bells

Don't you just hate an itch you can't scratch. Or a bug bite. That doesn't sound as poetic.

It's been a long time and life has been so busy, but I've felt the need to pick up the virtual pen. To be honest, I felt that I had written everything worth writing. But man, isn't that like watching a movie end and never knowing what happens? Where is the sequel that let's you know things stayed happily ever after? ... or let's you know what new adventures lay in wait?

So here we go. The continuing story. About 99% of the world will never care, but for you dear reader, should you stumble upon this little corner of reality and find you'd like to stay, I'm about to continue the most divine story my heart could never dream of imagining.

Let's see. How do I jump back in?

Ah yes... bright and burning October, 2014. We just returned from our honeymoon in the The Berkshires (not the Shire. That's a different place entirely). Here was the plan: we would house-sit from some friends in Wolfeboro, NH (and at the same time have free temporary living quarters) for two weeks. Then we would travel to NC to another temporary home until January 2015, at which point we would head to Arizona for Jacob's job training as a Edward Jones advisor. We would stay in Arizona for 6 months before returning home to NH to set up base. I would continue teaching martial arts and Jacob would get to work on financial work.

The drive to our temporary home in Wofeboro was terrifying. It was late at night by the time we made our way to the Wolfeboro house, as we had driven straight from the Berkshires to my parents' house earlier that day.

It was cold. I was tired. And nothing is as dissatisfying as going to a strange house when you are cold and tired. We unpacked what we needed and went inside.

Maybe it was because it was dark and windy. Maybe it was because this house was tucked in the woods away from the main road. But I promise you. I felt like we just walked into a haunted house.

Our bedroom was on the third floor, tucked up in a loft room of sorts. There were lots of pine bugs. Jacob had to go on the war path constantly. 

There was old wallpaper and wood everywhere. It was a post and beam house, so I didn't expect anything different. It was just very quaint in the day spooky in the night. 

There was a dog named Daisy. She was older, golden, and all over the place. She also escaped from the house and jumped in the backyard pond on our first full day. We had to keep her on the back porch for a few hours to dry her off because wet, pond-y dogs don't smell so great.

Attached to the house was a smaller, add on unit. The people we house sat for had this unit built on for their father/grandfather as he was older (and his mind wasn't as strong as had been). We had been instructed to keep an eye on him, so our door was always unlocked. This was both benevolent and terrifying, because at any moment he might pop on in for a visit.

The basement. It was a no fly zone. We heard some creepy noises down there more than once. Basically, if the lights were off, we dare not go anywhere downstairs because we were sure we would die from zombies and/or ghosts.

All this to say, let me not steer you to thinking we were ungrateful! But it was all so strange and different and alone. Jacob and I were a single unit, away from our families. It was marvelous and sad at the same time. It felt weird to be away from them all, especially in such a foreign place.

However, we had some sweet times. I wasn't working. Jacob wasn't working because we hadn't gotten to NC yet. We were poor as dirt, so there were a lot of meals consisting of boiled cabbage, tortilla chips and melted cheese, spinach, beans, rice.... all the cheap foods. We watched movies in bed, took walks under the foliage canopies, worked out in the backyard, and pondered our future. It was a lot of time to think and wonder. 

We had no clue what would happen. We believed God was in control. But that feeling of being on the brink... of not knowing... it was something we knew all too well. At the same time, we still felt ready for certainty. 

When those two weeks were up, we were ready to go to NC. Jacob was ready to start his temporary job working tree servicing with a family friend. I was going to keep working small time for BTB doing some minor Facebook advertising and teaching a fitness class once a week from Skype. It wasn't much, but we had each other and we were ready to fight  to make something of ourselves.


I remember packing up our stuff (it barely fit) into the back of my little red 2000 Toyota Echo. We drove from Wolfeboro to my parent's house around 1:30pm. Saying goodbye to my family was more surreal than anything. I wouldn't see them for a good year, maybe more. But my mind and soul were so full of adrenaline and forward motion. I was 21 years old and everything was on the fast track.

We drove straight through the night and didn't get to NC until 5am. We considered stopping and spending the night somewhere to break up the driving, but we didn't want to spend the money on a motel. Jacob was beyond chivalrous in driving the whole way. You read correctly. He drove all 1,017 miles. He wouldn't let me drive once. It was honestly something I was grateful for and am still grateful for to this day.

I remember trying to distract ourselves throughout the long drive. I remember being so afraid Jacob would fall asleep at the wheel (when really I was the one who was falling asleep!). When we finally arrived at Jacob's parents' house, we were so tired. Exhausted might be a better word! 

It was cold and dark, but it was morning. It was a new day and we were onto phase two of the journey! Just like that, our wedding was over. Our honeymoon was over. Our time in NH was over. 

Here we were in Mills River, North Carolina. At 5am. In the dark. 

There was an air mattress set up in the family room downstairs. Jacob's mom had decorated everything so beautifully for our arrival, but the my focus was on the fact that March 7th, 2013,  I danced with Jacob Clifton for the very first time in this same room. Now we got to snuggle up and fall fast asleep in that room.

The next morning felt so weird. We were married. I hadn't seen any of Jacob's family since the wedding. And now we were married. Ew. That sounded weird. 

Aubrey was the first person we saw. We jumped on her bed to wake her up. Not sure why this sticks in my memory, but it does.

We jumped right back into the action that day. Jacob's parents had planned a reception of sorts for all of the North Carolina people that weren't able to make it to the wedding. 

I put my wedding dress back on, Jacob got suited up, and we greeted everyone. In about 30 minute we had changed into athletic clothes and started a football game in the backyard. Sigh. We don't make the best adults.

After the party came the part I dreaded. Moving. Again. All the guests had gone home. It had started to snow, even though it was only October 31st! We hopped in the car only to realize... we had a flat tire. The flattest. It looked like a smushed doughnut.

In the snow, in my athletic shorts, I helped Jacob move all our stuff to the Ironvan (aka grey Clifton van that Jacob drove around back before we were married). We FINALLY packed up and headed to our new home. 

Once again, I felt so worn thin at the thought of another 'home'. Family friends of the Cliftons owned rental vacation properties, one of which they graciously were allowing us to use. No one vacations in Hendersonville in November, so it worked out well. Extra income for them, somewhere to live for us.

They said it was a cabin. It was kind of a cabin. It was very wood on the inside. A little run down on the outside. Lots of wood on the inside. Did I mention that?

We got what we needed and went inside. It was COLD IN THERE. There was a space heater, but I'm not really sure that there was any other source of heat in that building.

We didn't have a sponge. I'm pretty sure that was it. Jacob had to drive back to his parents' house to get something we forget. Pretty sure it was a sponge. Or toothpaste. Either way.

I remember being so proud and excited to have a home of our own. Not a a house sitting home. A real home. Our home. Sure, it had furniture that didn't belong to us. We wouldn't live here for long. But it was our home.

As we crawled into that new, strange bed with the new, strange blankets, I couldn't help but wonder what was happening with my life. Just 5 seconds ago, I got married. Somehow, the time slipped by and we were making our new life in North Carolina... a stepping stone to an even more beautiful new life that we couldn't yet picture.

Everything was changing and I couldn't hold onto anything but Jacob and Jesus. And I held on tighter than I've held onto anything in my life.