The start of the year was much the same - work gets slow, and I did what I could to make ends meet. I got any random photo job I could, sold everything I didn't need - just to keep the bills paid and scrape by on groceries until the ice and snow melted and work picked back up. In my line of work this is pretty typical for winter. When you support yourself and rely on this as your sole income, things get iffy. The price you pay for waking up each morning to do a job you actually love. (Still worth it).
Springtime came and the money flowed - as did the rivers. Jamie and I got new kayaks and started spending warm sunny weekends out on various rivers in Middle TN. A day in nature cures most mental ailments. (most).
Come May, grief took control of our lives and we said goodbye to Jamie's Dad, after a battle with cancer. His sister made arrangements to get married as soon as she could so her father could walk her down the aisle. It was the most beautiful and bittersweet wedding I've ever attended, and no doubt will be for the rest of my days. Within a couple of weeks we lost him.....such a sweet, caring, loving, and genuine man. I promised him in his last days I would take care of Jamie for the rest of my life.....but it's like he already knew.
Shortly afterwards, I moved into his sister's townhouse (vacant since she got married) and Jamie moved in as well. We prepped his house for sale and it had a full price contract in less than a week.
We'd been talking about buying a house together, and I (the one who swore would never wed again) told him I wanted to be married before we bought one. No engagement ring, no formal proposal, so we planned a date for mid-August and opted to basically elope (with our family's prior approval). It poured down rain the entire drive out to our wedding venue - a rustic lodge with trails, old mills, etc. - as well as a stunning 100' waterfall which stood at the bottom of a slick and treacherous hike, made even more difficult as a result of the rain earlier that day. Once at the bottom the rain stopped. The setting was perfect, nature cooperated, and I didn't even get my $15 wedding dress dirty. This is what a wedding is supposed to be like. Simple, genuine, and perfect.
In late September, we finally took our first vacation together (nearly two years after we started going out). Rain again stepped in, and although we had to cut our trip short due to impending floods on the East Coast, we still had a wonderful time riding our bikes through downtown Charleston, visiting numerous historical sites, and staying in a hotel directly on the beach. Once again, we didn't let the rain dampen our spirits.
Shortly after that we finally had our wedding reception. A small gathering of our family and close friends with a bonfire and plenty of beer. Simple - it's what we do. (and it's working)
In November we finally started our house hunting - we tried to stay in Mt. Juliet, but for the money we could get a lot more house just 2 miles outside of town and into Lebanon. It felt like the closing took forever - I've never owned a house, so for me, this was a HUGE milestone. We closed on December 29th and rang in the new year exhausted from moving and barely making it to midnight....a tiring end to a hell of a year.
So many changes. So many adjustments - both good and bad of things we didn't know we would face - or face so soon. May 2016 be a blessed year for all my friends and family. Life is short......live it to the fullest.
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