What Next?

Lot of folks have been asking what we are up to and what our plans are next. First, the easy one: what we've been up to.

After a relaxing week on Lake MI with my family (I'll catch up on all these blogs eventually!), we decided to extend the MI stay for me and Rowan. My sister is getting married on August 16, so we knew that all 3 of us would have to get back to MI for that. At one point we thought we might take a cross-country RV trip before the wedding, but after much discussion decided that we needed more time to decide what's next. We decided it would be easier on the wallet to pay a change fee for our tickets rather than buy all new ones to fly back to MI in just a few weeks. Plus, who wouldn't want to hang out with all these relatives and friends during a beautiful summer in MI for more days?

So Joe flew back to Stockton on July 14...thinking that he was done with the decathlon. He was going to spend the time exploring some work and living options, get a feel for what was going on at the training center (there has been talk of Joe being the assistant coach out there, but funding has been sketchy), and have some time alone to think and process. He did do that for a week or so, but then got a call inviting him to compete at one more decathlon: the US vs. Germany meet in Kansas. He is thrilled to have one more chance to end his competitive career with a score he feels satisfied with. So he will compete next weekend on August 2 and 3, then fly to Grand Rapids on the 4th. We'll be together in MI until a few days after my sister's wedding, then all fly back to CA.

Rowan and I are hanging out in MI, enjoying lots of time with family and friends and helping with lots of wedding details. I'm not sure Rowan knows where home is anymore (I'm not sure I do, either!) since we have been on the road since mid-June. She is a trooper and has made lots of transitions and slept in lots of different beds with ease. I am almost 18 weeks pregnant now, feeling great (no more nausea or food aversions, yeah!), and starting to actually look pregnant (sometimes). I'm feeling the baby move--this is the part of pregnancy that I love.

What are our plans next? It seems like a few options are rising to the surface...but we have a lot of conversation and serious considering to do in the coming weeks. I'm not very comfortable with the unknown; Joe could exist there for quite awhile. So this is the hard work of marriage...negotiating all the angles and desires and visions for what life will look like. We will be married 9 years on July 31. I am grateful to be doing life with Joe and know that what really matters is that we are facing whatever comes next together.

Thanks for all your prayers and well-wishes during this time of big changes and big decisions.

We'll keep you posted.