Brody is gone...

Well our adventure has now officially begun. Brody is now in New York and he worked his first day out there today. We wanted our car out there so he drove out starting this past Tuesday, so it has almost been a week since I've seen him and we have just less than three weeks to go until we are back together again.

I have been meaning to write more about this adventure to New York, but since Brody and I decided he would head out before me, its been hard for me to want to think about him leaving. So instead I just enjoyed all the time that I could spend with him before he left and decided I would get around to writing another blog post when I could write without crying my eyes out. (Its never good to have really emotional things happen when you are seven months pregnant... it causes lots of tears.)

This whole thing has been so crazy! I never would have thought that things would come together so quickly and perfectly. When Brody originally threw out the idea of going to New York, we discussed the possibility but I honestly thought to myself, "It sounds like a fun adventure, but it will never work. There are too many things to consider and work out and too little time to do it all." But crazy enough, just over three weeks later I am sitting alone in my apartment and hoping the time will pass quickly so that we can be out there together.

Before we made an official decision, we talked to our parents and decided that we needed to make sure that we worked out our insurance (especially going out eight months pregnant) and our apartment. So we called our insurance, and by some miracle, only our specific plan covered deliveries out of state. We were so relieved! But the next obstacle was figuring out whether we could keep our insurance. Our insurance is provided through my job, and you can't exactly quit your job and keep your insurance. So we decided that I would need to see if somehow I could just leave a few weeks early and count the time as maternity leave so that my job would continue to provide us with insurance. So we pitched the idea that I work until May 12th, which is the day before my sister Brooklin's wedding, and then fly out. Again, we were so blessed to have my job be so understanding and agree to the plan.

Then when we called our landlord to ask about different possibilities for saving money on our rent, or selling our contract, she told us that her son and his friend needed a place just for the summer and they could pay most of the rent. We decided we would just lock up our stuff in one of the rooms and they could have the other two and we would just pay a little each month to store our stuff. Wow! We felt so blessed! After insurance and our apartment working out so smoothly and feeling so good about everything, how could we say no to this opportunity?!

On top of everything, my sisters wedding happens to fall on the same weekend as my brother-in-law Landon's mission farewell, so Brody can just fly back for one weekend and see both. And that weekend is within a week of the cutoff for flying while pregnant. And the bishops wife out in New York happens to be from Utah and is so helpful in finding recommendations for OB/GYN's out there and giving me advice for what to expect. And both of our families were able to figure out times to come out and visit us after our baby is born. And Brody's dad was able to drive out to New York with him so that he didn't have to drive alone. And our baby has been really healthy and hasn't had any problems so far. And... I'm sure that I've forgotten a thing or two to be grateful for. I just feel so blessed! Maybe this will just be a time of growing and learning for us. Or maybe this is the doorway to a new and exciting path that will lead me and Brody in the right direction. All I know is, despite being alone, this is right. I can't deny that this is so right for us at this time.

Our good friends the Richards (who are always so considerate and doing nice things for us) invited me over for FHE tonight and we read the story about Christ healing the blind man on the Sabbath. As we were discussing, we talked about how when the man was first being questioned by the Pharisee's he was hesitant to state that he believed Jesus not to be a sinner because he knew he would be cast out for saying so. The Pharisee's argued that any man who healed on the sabbath was breaking the sabbath day and must be a sinner. But as the man continued to be questioned and as he reflected again and again on the miracle that had occurred, he recognized his belief that Jesus was truly a man of God and was able to finally proclaim this knowledge despite being cast out for saying so. Then as Christ approaches the man, he is able to quickly respond that he believes He is the Son of God.

As I was reflecting on the story, I realized that I am so similar to the man in the story. It wasn't so easy for me to quickly respond that this was the right choice. But as I reflected on the miracles that have occurred for us, I cannot keep from denying that this is what God has in store for us. I'm so grateful that He is patient with us as we figure things out for ourselves.

Although the week leading up to Brody leaving was very difficult for me, and lots of tears were shed, I feel so at peace. I surely do miss my sweet husband! I won't deny that. But each day we have been blessed, and the time is passing much more quickly than I anticipated it to. Brody and I were able to listen to Elder Scott's talk from this past conference about eternal families for our last FHE together before he left. It was so touching, and it was the perfect preface to our new adventure together. So... I hope these next few weeks go by quickly! He'll be back May 12th for Brooklin's wedding, Landon's farewell, a baby shower, and some final packing. Then we'll fly out to New York together (yay!) on May 16th! I can't wait to be with my sweetheart again! I love you Brody!