Author: Samantha Gratton

Heart Stirs

Samantha Gratton

In the past week I had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to Boston to visit a friend and take full advantage of the rest of my “vacation time” before starting my new job on Monday. It’s a beautiful city I’d never been to before and although we’re still exploring our new hometown, it was great to get away. Most of the day she worked, which left me with plenty of time to think and pray as I rode the train and walked around town.

We just moved halfway across the country and maybe experienced more adventure than most face in any given year. I can’t help but ask what’s around the bend. We’ve gotten this far and for the most part, without a hitch. So just what’s in store for us now that we’re here? Because clearly, we’re here for something, and I think it must be something big considering how quickly and smoothly things went. For four days I walked around a busy and historic city thinking about just that. When I returned, I recounted all of these thoughts, plans, ideas, hopes, goals and questions to the hubby.

So last night, over some fruit and cheese, we said whatever came to mind about this future in front of us. What might we face in the next few years? Going back to school? Owning a business? Having biological children? Adopting children? Working a second job? Taking a trip? Buying a house?

In this, we also talked about the difference between contentment and readiness. Being content with what you have is an extremely important lesson. But being comfortable is not what we were called to be. Neither are we called to be mediocre or secure or stagnant. We want to make the most of this life that we have been blessed with and our hearts are being stirred.

Ode to the Taurus

Samantha Gratton

So long, sweet Taurus

our beloved car, you drove so well

or at least, you drove so far… for awhile…

237,000 plus miles is something to brag about

but you did it with such grace and middle-class style

You were our “get-away” and all-purpose car —

once decorated with signs proclaiming “Just Married”

often buried under snow in the streets of Sherman Hill

littered with cereal bits and cookie crumbs

and covered in mud leaving our rainy trip to Nashville

Nameless but loved, you had quite the personality

Never accepting more than a gallon of gas at a time during winter

But summer wasn’t hot enough, so you insisted we blast the heat

Slowly switching gears paired with your relentless turn signal

We couldn’t have been happier driving through the streets

The end is near or already here

Our goodbyes were said weeks ago

But we couldn’t just look away as if you were trash

Peacefully you went with somebody else

And we suddenly have $1,000 cash

Photo: First Day

Samantha Gratton

Isn’t he handsome? Hubby’s first day of work is today, and I am so excited for him. Seriously. Life is crazy and within two weeks of moving out, he was offered this job. As of today, he is now a producer of a nationally syndicated radio show, and I’m sure he is just the guy for the job. Before his last job, he worked in radio and certainly knows the ins and outs of recording and producing audio. I’m eager to hear later today how it went and of course, how well that outfit suited his new workplace.

Nostalgia

Samantha Gratton

Today marks one week of sleeping in one place, a first in the last five weeks. It just so happens to have been one week in our new place. Other than about a room and a half, we’ve unpacked quite a bit and are starting to settle in. We even went so far as having our first house guests, first sleepover and first party in our home this weekend. 

Somehow, I managed to organize a “surprise” party for the hubby today in celebration of his upcoming birthday. To do so, I invited everyone we knew in the state and thankfully, all seven of them came. This included a sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew as well as…oh, how to explain this connection…a good friend’s older sister and her husband and almost-two-year-old daughter who are now becoming our good friends, too. No one lives in town, so I’m quite grateful they all made the trek out, and he was more surprised than I could have hoped.

We had pie and ice cream, sang as he blew out all 25 candles and went swimming in the pool afterwards. All of the elements of a good birthday party were there, really. All in all, it was a fantastic day and a great way to celebrate with those now closest to us. Now, hours later, I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that we live here. I know we’ve been gone awhile and have started trying new things and places, but maybe it’s actually more odd to consider that we aren’t going back. Or at least not for a long while, if ever. Sure, we’ll probably visit at some point in the distant future, but as it stands now, not to live there. I think today was the first day I really thought about the fact that “we aren’t there” more than the “we are here.” This isn’t merely a trip we’ll recount with Iowa people when we get back. We might talk on the phone or skype with them about some of the details, but the more and more we live farther away, the less and less our average everyday lives will overlap. It’s sad and strange and true all at once. With that loss has to come the establishment of new routines, new traditions and new people. But in the interim, it’s a strange thing to consider. On a birthday, it’s easier to notice the difference between this one from the last one, or even the difference in our lives since my birthday a couple months ago. While I’m so glad we got to celebrate his birthday with our favorite people in the state, it did cause me to recognize some of the voids as well. We live here now, not there. We live here, not there.

Hmm. That will take some getting used to.

Only a Matter of Time

Samantha Gratton

Things have been going well and moving quickly and yes, yes, YES! We’ve felt such confirmation about being here and God’s timing. It’s been a huge blessing, and we’ve been extremely grateful for it all. It’s all been so good. Not always easy, but so good.

Today, we decided it was time to stock our fridge so we headed to the nearest Trader Joe’s (naturally). Upon returning to our car, groceries in hand, we reached our first major speed bump (or as the signs say down here – “speed hump”) in the road. The car just wouldn’t start. Let me repeat, our only car just wouldn’t start.

It all became real very quickly. We had no friends to call, no way to get home and no idea why the car wouldn’t start. Thank goodness for AAA who promised to send a tow truck in the next 90 minutes. We took a moment to acknowledge what this felt like. This time of being stuck and alone with no one to ask for help. It wasn’t fun, but it is the reality of making a move like we just did. We knew we would have to face it at some point, so it might as well be the day after moving in officially. Then we did the next logical thing – took the refrigerated items back into Trader Joe’s and popped open a bag of chips while we waited.

The tow truck guy was there in record time and even dropped us off at our apartment before taking our car away. We don’t really know what that will cost to fix (hopefully not much!) or when it will be done. But I can’t help but thank God for his timing even with that. Honestly, I didn’t start this blog to “talk religion” – it’s not really my style. I think one’s life should be lived out and that’s the strongest testament of your faith. I don’t generally get all church-y or even want to be surrounded by people who are. My faith is real and it is true, but I’m not here to get in people’s face about it. I’m here to live according to God’s will and love others. But as I keep experiencing God’s kindness and grace and provisions each day, I can’t help but share about it. That car is getting to be up there in years, going on 18 years now. It’s had some repairs and probably needs a few more. But it made it halfway across the country. It made it to every interview we’ve had and through some dark, stormy nights in the middle of nowhere. It’s transported some of our most important documents, favorite clothes and our near future means of transportation (ahem, the bikes). When and where does it break? Outside of a grocery store, in a safe place, when we have nowhere immediately to be.

God is good. That’s all there is to it.

We Made It

Samantha Gratton

I am so tired, and sore, and exhausted that I am struggling to lift my fork to eat this crepe (you read that correctly – there’s a crepe place where I live! And I can eat them!). My little arms are screaming at me but my brain is racing. The past 24 hours have been insane. I think I’d like to take a week-long nap followed by a day-long shower.

But as of this moment, we have a home. We live somewhere. And we slept in our own bed last night for the first time in over three weeks.

We also have too much stuff.

Taking all of our worldly possessions down from the storage unit, out to the truck, down the ramp and sidewalk stairs and then finally up the flight of stairs to our new apartment has left us with this realization. We have too much stuff. We aren’t sure how or why or when we acquired all of these things, but the new way of life is “less is more” from here on out. That or, next time we move we’ll sell everything we own and then buy it all back over time. With each step we questioned the worth of the items we spent so much time, money and physical pain to keep. Over a thousand dollars to rent a truck and drive it halfway across the country (Penske is the way to go), another hundred for a climate controlled storage unit for a month, a couple hundred dollars in boxes/tape/rope/blankets (even with the donation of boxes from friends)…it all adds up. And for what? A life lesson learned the hard way. Less is more.

We did have a garage sale beforehand though and felt we got rid of things, which freed us up to make some purchases that we are so glad we acquired here instead of lugging across the country. Before loading up the truck, we snagged some major craigslist deals. We bought our first washer and dryer, a nice couch set, a bike rack and the hubby upgraded his bike for his new daily commute. We left a car back in Iowa to sell and will try and live on just one car for awhile.

Everything went so quickly, and overall, so smoothly. We’ve really been blessed by that and all we’ve been given. We had great friends help us pack the truck, wonderful relatives providing us with a “home base” (and friendship, meals and muscles too) and have been blessed by the kindness of strangers as we pick up these miscellaneous items and navigate around town. As we made a midnight run to Walmart last night for cleaning supplies and ice cream, we looked at each other and said, We did it. We made it. It certainly wasn’t done alone, but we did it together. We drove across the country, just us. We packed the bulk of our house and moved the bulk of our things and will inevitably unpack all of those things – just us. Hubby said last night that he felt like we were newlyweds all over again. Just figuring things out with a fresh start. Stuff or no stuff, the best thing we’ve had on this move was each other. Call me cheesy, but I’m pretty thankful for my husband and getting to do this thing together, with him. This thing called life.