Tuesday, August 21, 2007

I have my days...

You know there are those days when I just want to come home. I miss my family and friends. The website that has given me the most comfort during these rocky transitions has got to be THE WEATHER CHANNEL!!! Holy cow Charlottians! You know there are places on earth where it isn't 98-105 every day in July & August. In fact it was a balmy 72 last Saturday.

In all seriousness, this is all still a work in progress. I have to help Amanda with her transition. I remember when the 2nd and 3rd months rolled by and some of the new wore off and lonliness set in. That is when I went about the task of making friends. Jenny was an absolute god-send when it came to getting my butt out of the apartment. Amanda is getting to know my small but very valuable group of friends that I/we have made. We hang out at the Miller's house about every Sunday and watch movies, eat, shoot the junk, and mostly play with their 6 month old. I think it is neat that we have friends that in the short time that we have known them are wanting to come to our wedding and be apart of our special day.

So wedding planning and counseling are abound this weekend. I think this is where I get my "Wife Instruction Manual." Correct me if I am wrong, but in a 4 hour class they are going to teach me everything I need to know about how to be a good husband. I cannot believe more people don't take this class, there would certainly be much less divorce.*

Since the cruise things have been back to the status quo. We have gone out a few times and danced, drank, and were merry. Amanda continues her job hunt, she has decided to expand outside the educational field. Please wish /pray her luck.

*okay, so did anyone pick up on the sarcasm, that is paraphrased on how important the letter made this class sound to the future of our marraige.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi John...Meredith here of Lukas and Meredith. I just wanted to say I love reading your blogs. And I can totally relate to the homesickness thing. We've been in LA for a year and a half, and I still feel as home sick as the day we arrived. We have made incredible friends, and been on incredible adventures, but nothing replaces familiar roads and people who have known you all your life.
Anyhoo... just wanted to say you're not alone or crazy for feeling the loneliness.
Also, many prayers and congrats on the pre-wedding activities. You're absolutely right, no 4 hour class can ever save a marriage. Marriage is hard, and it is not always the easiest choice. However, the result of sticking with it, taking the good with the bad, and knowing that THIS person was chosen for you by God, and will stand with you for the rest of their lives, is an amazing thing! I have a favorite quote for you about marriage: (Not perfect, but close to the quote!)
A happy marriage requires falling in love many, many times...with the same person.
The moral of the story is that you and Amanda will change, and some years will be much worse, and then much better than others...but you stick with it, and you remember your history...WHY you proposed in the first place...and you ask God for a lot of help.
Ok, there will be no charge for my counseling session!
Peace and prayers and hugs to you and Amanda!
:)
Meredith

Jon said...

Thanks Meredith! That's good advice and I trust the source very much. The familar roads are nice except when you roll down your window and it is 103 degrees outside, then it is nice to be here where it is going to be in the 70s for the forseeable future.

JB