When I was a kid, I spent hours flipping through old photo albums of my family’s history. My brothers were much older than I and my family had lived in Germany before I was born, so I was fascinated to see the past and hear the stories.
I’m still fascinated by pictures. They tell the stories of what has been and what is and maybe even what will be.
Tonight I scrolled through pictures of the two memorable years I have just spent being Mrs. Antons. They’ve certainly been adventurous and eventful and unforgettable. It’s honestly hard to believe it’s only been two years …
Here is the story of the most recent times captured in still-life …
We wed October 2012:
The little gingerbread house in the valley became our own:
We celebrated our first Christmas as husband and wife with my family:
Ian moved to FL for a six month training course with the military February 2013:
I spent many hours praying and crying and processing lap after lap in the pool:
Luke, my husband’s dog, was my ever faithful and steady companion:
I had a few visitors during those months alone:
Meanwhile, Ian worked very hard to survive the intense training which was the most challenging time of his career:
I stood tall and strong by myself many times, and I felt the warmth of God’s light shine through:
Manly & Babe were finally reunited July 2013:
Ian graduated from the training course, signifying that he is now part of an elite military unit:
And then my husband left again for more training that summer, but we remained committed:
We reunited and visited Ian’s family in San Antonio September 2013:
After half a year apart as newlyweds, Ian and I hiked the mountains, trail after trail, as if symbolizing the traversing we had to do in our marriage:
That first anniversary we celebrated at the hotel where we’d celebrated our wedding:
We grew closer together as a family and shared the holidays with our loved ones:
Then, we prepared for Ian to leave again for more military training February 2014, but this time he left me with a puppy as a gift:
I buried myself in my work and took my role as a therapist very seriously:
My nephews and niece came to visit me before Ian returned home:
He was so happy to come back from POW camp, and the dogs could not get enough licks and tussles:
We discovered, much to our shock, that I was pregnant, and announced it to my family in a hilarious way April 2014:
I was terribly sick for weeks and weeks, but we still managed to get up to the peak for some fresh air:
We made the public announcement about our baby on Memorial Day, and Ian enjoyed his first Father’s Day steak dinner:
Soon enough it was time to have a Gender Reveal Party, and we found out it was to be our Baby Girl on July 4th:
After another six-month challenging stint in Ian’s career, he graduated from firefighter training with one of the wealthiest counties in the nation July 2014:
I spent a few days at the beach commemorating the end of a successful career as a therapist and the beginning of a new career as a mother:
Since Ian and I hadn’t been able to vacation during the summer, due to his training course, we visited Ian’s family in AZ for an extended weekend September 2014:
Most recently, it’s become plain to see that we have a pumpkin in the patch, and we’ve both become happier at the thought:
Whew! What a timeline!
It’s good to reflect and see all that God has done. Pictures help me to remember my history and to read it like a book; God is faithful even in the valley, even on the mountain top.
Sometimes our life reminds me
of a forest in which there is a graceful clearing
and in that opening a house,
an orchard and a garden,
comfortable shades, and flowers
red and yellow in the sun, a pattern
made in the light for the light to return to.
The forest is mostly dark, its ways
to be made anew day after day, the dark
richer than the light and more blessed
provided we stay brave
enough to keep on going in.
~ The Country of Marriage
In the hands of the potter,
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