Aaron and I are coming up on our FIFTH wedding anniversary! Five years! And whether you’re a new friend or you knew us even before we said, “I do,” here’s a little read to catch you up on what’s been going on with the A’baums.
We were married in my hometown in Spring 2011. Aaron accepted a job in Virginia after graduating the previous December; after our wedding he whisked me away in our carriage (also known as my awesome Ford Explorer) and we started our life together. It was good and it was very tough. We were a long way from any family and the only “home” I’d ever known. But we had each other and we were sure God had a plan. And He did.
It was hard. We prayed for me a job. We prayed for an open door to move closer to home. And then… I was offered a job at our church in Children’s Ministry. The day that I signed my papers, Aaron’s boss called and said that we could transfer back to Georgia within the next few months. We felt called to stay in Virginia, and I’m glad we did.
Though I was employed at our church, we both poured our hearts and time into ministry. We learned a lot, we grew a lot, and we built relationships with those around us. We bought a car together. Later we bought our first house. And eventually we got pregnant with Baby Baum #1 (Asher!) It was a joyful season in our lives.
We loved our life in Virginia, but after we were there for about three years we felt a tug in our hearts to move closer to “home.” We prayed for several months about it, and then, in God’s awesome timing, a door was opened for us to move back to Georgia. Aaron had an incredible job offer and within three weeks, Asher turned one, we packed up our house, moved into a little apartment, and Aaron started his job. We were filled with excitement and expectation for the days ahead.
While Aaron loved (and still does) his job, we had some curveballs thrown our way in our new town. One week to the day of our big move we had to rush Asher to the ER for an allergic reaction. It was scary. Within the next few weeks it was confirmed that he was allergic to peanuts and, for the time being, we were to avoid all tree nuts as well. We delved into learning more about his diagnosis and the world of food allergies. It was a lifestyle change for us as we did our research and all that we could to keep him safe and healthy. We prayed. A LOT.
Within the next month, we found out that we were pregnant with Baby Baum #2 (Addy!) It was exciting but with everything else going on (pregnancy hormones, Asher’s allergy, still learning a new town) I had a LOT of anxiety. Again, life was very good, but it was very HARD. And again, we prayed - a lot! Thankfully we had a few friends in our area and were able to see my family much more often, which was so helpful during this time.
At our twenty-week ultrasound for Addy we were told that something looked “abnormal.” From there we went through a series of testing and specialist visits throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. We made it through the summer in our teeny little apartment and finally found a house to rent with more room and much closer to Aaron’s work. Fast-forward to her due date and Addy was born healthy and beautiful!
Since moving back to Georgia, I have had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home-mama. At first, I wasn’t sure how this would go. I was thankful we were able to do it, but I didn’t know how I would adjust. Truth be told, I’m still adjusting and as a family we’re still figuring out our place in this community and season of our lives. Life right now is really, really good. But some days can still seem pretty hard.
I do realize our “hard” is a dream for some people. We don’t take our blessings lightly and know that God has answered so many prayers to provide for and to protect our family. But no matter what the seasons in life are like or even what happens day to day, I’m so thankful to serve an awesome God who never changes. He is there to hold our hand and help us through whatever we may face (Isaiah 41:13.)
So that brings us to where we are now. I’m super thankful to do life with Aaron. We’ve both changed a lot in the last five years, but life does that to ya. When it comes down to it, we are better together. We’re also better for the people that are in our lives. Some people have been with us all along. Some we’ve met along the way. And some are still journeying with us. Regardless of whether we were friends for a season or remain friends today, we’re thankful for what each relationship has taught us and for some really great memories made. We’re looking forward to doing life together and many more sweet memories to come.
Keepin’ it real and stuff,
Alyssa