Hello?

Hello?  Is this mic still on?  

It’s been 2099 days since my last confession and after this, I can’t promise you that it won’t be another 3000 until my next.  Despite the metaphorical cobwebs growing on my Blogger dashboard, and the deafening silence from our tiny little corner of the internet these past 5 years, I still (to this day) get encouraging emails thanking us for telling our story.  It gives me such joy that our story can help others.  Thank you for that!

To all of you that still pop in once in a while, I feel it is time to give you a little update on where we all are today.   Jesse and I are still very much married and very much happy.  It’s been nine years since the affair and we’ve certainly worked through a lot.  We’ve had our share of ups and downs through the years - from some pretty amazing moments to downright shitty ones at times.  But I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing.  I just wouldn’t. Without ALL the experiences I have had, I wouldn’t be the woman, wife, or mother I am today.  I’m still grateful that we both chose to fight for one another, and that we continue to choose this life together.  Life is far from perfect but I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone other than Jesse.  

A lot has happened since you last heard from me.  Unfortunately, 2013 trumped 2008 (the year of the affair) as the world’s worst year for our family, when both Jesse and I lost a parent.  Jesse lost his mom that January and then I lost my daddy in July. When we didn’t think it could get any worse, we were knocked down again when my grandmother passed away that November.  Needless to say, we were ready for 2013 to be over.  

These past five years have also brought tons of joy, with two more little blessings.  We now have FOUR beautifully crazy BOYS!  We had Wyatt James in October of 2014, and then our newest addition, Lincoln Rhys, this past February.    Sadly, between the joyous arrival of Wyatt and Lincoln we suffered a late term miscarriage (16 weeks) in October of 2015. But we know that we will one day see him again! 

Since I started my photography business back in 2011 it has been steadily growing. It has become another baby of mine, to say the least.  I love it.  I love what I do and I love that I have the ability to do it.  Creating art out of an images I capture is exciting and I’m so glad that I can make others happy with what I create for them.   

Though I haven’t been writing as often as I used to, this past summer I had the privilege of writing for As We Are. I wrote a series in which I was able to share our story once again.  I forgot how much I enjoyed writing. It was good to dip toes back in the water and reach people who needed to feel less alone.   Being able to make our mistakes and misery into a ministry, is such a blessing for me.

I also have been super excited about a Facebook group I started to help those who are currently walking through an affair, or have been struggling through the pain of one for many years. I want people to feel more supported and encouraged while they are navigating this very hard and sticky season.  Even if you’ve worked past a lot of the mess, I’m always looking for ladies who would be willing to speak into and encourage others. I hope you’ll consider stopping by if this is something that applies to you.

All in all?  Things are wonderful.  Crazy, but oh-so good. 

Before I leave you for another 3000 days, I also want to sincerely thank all of you who still check in, send emails and even more importantly, those who still send people our way knowing that they may feel a little bit better after reading our story.   Thank you for allowing us to represent hope for others walking through this.  I’m so grateful that our story has been able to help so many through the years.  I’m so grateful for the ability to be able to encourage so many who feel desperately lost during such a difficult season in their life.  I’m truly humbled by the amount of emails I’ve received and continue to get.  

There is always hope, even when it doesn’t seem possible.