Year 2 of Marriage: Bases Loaded

Year two. Game on.

I've never played baseball before--not really--but I assume the 2nd year of marriage is supposed to be a little like the 2nd inning. You've got one under your belt so you're feeling good, but it's still just the beginning. It isn't crunch time. It isn't crazy. It's just to stand out in the field and if you happen to catch a fly ball, that's great.

That's how I assume year 2 goes. And honestly, that's how I felt it went until I actually starting considering all the ridiculous plays we called. And as I'm reflecting, I thought I'd let those of you in who would like to know:

I already told you how much training camp sucked and why the first inning felt so darn good. Well as I look back on the 2nd inning, I remember all the little things we learned but what really sticks with me are all the big swings we took this year. There was honestly no chance for us to have a regular old 2nd inning. We "struck out" on a standard year but somehow managed to hit a home run with it.

1st Strike: We spent our 1st anniversary on the beach and lived in absolute bliss for a week talking about dreams and brainstorming how in the world to get there. (It's funny how anything seems possible when you're on vacation. You know how you always end up saying, "We should just do this all the time!")

2nd Strike: The more we dreamt the more we talked about it with others. We have some incredible friends and family in our life who saw the spark in our eyes and pushed us to take the next leap of faith. We aligned ourselves with people who gave us prayers, support and a whole lot of "You jump first, and then maybe I will too."

3rd Strike: In August we took one of the biggest leaps of our lives (Which was definitely very scary, but also not so bad considering it was one of the few struggles we actually planned on.--It's easier to deal with difficulties when you know they're coming.) 3 strikes and we were out--or JK was, rather. He left his full time job and guaranteed income to run our own business full time.

Home Run: (I'm surprising myself with how good this thin metaphor is actually holding up). We ran full force towards the home and lifestyle we wanted to create. To be able to own our own business, be at home, and work and raise a family together. I still can't believe we're actually doing it...

I still can't believe we tackled something so absurd in the 2nd inning. We've still got a ways to go, but the bases are loaded and now we've got our 2 best players up to bat. Plus, we also inadvertently recruited a lot of additional heavy hitters. (The running total's around 5 new dreamers we've let loose who are now working to pursue their dreams.)

Year 2: The year of raising the risks and raising the steaks. We're probably crazy, but life's a game after all, isn't it? And we'd rather swing for the fence before we're taken out.

Wouldn't you?