“Are we there yet?” This simple phrase has marked many important milestones in my life. The question first surfaced early on in my relationship with Garrett. G and I met during his last semester at the University of Georgia. After about 3 months of dating, G graduated and got accepted into a leadership program through his work. The program involved 4 rotations, meaning G would move every 6 months for 2 years. His journey took him to Fort Wayne, Indiana; Plainville, Connecticut; Portland, Oregon; and Lowell, Massachusetts. During this time, G and I endured the hardships associated with a long distance relationship. We tried to see each other every 1-2 months, but the further he got from Georgia, the harder and more expensive it was to visit. For the next year and a half of our long distance relationship, I focused on the day that we could be together and not have to endure expensive plane rides, endless conversations on the phone, and sad goodbyes. Around January of 2004, I began dropping serious hints ultimatums about wanting a summer wedding. Call it “jumping the gun” or just plain intuition, but something told me that G would propose soon. A week before flying out to see him in Connecticut, Julie, mom, and I headed to Atlanta to do some bridal shopping. We settled on a dress and didn’t dare breathe a word of it to G. Thankfully, my “are we there yet” was answered in a big way and G proposed the next weekend at a beautiful bed and breakfast in Mystic, Connecticut.
About a year into our marriage, the “are we there yet” question surfaced again. This time I wanted to know when we would have kids. All my life, I have wanted to be a mom. I dreamed of the day that G and I would become a family of three. Our “plan” was to wait until I finished graduate school and got a year of teaching behind me. I accepted this plan and focused all of my attention on the arrival of my first niece. Around January of 2007, Julie, mom and I made a visit to TJ Maxx in Norfolk, Virgina to search for a clock to put in baby Hendley’s room. As we went aisle to aisle, I became fixated on a small white stuffed lamb. My interest in the lamb was odd to say the least. Both my sister and mom can attest to the fact that I have never been big on stuffed animals. Nevertheless, I hung on to the baby lamb in hopes of giving it to our first-born, “Jack”. Several weeks later, my dream became a reality, and when “Jack” became “Mary Reese”, we couldn’t have been any more excited! Once again, my “are we there yet” question was answered, but it didn’t stop there…
Being married to my best friend and having a healthy and happy baby girl hasn’t stopped my usage of this simple phrase. For the last 3 1/2 years, G and I have anxiously awaited the day when we could return to Georgia. The day when visits to the coast and Georgia football became weekend rituals. Our hopes were heightened last Thursday, when G traveled to upstate NY to interview for a position in Atlanta. The interview went well and the hiring manager told G that he would get back to him on Tuesday of the following week. Five whole days of waiting. The “are we there yet’s” were driving us both crazy so we decided to hop in the car and embark on yet another 8 hour journey back to Georgia. This was our second trip home in three weeks. We left town Friday when G got off from work and arrived in Athens around 2:30 am Saturday morning. We headed to Atlanta early the next morning and with the help of Hannah and Brantley, spent 13 hours driving up and down neighborhoods in northwest Atlanta. When we returned home late Sunday night, G and I sat down and laughed about our spontaneous trip down south. We spent the next 2 days on pins and needles, praying that it was not a wasted trip.
This evening, our prayers were answered when G received an informal offer for the position in Atlanta. Altough the details are not firm and the “are we there yet’s” are multiplying by the minute, we’ve decided to enjoy this milestone for what it is…a dream that has become a reality. We’re heading back south, right in time for Georgia football, boiled peanuts, and family outings. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
