Five years ago, on September 26th, 2013, the Hals family (Daniel, Beth (pregnant with our first child), and Chance) all rolled into Maryland. We were not sure what the next five years would bring, weren’t sure where we would live, knew a grand total of four people who lived in the area, weren’t sure what job Beth might find, didn’t even officially know the gender of our first child...but... we knew we were very excited about our next adventure.
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| Driving from SC to MD - halfway there - onward and upward! |
I’ve felt this way for a while now - but throughout the past five years there have been several significant events that have caused us to feel more and more and more like we have “landed” on both feet, like we have finally settled in, etc. And it ranges from finally finding a home that we were proud to call our own and that we wanted to live in for the foreseeable future; growing our family and being thrilled with the miracle of our two sweet, vivacious girls; investing ourselves in jobs that we absolutely love and find challenging, rewarding, and “right” for us; and the fact that when we reach a weekend or go to plan a birthday party for our children or our annual Christmas party - the list of people to contact is now beautifully long and we have finally developed friendships that extend beyond introductory “getting to know you” conversations. We also know how to get around town without checking our GPS; have established relationships with our dentist, pediatrician, veterinarian, etc....all so many of the things you take for granted when you have only lived in one place.
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| Holly and Chance |
But what continually makes my heart swell - is the knowledge that for Team Hals, leaving Florida was the right choice. It helped us grow even closer together, it brought us to a climate that we are much happier living in, and professionally - for both of us it has resulted in absolutely wonderful opportunities. The past five years have been incredibly challenging and exhausting and intense, it’s amazing to think about how much our lives have changed. Each time Daniel and I have moved, I have had a different identity. From SC to FL, I moved to Florida as a newlywed with a new last name - constructing my identity as Mrs. Hals - a teacher, married woman, etc. From FL to MD we moved at the beginning of my second trimester and I was already someone’s mom - even though I had only begun to understand what that actually meant.
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| Our wonderfully adventurous girls |
I am so grateful and thankful that Daniel and I took the leap that we did. Proud to call Maryland our home for the foreseeable future. Proud to identify ourselves as a Hopkins family. So full of peace and wonder when I step outside and walk among our deciduous trees that beautifully rustle when the wind blows. Cozy and content in our sweet, wonderful home. And marveling at how many ways the love in our home has multiplied in the past five years, as we now have not only a Beth, Daniel, and Chance - but also a Hannah, Lily, and Holly and our family has truly doubled in size...although I would argue the love has grown exponentially.
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| The girls were playing together so sweetly on the stairs - when I asked if I could take a picture they piled together and shouted "cheeeeeeeeese!" |
The years we lived in Florida were busy and intense as we were twenty-somethings, enjoying life and time with our friends, building our careers, earning our masters degrees, traveling the world, etc. But what continually blows my mind, is that the past five years in Maryland may very well completely beast the first five years we lived in Florida in terms of all that we have done and accomplished. The list is truly COMPLETELY different, but it merits a far more extensive and analytic debate than I currently have the mental energy for at this time. Perhaps it is a more fair debate when we reach past the "seven year mark" in Maryland and then exceed the amount of time we have lived here as opposed to Florida.
But for now we are thankful for our wonderful, sweet family. Thankful for taking big leaps and challenging ourselves to stretch and grow and find the work and climate that makes us happy. Unbelievably thankful for our beautiful, healthy, wonderful girls. So grateful for such amazing friends. And very happy to call Maryland our home sweet home.
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| Picking apples at a local orchard in Howard County, Maryland |
Everything can truly change in five years. Some quantify it as a blink of an eye, but for us, this five year stretch was an epic period of adventure and growth for Team Hals.
