Making Time for Marriage

Hello everyone!

          School has started up again, as you may have guessed by the three or so weeks of silence on here! We have been enjoying (?) the Colorado snow, and using as an excuse to cuddle up inside. One of our sweet neighbors in our NEW neighborhood has been snow-shoveling our sidewalks every day before Jason and I even wake up. I am so grateful for this mysterious friend, and I hope they know how much I appreciate them making this girl's life so much easier!

          I guess I should mention that we are finally moved into our Homes for Our Troops house! The key ceremony was a huge success, and I bawled like a baby, as expected. It will never cease to amaze me when I see the amounts of people who have surrounded Jason and I on our daily journey. It is a beautiful thing to feel understood. These people who I've barely even met don't care that it's been 4 years since Jason's injury; they don't think twice about offering a helping hand. They seem to understand that no matter how much time has passed since his injury, we deal with the ramifications every day. As I've said before, every day is a challenge, but Jason being the positive leader that he is, and you wonderful friends make it worth it. NoCO Custom Homes did an incredible job of completing our house, and we love the thoughtful touches they added even though they didn't have to. Homes for Our Troops gave us one of the biggest blessings of our lives with this house, and our life has already become smoother since moving in! The local firefighters moved EVERYTHING for us in about 2 hours, and we are forever thankful for them and their incredible help.

          I read somewhere that moving is one of the most stressful things a family can do, and I can vouch for that fact! We may be moved in, but by no means are we settled in. I'm ashamed to say I've probably only unpacked about a quarter of our boxes! With change, comes chaos. Everything is different even just moving 40 minutes from where we were. We have to go to new places for groceries, there are new people to get to know, new neighborhood rules, hundreds of things on the "To Get" list, and even more on the "Unpack" list. With the chaos, there has been some tension in myself and Jason's marriage. Sometimes it's so easy to get carried away with the largeness of the tasks and To-Do's that you forget to enjoy the Honey I Do aspect.

          A wise person advised us to clear our schedule as much as possible, and spend less time getting stuff done, and more time just relaxing together. Is it sad that we have to be reminded of that?! I would like to think that we are not alone in this struggle. With jobs, academics, pets, chores, appointments, and all other madness, it can be so exhausting to just barely make it through the day, only to collapse next to your spouse and say goodnight. Jason and I don't want to make that a pattern, so we had to deliberately redesign our little world to revolve around us, instead of the other way around.

          We canceled a few trips that weren't absolutely necessary, scheduled our days in order to allow "us time" every evening, and Jason decided to take a break from school. Since making these difficult decisions, we have already noticed a difference. It was hard to cancel some of these trips, since we were so looking forward to them, but it has given us time to actually enjoy our new home and our new marriage. The hardest decision of all (for my worry-butt, at least) was Jason's decision to pause his college classes. He is passionate about Economics, but has plenty of investing experience, is working toward receiving his licenses, and will soon be joining a fantastic program to help him reach his goals. School is not a necessity in his career path. He will come back to it later, but right now, God has given us other plans. There have been plenty of people who don't understand that. We don't blame them, but we do stand confident in our decision.

          I guess what I have loved so much about moving to our house is what a difference it has made in our family life. We now WANT to be home, and it has given us the push we needed to make that happen more. I'm so grateful to be in an adapted house with space, where my hubby can reach glasses and plates, he has a designated prosthetic zone, he doesn't have to struggle to open doors, and where all four of us (including the fur babes) can be comfortable together. You would be surprised at how much a little space can do! ;) I am looking forward to many more years in our sweet abode, and to this year of ENJOYING each other, instead of constantly stressing and running around like crazy people! I hope that as you read this, you were able to think of what you want most out of life, and what you can do to make sure you receive it. Life is meant for living, after all! :)

Rachel Hallett

"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Joshua 24:15

Key Ceremony- one of the best days of our lives!

Beautiful view outback.

Hanger Education Fair and National Meeting, Las Vegas.
Jason spoke for the check presented from Hanger Clinic
to Wounded Warrior Project. We were feelin' hot ;)