My youngest son asked me the other day what my last name would be if David and I get married.
Then proceeded to tell me that he'd be really happy if we did.
It's so weird using his real name with you all now, haha! I'm so used to calling him Coach!
David. His real name is David.
I think of the biggest hurdles when dating as a single parent, is not only whether or not your life meshes with theirs, but do your kids mesh well with them too.
David and I have obviously taken things very slow, and that includes the meshing our families too.
They say to do it like a crockpot, low and slow!
This past month, we've had some fun holiday events and little family get aways come up with our extended families and have spent alot of time blending our kids and families on these little occasions.
One of those occasions being over the 4th of July.
A little test run of having a blended family.
The coolest part is that our kids actually ASK to see each other, and WANT to hang with each other.
It's so nice knowing they get along!
But David and I have some challenging years ahead of us.
Our kids are close in age, and we are heading in to the teenage years, which means we are going to have alot of teenagers at the same time.
Yikes.
I brought this up to him, and his reply was, "There isn't anyone else I would rather go through this with than you. We make an amazing team and I have no doubt we'll be able to get through this together!"
He's the best. Seriously, just the best!
Not just because he's so good at having hard conversations and talking things out, but because he's home trimming my bushes in my yard while I'm in Bear Lake with my kids.
And because he rushed to my house after work to see me before I left and loaded up my car for me.
And because he sends me messages throughout the day letting me know how much he loves me, or that he's thinking about me, or because he found a really cool beach in Greece that he wants us to go explore while we are there in August.
He's just the best!
His kids will be joining us later this week for a fun family weekend on the lake!
Another little test run of blending our families together!
I have no doubt it'll go just fine. But I'd be lying if I said I don't ever stress about it, or worry things will get too hard, or have a fear of him pulling back because it's too much and he'll put a wall back up.
Triggers. PTSD from past relationships.
That's what causes those doubts and fears to creep up.
I told him I was worried things would get hard and he'd want to pump the brakes on this relationship.
His looked right at me and confidently responded, "Remember our motto?! All gas no brakes! You've torn this wall down and it's never going back up! You and I are like a power couple and we know how to talk things out, deal with it calmly and are willing to get through the hard stuff!"
I love the hell out of this man. He's all in on this crazy ride, and so am I!
I love this life we're building together already, and I know it's gonna continue to be an amazing ride!
-SJ
The Boutique Bachelorette
