My Writing Goals and the Start of a Story

In dating & marriage, home making    February 9, 2014      10 Comments

This post is a part of an ongoing series. To read the rest of the series, click here to check out the list on my about page.

Our house project was definitely the recent kick of motivation I needed to get back to blogging. I knew if I didn’t start writing down everything that was happening, I’d never go back and record this fun and crazy season. It has been so helpful for me to pause and reflect in order to write, because things are happening very quickly. I don’t want to miss any of it!

However, this won’t just be a house renovation blog. There will be random thoughts and stories, and when Baby Awesome arrives, you can expect lots of cute pictures. =) Here’s a little baby bump pic just to get things started. I was 21 weeks in this picture, now I’m at 23 (almost 6 months).

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And before our little girl takes over, I also want to write down my dating story from the last few years. You might think that means I’ll be telling the story of how my husband and I met and got married. That’s part of it, but Trav won’t actually show up until about half way through. Years before I ever met Trav, God began to teach me lessons and work in my heart in ways that led to some major changes in how I live and act- so much so that I often refer to “old Laura” and “new Laura”. I hope you’ll enjoy hearing the story, and that you’ll give glory to God for the grace upon grace that he poured down on me throughout the process. Plus, I need you to encourage me to keep writing until I finish!

The story starts in the summer of 2007 when I was 27 years old. I was living in my condo in La Habra with my friends, Anna and Karissa. It was summer vacation, and I was recovering from my 5th year of teaching fifth grade at a public school in Whittier. I loved time with my dear friends, fun family, and my church community. I had just finished my fourth and final year of being a core group leader in the high school group, and I enjoyed planning the church’s yearly women’s retreat. I was a busy little bee, and I loved every second of it.

But there was something missing. I really wanted to be married. I wanted to be a wife and mommy. But I never, ever told anyone that. I talked with some friends about the occasional crush I had and about how my singleness was hard, but I NEVER talked about dating. I know that is shocking to those of you that only know New Laura, a.k.a. the Girl Who Loves and is Always Talking About Dating. I’m tellin’ ya, I’ve changed a lot!

Then one day in the middle of my summer break, a friend from work called and said she had something she wanted to give me. I invited her over that week, not knowing that it would be the start of big changes that God would do in my heart.

The second post in this series can be found here.

  • “I often refer to “old Laura” and “new Laura”. ”

    Love it 🙂 Totally relate in a big way, Laura! I went through Old Trevor / New Trevor transition about the same time. In my mind it was, in a sense, not just “a” milestone but “the only” milestone – that I was one way before, and now I’m permanently another way. As a kid, one gets older every day, thinking that they are “young” now, and will be “grown up” at some point in the future, as if there are only two stages – and the transition is light-switch-ish. (Thanks parents for ingraining the phrase “when you grow up”, implying that we will some day stop growing as people…) And, once you’re “grown up” (past-tense, very “final”), that’s it. You’re an adult now – you go about life as you are, as you have become, in a concrete fashion. What I’m really appreciating lately being a handful of years past that milestone is seeing that my Old Trevor / New Trevor Milestone isn’t a concrete, one-and-only switch from who I was to who I am – I am *always* growing and becoming New Trevor every day.

    • I love that, Trevor! I totally agree that adulthood seems to be filled with lots of growth and change. I can feel another “new Laura” on the horizon as I become a mother, and I think that may be why I feel a need to write down the last big transition before I’m in the middle of the next one. Thanks for your thoughts!

  • I would like to think my awesome wedding that summer had something to do with this story! Hehe. I’m sure it doesn’t, but all these years later I am so thankful to you for making the journey here to celebrate with us. You are such a loyal friend and I am loving following along on this journey with you! Can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Xoxoxo

    • Your wedding was so fun, Suzanne! And I always love me a good trip to Texas. =) I am so glad you mentioned that your wedding was the summer of 2007. I’ve been looking through my old journals to figure out what was going on in my life, but I’m having trouble piecing together everything.

  • As you blog, a thought about later on…when Baby Awesomeness is talking and saying cute things or doing cute (out of the ordinary cute) things. You might want a note book where you can jot down those cute comments or deeds. I made the mistake of quickly writing it down on the closest piece of paper before I forgot the exact words and somehow life happened and I still have little scraps of paper that I need to record. Just a thought…

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