REFLECTIONS ~ 50 years of Marriage ~

The Many Places we have called Home. ~ Part 1II

Anyone want to guess the total number of places we have called home in our 50 years of marriage? If so, post a comment with your guess.

11. In September 1980 Ron resigned from the USAF. He had no job yet we trusted Poppa God to provide for us AND HE DID! We moved into an apartment in Sumner, WA. It was in a beautiful setting with a small creek along the back of the property.
1. Brandon learned to walk at the age of 10 months.
2. My mom visited from California for Christmas. While visiting she asked me about the little Nativity set on the top shelf in our living room. She asked me when did I steal it from her and I replied, “I didn’t steal it, I relocated it the day after our wedding when we were visiting you at the apartment.” She gasped and said, “I wondered where it had gone and just figured it had gotten lost when the decorations were put away that year.” We have put this little Nativity set front and center in every home we have lived in over the past 50 years.

12. to 18 moves we lived in multiple places in King County, WA. Christmas of 1988 Ron had his first panic attack and we decided it was time to make a move for our family.
1. Living in King County came with its share of obstacles and accomplishments.
a. I faced some demons that had been hiding inside of me and during that time I learned how to be a better parent than my own.
b. We learned that mental health is not the negative that most people believe. And that asking for help is okay to do. And we continued to learn to lean on Poppa God and each other. And that is one of the things that helped to keep our marriage, family and relationships healthy.

19 to 21. Our next move in February 1989 reminded me to never say never. I had said many times over the previous 14 years I had said “I would never move to Blaine, never live with Ron’s mom, never live at the Farm where Ron was raised and I would never go to Birch Bay Bible Community Church which was the church Ron had been raised in.
1. We moved to Blaine, living with Ron’s mom for 4 months, moved into one of her rental homes, moved to the Farm and became members of BBBCC not once but twice! I did all the things I said I would never do 😉 and we often say “if you want to make Poppa God laugh – do your own planning because HE knows the plans he has for us. See Jeremiah 29: 11~13.
2. We faced some real struggles in the parenting arena but through lots of prayer, support of friends, what Tough Love really means and clinging to Poppa God no matter what!
3. I returned to college and graduated in June 1994 with a BA in Human Services. After graduation Ron would say “now you (Ali) can get a job to provide for me in the manner I wish to be.” I did.

22. Summer of 1997 to September 2003, beginning with purchasing our own little two-bedroom home on 5 acres.
1. Both Jamie and Brandon graduated during that time. Jamie with his GED and Brandon with his high school diploma and AA degree. Jamie joined the US Army and Brandon moved to Idaho to attend Northwest Nazarene University.
2. We continued to have our ups and downs, Jamie served a year in Iraq and Brandon didn’t graduate when WE thought he was going to.
3. During this time, we took one of the biggest risks we have ever made Ron stepped out on his own, opening his/our own plumbing business, Alion Plumbing & Home Repair. And Poppa God continued to be with us every step of the way.