We Are Moving To Norway

I've traveled to many countries in Europe, but this is my first time in Iceland. I’m passing through on a journey that, hopefully, will define the rest of my life. I’m moving to Norway to be with my husband, the love of my life.

This isn't the first time Eirik has asked me to move to Norway. When he returned from Hawaii after buying his first apartment, he wanted me to join him. He told me about the beauty of Norway and his culture. He was so persuasive that I almost considered it. My career was thriving, he wanted five kids, but he wasn’t sure about marriage yet. He wanted us to move in together, but I thought my dad would be rolling in his grave before I let that happen.

Despite our love for each other, our priorities didn't align. The answer was no. That allowed him and myself to finally move on. He did, and so did I, and we gave it a shot with other people.

As you now know, as fate would have it, when Eirik and I rekindled our romance, I swore I would never move. I loved my life. It isn’t perfect, but I am content. I remember discussing this with my friends, who weren’t convinced. They saw how in love we were. I told them, "If I ever consider moving, please stop me."

Well, here I am, sitting in this airport on my way to forever in pursuit of love, purpose, and myself. I'm moving to Oslo, Norway with my two beautiful and innocent babies.

I’ve had so many questions… questions like, "What are you doing? Are you insane? Are you sure this is what you want? What about the life you’ve built here? What if it doesn’t work out?" These are valid questions, questions that my friends and family have also posed to me. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer.

The truth is, I am absolutely insane to do it. I know it’s so cliché to say I am doing it because I’m madly in love with a man who loved me and chose me from day one, who always wanted me to make Norway my home. This time I chose to say: “yes.”

I’d love to tell you about some positive outcome, some dream version of my hopes for the future, and how I believe it will be different this time. But I can’t.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from my life experiences, it’s this: there are no guarantees. Life is full of ups and downs, moments of darkness and moments of light. One day you will cry yourself to sleep, and the next you will laugh at dawn. One day you will feel like you are groaning, and the next you will be shouting from the rooftops. The moments of joy and sadness, lack and abundance, we all get to experience them.

Nevertheless, you get to live your best life if you embrace these things, knowing that summer must make way for fall and fall for winter and winter for spring.

The only way to live is to live by faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. The hope is that we find someone who is willing to do life with us through all those seasons of life. Someone you can grow together with and become closer to with each passing season.

This journey is simply a journey of faith. I am outwardly expressing my faith in my relationship and the commitment we’ve made to one another. I’m uprooting my life entirely because I believe that even though I’ve had a great life, the life we’ll build together will be worth the sacrifice.

Some might wonder, didn’t you have faith the first time? Well, I did. But I lacked wisdom, understanding, and maturity. I was more naive than faithful. I’ve contended with myself, experienced myself, and learned and still learning to have a healthier relationship with myself. I am fully present for myself, for all my seasons. I do not resist, because I have accepted that I am not fully in control of my life experiences. When you fall in love, the person you are with contributes greatly to your life experiences. I know that I also have failed in areas where I felt I should have succeeded, and won in areas I never imagined. Faith is - I thrive to make informed and good choices to create more positive life experiences for myself and those I care about. But faith is knowing that even if things don't go as planned - everything works out as it should.

I’m not in pursuit of a perfect romance with a perfect man. I’m following someone who is not just my lover, but my friend. Someone who has never hesitated to choose me and pursue me from the day we met.

I want to see more of what is inside of me, to tapp into other parts of me I haven’t tapped into yet. I am looking forward to seeing how this move will it influence me as a person.

I said no once. Now, I’d love to discover what happens when I say yes. After all, how often does someone get to say they married the love of their life, the boy who always knew, the man I’ve loved for almost 15 years.

I’m excited and, yes, also nervous about this change. But this time, faith and wisdom have silenced most of my fears. Not because this will be a bed of roses, but because it’s better to try and fail than never try at all. I know right now that Eirik and I are committed to all seasons life will throw at us.

This is day one… the adventure awaits.

xo