The Good, The Bad and The Optimistic

Jared and I went on an ice cream date tonight and while we were enjoying our sweet treat he asked me "What has been your favorite moments in the last three years?" Of course our wedding day and honeymoon were at the top of the list and then shortly following that was the birth of our nephew, Elliott, I also reminisced about picking up our kitties and bringing them home for the first time. Other memories we both added to the list were the many shows we went to - including our favorite band Radiohead, buying our first car together, our trip to Colorado, our first visit to Switzerland, all of the elderly people and the wonderful friends I have met here. The list kept growing and I stopped and said "we really have had a lot of good times over the last three years."

It's been no secret that I have loathed this town since I moved here and I really did give it an honest try but the list of terrible things that we have encountered while living in Illinois is pretty long. But when I stop to think about it....while yes, I think this town is terrible, our life during our time here has not been terrible. In fact, it has been pretty wonderful. I've been married to my best friend for nearly three years, I've had endless love and support from our amazing family and friends, and even when we we had less than a dollar to our name we still never wanted for anything. We have been and continue to be so blessed.

So while I'm glad to be moving on from this place, I honestly can look back and say the first few years of our lives together were good and that the rough spots in the road truly did bring us closer together and I believe strengthened us not only as individuals but as a couple. It hasn't all been perfect or easy, but it sure has been memorable and worth it.

I am confident that our future years are full of the same ups and downs we have faced in our first few years together but I'm optimistic the good will continue to outweigh the bad. After all, we have each other and nothing can trump that kind of goodness! :)

Stay optimistic. Life is what you make of it.

And now....for a video of our favorite band singing their song 'Optimistic'. Fitting right? :)