Full Circle

Every summer I can remember my family would drive over to Whidbey Island to spend a week with my Aunt Shonagh, my Uncle KC and their kids in a cabin on the beach in Mutiny Bay. The get there you have to take the Whidbey Island ferry from Mukilteo, which is literally two blocks down from the house where Aaron grew up and his parents still live. So every year since I was very small I drove by my future husband's house without knowing it. When I was fifteen or so my parents stopped making the trip, but I'd almost always still go to hang out with my cousin Kayleigh and help out with the little ones. When I was 17 Aaron came over to see me while we were on Whidbey and I could never go there without thinking about him after that, which for a pretty long time was bittersweet. Shonagh invited us up over Easter weekend, so we caught the ferry late Friday night and stayed until Easter morning. It was really cool to bring my son to the same beach I played on as a child, then pined for my husband as a teenager while I took long dramatic walks. Jack had a great time playing in the sand and climbing on the logs, and got along really well with my cousins Maggie and Kaden. We took some good beach walks, made lots of really incredible food and had an all-around fabulous time. I really like that I married the man I've loved since I was 16, and staying at my childhood vacation spot together was a really poignant illustration that there's been a plan for my crazy life all along; I just had to wait for the good part.