God Blessed the Broken Road...

I shared this on Facebook, but wanted to record it here for posterity and to add a bit more background.

 Our New Home

Jerod and I got approved to live in a gorgeous apartment.  This was the first complex we visited and we fell in love.  But we decided to see several more in order to make an informed decision.  None of the other places even compared!

The complex is called Broadstone Centreport.  It’s a green built community.  Basically that means the buildings practice waste reduction and reduce the environmental impact of the home while under construction.  This includes: tree preservation and protection, recycling measures, and storm water control systems.  The building is designed to conserve water both indoors and out and the homes are built with sustainability in mind.  The homes are also very energy efficient and tout improved indoor air quality.  There are a lot grassy areas and the buildings are spread out on 22 acres, so it does not feel cramped like most apartments do.  We will be moving in August 25!  We picked out some great items from IKEA a month or so ago, so I think we are all ready.  It’s a one bedroom apartment with small study and a garage, so it feels more like a townhouse.  Here is the floorplan:

Our Love Story

So what’s the big deal Nicole?  People get apartments everyday.  This is true.  And I’ve lived in tons of apartments, but primarily by myself.  My brother and I were roomies for a while which was a blast, but I’ve never lived with a boy. 

For the longest time, I avoided relationships like the plague.  And I mean like 8-9 years long time.  I was terrified of getting hurt and just not motivated to put the work in to really even try.  I would either break up with someone or stop seeing them at the first hint of difficulty.  Or completely sabotage things so the boy would break up with me and ease the guilt I carried.  So, yeah, I was pretty damaged.  I think some of this stems from a distrust of men and my parents’ divorce and how I chose not to deal with it.  I am certainly not blaming them, I take full responsibility for all my nonsense, but I can see how I may have come out of things quite jaded and cynical about monogamy. 

As I mentioned before, I started getting my life back together a few years ago.  I met Jerod after I moved back to Texas, I do not recall the actual first time we met.  He has known my family for years and was great friends with my brother when he lived here.  But I did not really know him, just casually.  One day at pool, we started talking and something sparked.  We were pretty much inseparable after that.  I was scared, nervous, skeptical, the whole range of emotions.  But something was different this time.  I WANTED to try.  I wanted to give this guy a chance.  Even when I pulled some of my bratty stunts, he stuck around.  Even when I told him about my past and warned him repeatedly that I am damaged goods, he just smiled at me and didn’t think twice about getting involved with me.  We have been through some ups and downs this past year, growing pains I like to call them.  And I’m sure these will continue.  But I’m excited about our life together.  He has brought such joy and happiness into my life. 

So moving in him and getting an apartment, all that, it’s a big deal to me!  But I’m not going to lie.  I’m sure this will prove to be difficult for me for a while.  I’ve lived by myself for most of my adult life, I’m very set in my ways, have very specific ideas of how things should be, slightly OCD about clutter, etc.  And to be honest, I’m kind of selfish.  I’ve done what I want when I want how I want for the longest time.  So having to consider someone else, well…it takes time.  But I’m going to keep praying and keep giving it my all and I know we are going to be so happy together.

Thank you Jerod for taking a chance on me.  Thank you for being my best friend and always supporting me and being by my side.  I love you more than words can express and I am so excited to begin the next chapter in our lives!

Title Disclosure:  This is a song by Rascall Flatts.  The lyric is “God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.”  That’s exactly what I feel happened with us.  Neither of us was looking for love that day we started talking.  Here are some of the other lyrics that really resonate with me: “I got lost a time or two”, “every long lost dream”, “others who broke my heart”, “it’s all part of a grander plan” - I get chill bumps everytime I hear that song, it really is beautiful.  I was damaged, but God can turn damaged into beautiful, and the love between Jerod and I is beautiful.  He has had his own struggles and tribulations through life, but that’s his story to tell, and us being together is a testament to God’s amazing plan.