La Dolce Vita

This evening, as part of our glorious 'staycation', we (the hubs, the two kiddos, and I) went out for an early dinner at a great local Italian joint called Giovanni's. Sitting in a nifty little booth tucked into a corner by the window, enjoying good wine and even better pizza, my thoughts traveled back to the last time we dined there. Just over two years ago, the same group, plus my sister, sat at a table in the center of the dining room, embarking on a strange new adventure. She had just arrived in our neck of the woods, bringing her five month old son who was to stay with us indefinitely. It was a jittery meal, the way any meal with two infants and their somewhat freaked-out first time moms might be. Justin and I were adjusting to our new reality, he having lost his job less than two months before. Due to my breastfeeding daughter's apparent allergy, I was off dairy, which made my meal disappointing. Everything in our world felt shaky and our future looked uncharted, if not entirely uncertain. And the path of the subsequent two years did turn out to be surprising in many ways. On the positive side, my fears of financial devastation never came to fruition. My the grace of God, we were always able to pay our rent, keep the lights on, and we didn't lose the car. On the other hand, I did not predict certain friends would basically abandon us during the rockiest time in our life thus far.
So, a lovely meal was made all the more lovely as I realized just how much all of us have grown. In small ways, like the fact that going out with the kids doesn't seem so impossible. That the two of them are generally joyful and well-adjusted. And in bigger ways, like how much closer my husband and I became through suffering and struggling and triumphing together. As I've mentioned before, the future is still a big mystery, and our stability is not completely, well, stable. But the lesson we learned, between one visit to Giovanni's and the next, is that whatever happens, we can handle it.