Where Have I Been?

A lot has changed in the past 18 months...
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It’s Thursday at 9:15 am and I’m home, bouncing around from one task to another. My new job these days has got me up at all hours of the night so I’m exhausted per usual, but at least I’m finding it fulfilling as heck. Plus, I get to “work” from home and in my pajamas so the perks aren’t too shabby either!

The weather’s dipping below 50 degrees today, so my next order of business is purchasing gloves - it’s going to be a long, cold winter and I’m anything but prepared physically or mentally. My plan is to pick them up later at Target because in true white girl fashion that’s where I end up whenever I leave the house (I wish I was joking!) Confused? This certainly doesn’t sound like “Okilife”.... Because it isn’t. 

So much has happened in the past 18 months since I’ve updated my little corner of the internet. While Ben and I did a bit more traveling throughout East Asia in late 2018/early 2019 and knocked out some remaining Okinawa exploration, much of our time was spent preparing for and moving back to the United States. 

Huh?!

What?!?

It’s true *sheds a single tear*, our little Okinawan adventure came to an end when we relocated to Yorktown, Virginia this past June (Ben’s still working for the good old USMC, of course) and guess what else?... WE HAD A BABY! Holy smokes! On July 17th Ben and I welcomed our first daughter, Zoe Amelia Lesniak into the world. And yes, we are those dummies who PCSed while incredibly pregnant and gave birth literally four weeks after moving into our apartment. In my defense, she was supposed to be an August baby which makes it a little better though... Right? 

It goes without saying, my life could not be more different today than it was just over 1.5 years ago. It’s not better, it’s not worse, it’s just different. Do I miss my beautiful island life? Traveling on a whim to exotic countries? Not waking up at 2:30 am every night to change a poopy diaper? Yes, yes, and SO MUCH YES. What I’ve “lost” from returning stateside though has been more than made up through the birth of my daughter (prepare yourselves for a billion future posts about her), the ability to see my family and friends (we’re only a 6 hour car ride away!), and the opportunity to start a new chapter of life in Virginia. 

Most people find change to be scary, difficult, uncomfortable. But honestly, I’ve loved this season of life more than most. Jumping head first into so much “newness” has invigorated me. And yes, it’s the reason I’m inspired to jump back onto my blog after a much too long and unexplained hiatus. Although my life as a stay-at-home mom may seem mundane to most, it’s my new normal and I’m embracing every second of sleeplessness and projectile spit up for I know that just like Okinawa, these baby days will fly by far too fast.

I’ve got zero clue what “Life With the Lesniaks” is going to look like now that my glamorous life abroad is over, but I’m willing to let things play out organically. “See where these blank pages take me” as they say. Whether you stop by to get some cool Oki adventure ideas, get lost in some serious Asian wanderlust, pick up some tried and true milspouse tips, or just catch up with the Lesniaks - I’m happy to have you here. 

Welcome back and happy reading, friends!

Kara