Christmas on the Iron Island

What an interesting Christmas this has been! My first christmas (and hopefully last) offshore. I was working nights so on Christmas Eve at midnight, the entire drill crew and I had a safety meeting talking about how hard it is being away from our homes and families during the holidays. What I was expecting to be a big ole' pity party turned into an inspiring and encouraging chat. This wonderful group of men has shown me how to find joy in such an unenjoyable situation. They showed me it's not about where we are but who we're with & although we'd all rather be at home with our families, our "co-workers" offshore are so much more than co-workers. They're family & we watch out for each other just like we would our own loved ones. So my view on Christmas morning was a little untraditional? Yes for most, extremely untraditional. But all of these challenges make life oh so interesting and I know at the end of all this I will be even more grateful for what God has blessed me with at home. 

I've been graced with so much strength these past two hitches, more than I thought I had in me. God has shown me that if I just ask for his guidance and patience & wisdom - He will pour out more love on me than I could ever need. He gave Jacob the strength to be the backbone for both of us this past week, when I was selfishly sad Jacob didn't even skip a beat - he kept encouraging me and loving me even when I know I was acting unlovable.

In a nutshell, from all of this I've taken one huge thing away. God is good. All. The. Time. He's blessed me with an AMAZING family who made me feel so covered in love even from afar. He's blessed me with a job that in just 6 short months will allow me to be at home with my sweet husband every single night. God's given me a taste of what life is like without them. The last one is truly the most important because it's so so easy to take our family/hubby for granted but seeing how awful these past few days were without them has made my heart overwhelmed with joy for the next moments I get to share with them. Christmas isn't about presents, it's about sharing little moments with those you love. Below are just a few photos Jacob sent me from Christmas - my adorable husband & my sweet niece Chloe (who's growing up oh so fast) & my two incredible in-laws who have taken me in and treated me like their own daughter. Once again - I'm the luckiest girl in the world. 

So I didn't have a huge, fancy Christmas dinner & instead of watching Christmas movies we had safety stand downs. This is the only life Jacob & I know and I wouldn't change it for the world. He tells me all the time, "I wouldn't change a thing about us because it might not end up with you as my wife," so I'm taking a page out of the Jacob Weaver book of wisdom. Our life isn't traditional but it's exciting and it's so full of love & that's something that never goes out of style. 

Until next time, 

xoxo Amanda