I thought my wedding day was the beginning of happily ever after.

I never imagined tall glasses of rum and coke or drugs hidden in the rafters or trips to visit my husband in rehab.

SOMETIMES LIFE DOESN’T GO AS PLANNED.

I always pictured myself as this amazing Working Mom. You know, working. AND a mom. Super successful at both.

And I was the breadwinner for a while…until I realized I hadn’t taken a full deep breath for a very long time. And I was drowning in my ‘successful’ life.

SOMETIMES LIFE DOESN’T GO AS PLANNED.

I always envisioned Sunday night dinners at my parents’ house and watching my kids grow up alongside their cousins.

Moving 1,000 miles away to Utah wasn’t even on my radar.

SOMETIMES LIFE DOESN’T GO AS PLANNED.

I always wanted four children. And as a mom to four little boys, I loved matchbox cars and Nerf gun wars and LEGO movies and cheering on the sidelines for out-of-the-park home runs.

I thought we were done having kids. Until my daughter came along.

SOMETIMES LIFE DOESN’T GO AS PLANNED.

So many times my own carefully crafted plans were dashed, and I cried out in despair.

‘Why? Why, God?? What am I supposed to do now???’

But now here I am.

And I LOVE this ordinary little life!

My husband is almost 12 years clean and sober, and every day with this man is my perfectly imperfect happily ever after.

The title ‘Dr. Albertson’ seems too fancy for the way I spend most of my days…loading dishes and switching laundry and pushing little people on the swings.

Sometimes the sunset over the mountains by our house nearly takes my breath away.

And so many nights the sweet little girl who completes our family slips her arms around my neck at bedtime and whispers, “Momma we’re best friends, right???”

I can’t believe this is my life.

It’s messy. And hard. And ordinary. And unplanned. And so ridiculously beautiful.

I wouldn’t change a thing.

Not even the hard parts.

I guess my point in telling you all this is…

SOMETIMES LIFE DOESN’T GO AS PLANNED.

But maybe we can hold it all a little more loosely. And let go.

Maybe we can look for the beauty hidden right in the middle of our pain.

Bittersweet.

Maybe the next time life doesn’t go as planned, we can have faith that His perfect plans will be SO MUCH BIGGER.

And we can just plan…

To be surprised.