Sontek + Gypsy = Graham

Few of our friends have heard the timeline of our relationship without some expression of shock. John and I met in June 2010, when I couchsurfed with him, his roommate Tom, and their friend Miles. I only stayed two nights at their place in Pensacola and did not exchange phone numbers with John, despite feeling an amazing connection, because I did not think we would see each other again. A tragedy of travelling is that you often form great friendships with people who are going in another direction. However, a few days after returning to Atlanta, we had exchanged phone numbers over Facebook and were losing track of the hours that we spent on the phone together daily.

In July, I returned to Pensacola with the intention of getting my SCUBA certification and seeing John again. As our phone conversations became longer and more frequent (often killing our cell phone batteries before the conversation ended), the time until we would see each other again felt longer instead of shorter. Before I returned to Pensacola, I was already planning for him to meet my parents. Only a couple days were needed together in Pensacola before we were both sure that our long distance chemistry was also real when we were physically together. We decided to move in together.

We moved into a two bedroom apartment in midtown Atlanta on September 1, 2010. Two weeks of living together was sufficient for us to go the courthouse and apply for our marriage licence. We eloped on my 22nd birthday, September 17, 2010. Both of my mother's daughters were married in 2010, without a wedding.

In October, we relocated back to Pensacola to help care for our 13 month niece. We suddenly had a toddler to babysit 9 hours a day, five days a week. I struggled with keeping up with her diaper changes, bathing her, preparing her food, keeping her out of the trash and dog food, discouraging hitting and throwing, etc... The job got easier, but not before learning that our own child's heart was beating inside me. Learning that we were going to be full time parents encouraged John and I to research childhood development and parenting. Forums, books, blogs, and Youtube videos became my leisure activity, while our niece was down for a nap or busy eating in her high chair. By the time John's sister could resume her parenting responsibilities two days before Christmas, we had gotten significantly better at caring for a toddler.

So now our little boy Graham is on the way. We hope to home school him so that we can travel. John and I are mild expatriots, extreme adrenaline junkies, and fervent believers in learning from travels and experiences. I am excited about raising a gypsy child.