Chapter One: Living With My Parents
“A 26 year old young professional moves in with her mom and dad after 8 years out of the house. She is unemployed and lost in a land of dreaming. What does she want? Through laughter and tears Natalie humbly accepts a job at a shoe store, learns the value of hard work, and discovers that what she really wants is to desire joy more than she desires her dreams to come true.”
Chapter Two: Living With My Parents Goes to Thailand
“Shortly after her 27th birthday Natalie encounters the adventure of a lifetime when she’s offered a short-term job in Bangkok, Thailand. Having dreamt of the ‘Land of Smiles’ for the past 6 years she can’t help but expect her life to suddenly take on bigger and more beautiful treasures. When she finally learns (because she’s a slow learner) that love is the basic mandate that we are all called to, she discovers that life in Thailand doesn’t have to look any different than life in Canada – or life anywhere else for that matter. (That said, she still loves Thailand as much as she thought she would).”
Chapter Three: Living With My Parents Moves Out
“It’s finally happened: the girl who had no choice but to live with mom and dad for 6 months (all time low), followed by a 6 month stint in Thailand (all time high) has returned to Canada and also, shall we say…reality. In this reality, Natalie moves into an apartment in the city, learns she’s more lonely here than she was on the other side of the world, and discovers the beauty of the word commitment – which actually isn’t that scary after all.”
Chapter Four: Living With My Parents Gets Married
“The day that she declared, “I’m not going back to Thailand!” and “I’m going to have a boyfriend by Christmas” also happened to be the day that she met her future husband, Simon. It was October 2, 2011, and after getting a drive home from church from Simon that evening, Natalie knew she was in for an adventure by the glimmer in Simon’s eyes when he said goodbye. He is a man who has pursued her with honesty, integrity, and love. He is worth the risk, worth the wait, and worth all the wondering and what ifs.”
Chapter Five: Living With My Parents Has Twins
In Progress
And so the progression goes, until eventually my life becomes a published book, and then a mini-series, and then a major motion picture (starring me, of course).
Obviously I don’t have a lot of control over the chapters in my life, but in the midst of not knowing I’m learning to embrace where I am in this moment and remember a true saying from one of my favourite authors:
“We were designed to live through something rather than attain something, and the thing we were meant to live through was designed to change us.”
– Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
I hope that you’ll journey with me through the rest of these chapters. Thank you for being a faithful reader!
Living with my Parents 