Originally posted on 7 March 2017.
When Josh and I went on our third date we were shocked by the amount of things we had in common. We were both left handed, from a family of five, suffered from some level of middle child syndrome, had oranges as our favourite fruit, were easily engulfed when it came to movies, preferred to drive manuals, shared the same values for marriage and family goals… just to name a few. But as we came to spend more time with each others families, we learned there were a few slight differences in how we’d grown up.
My family has always been big and loud – in number and conversation. We love to laugh and having fun is a must whenever we are together. This usually means games. Talking games, board games, card games. It’s not really a family gathering unless everyone brings something along.
The first time Josh met my family was for Australia Day and we all *drum roll please* played cards… at the beach, because that’s how we roll. In comparison to my family, Josh’s family are a bit more reserved. They love to have fun by doing things, beach hangs where the boys surf, trips to the pool or hanging by the chill spot at Patonga with jumps off the jetty, paddles in the boat and even clay fights. Our first outing with Josh’s family was at Patonga trying not to get beat by the current as we swam.
As a couple we haven’t really had much problem finding things to do, but playing board games could sometimes become a little challenging with just the two of us. Especially when the box says 3+ players. So when it came to putting together my nike list I couldn’t not add number nine… games night with the Triffitt’s!
Our relationship with the amazing Triffitt family has been an interesting journey and if truth be told it began with me avoiding them.
Rewind to 2015 and I was not in a good place emotionally. In my last post I briefly wrote about our struggles with an ectopic pregnancy, and at this point the hurt was only a month old. I was at an activity at church as a youth leader and one of the girls, looking at her phone, gasped and said “Talissa’s pregnant!” She showed me the screen and I saw the cutest of pregnancy announcements. Brave face on, I replied, “Oh wow, that’s awesome.”
This was the beginning of my struggle with pregnancy announcements after the ectopic. I knew how amazing the whole ‘expecting’ thing was and I was still an emotional mess so I stayed away. There were times in my head where I’d try to psych myself up to go over and say congratulations, but I just couldn’t. Thinking back, I’m not sure I ever said it. I was so scared that if I asked Talissa anything about the pregnancy I might just start crying in her face, and making her feel bad about something MIRACULOUS was not what I wanted to do. At times it was a struggle to watch her progress and not think that it was where I could have been if things had worked out differently.
A few months later, I eventually managed to sort through my emotions a little and wanted to start building the bridge I wasn’t even sure they knew I had been blocking. We invited Cade and Talissa over for dinner and I brought up my issues with avoiding them. Talissa had also been keeping her distance because she wasn’t sure where I was at. She told me that the week of my ectopic pregnancy was the same week she had found out that she was pregnant and she didn’t want to upset me either. That night became this amazing opportunity for us.
Talissa asked me about what had happened and she helped the experience stay real. It wasn’t something that had to continue to stay between me and Josh and it meant a lot.
When Talissa eventually gave birth I was back to feeling a little unsure, and keeping my distance again. The first week they all came to church I didn’t let myself go see the new baby. The emotions and timing were just a little too raw for me. A few weeks later, when I did find some courage, I went over and saw the precious Milly.
I fell in instant love.
She literally was the cutest, most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I was so scared that because of the close timing to when my due date would have been that I would find it too hard to be around her, but it was the absolute opposite. It was such a blessing that I found myself in complete infatuation with this little beauty.
Our friendship has since evolved. Josh recently commented, “I feel more like the Triffitts are family” and I totally agree! Along with our handy tour guide Bridget, Talissa and I go for early morning walks, where our ninja skills have increased thanks to the many spider webs. Together we've attempted to complete an exercise program, (and both didn’t finish it). Playdates are a big favourite, as well as our love for all things thermomix, discovering healthy recipes, shopping at Bibina and having dinner dates in our pyjamas.
A rainy afternoon in tow and we were keen to get onto our games night. Before we got things kicked off, Talissa offered us some of her INCREDIBLE lactation cookies from her recently launched business Made to Milk. After Josh was convinced they wouldn’t give him wet patches we tried them. Talissa warned us that they might taste a little different to a ‘regular’ cookie, but I can tell you those cookies are so delish! If you know any breastfeeding mums, then definitely get them to check the biz out!
Games night was a complete success! We started with one of my new favourite's 'Spot it', which was recently introduced to me by my fab American family. Its super simple to pick up and play. The best part is seeing how quickly your eyes stop working. It was funny to see competitiveness emerge, the toll that tiredness had on the things we’d say and how our brains would utterly fail us. Trying to explain the word ‘shadow’ to Josh was a classic! “It’s the big, dark thing on the ground behind you when you’re in the light”. At that point it didn’t matter what I said because I’d already confused him when I started with “Peter Pan tried to sew this to himself, he kept losing it, so he tried to sew it on”. Classic!
Games night was also a chance to try some new nice not naughty treats that I’d experimented with. The night was complete with a look at Cade’s new seedlings (the smell of manure and all) and dinner with slightly charcoaled chips seasoned with gluten free chicken salt found on our last Bibina trip! After an epic 6 hours, we were all pretty smashed, especially after realising that we had 9am church the next day. Finishing with a games night selfie, we called it done, but only for now. Future games nights will be had for sure!
