traci and derek
derek & I met over 13 years ago, when we were 19 & 21. I was the manager at Papa Murphy’s. I came back to work after vacation & the owner had hired him. It was “love, at 425 degrees”
when we eventually started dating, he quit, & thus begun our moving journey. In the last 11 years since he became an ironworker we’ve lived in 4 states, had 2 kids & finally called Washington home in 2017.
derek works out of state a lot now, as a Union ironworker - I hold down the fort, as a stay at home mom. It’s not easy being a solo parent for months at a time, it’s what you’d call a “lonely road,” but we make it work.
being a ‘solo’ parent is exhausting, especially during this pandemic. With the husband gone, digital learning & teaching our kids, is solely on me, along with caring for the house & the yard, bills, groceries etc.
I’m sure everyone can relate to the terror of this new way of teaching. Having to figure it out all alone wasn’t easy.
When it’s just me for months on end, the only “break” I get is if I find someone to watch the kids for an hour or so. I usually do grocery curbside pickup w/the kids, but actually going into a store is “my time,” which is pretty sad, but I’ll take whatever time by myself that I can get when it’s just me.
Enjoying time together when Derek is home, is our favorite time. Faith, family time, fun & food are the four F’s that make our fortunate family function fabulously...
- Traci
