The More Things Change......

Today I have been thinking a lot about the little things in life. I've heard the quote before,  "The More things change the more they stay the same"   This can be true. Life can change suddenly at times but more often then not, change occurs gradually.  We never really notice the small changes that happen everyday. Small changes in our attitude, in our daily life, in our relationships are often hard to notice but when you look back they are glaringly obvious! Here are five things in my life that don't feel any different day to day but if I sit back and think about it have changed drastically.

1) My relationship with my husband - He and I have been married for 4 years ( I know we have a long road ahead!) and we are still for the most part the same two goofy moonstruck college kids who fell in love and we both seem like the same people. But if I force myself to think about it, our relationship has evolved and changed greatly from when we first met. We started out as casual friends which evolved into shy looks and smiles which evolved into dating which evolved into marriage and since getting married we have learned a lot about each-other, a lot we like and a little we don't. We know more now how to get under each-others skin/push each-others buttons if we disagree. However we also know more about what makes each-other happy and how to live life together.

2) My Friendships - I am lucky to have friends that I have known  from preschool ( or even younger) and when we get together we still seem like the same girls we always were. Despite distance we can pick up a conversation like we saw one another yesterday.  Again I would say that not a lot has changed. We still have the same quirks, same memories to fall back on, and the same mindset we always did  However when you look at the big picture we have all changed IMMENSLY!!!  we have moved away from our sleepy little hometown and branched out in our own ways.  Different colleges, different jobs, different new friends, different lives. We are definately NOT the same girls we were back in the day!

3) Duncan - We have had Duncan in our lives for a year now and he just seems like a permanent part of the fabric of our lives. He seems the same everyday, a constant sweet and funny presence in our lives. I don't really notice how much he has changed physically and mentally since coming home to live with us. HOWEVER if I think about the shy sweet little 6 month old pup I brought home from the humane society and the confidant crazy cool dog he is today the difference is noticeable!  The proof is in the pictures:

       The above pics are Duncan when we first got him as a 5-6 month old small and shy

                             These are him now, bigger, healthier, and more mischievous!

4) My Family  no major shake ups here, my parents still live in the house I grew up in, I still can go home and see my parents and my grandparents but if I look closely things are different. The statement is true " you can never go home again"  My room is no longer my room, when I come home now, most of the time I bring my husband, and my parents have a dog that I have not lived in the same home with. In short everythings the same but everythings different at the same time.

5) My idea of what my life would be like - I don't feel like I have changed in my heart and still have the same ideas about life, the same love of a good book and I still love my family and my pets fiercly. I still feel like the same person I always was but somehow when I look back, I am not doing what I thought I would be doing  and my idea of who I would be has changed quite a bit.

                             What are some of the changes that sneak up on YOU?