Exciting day! We are homeowners AND permanent Aotearoa residents!! ☺️ It’s surely not a secret that this is a heavy and painfully bittersweet day. Obviously, this is not the way we ever imagined our new home or residency status update to be…but my heartbreak…no *our* heartbreak…doesn’t become less heavy if we pretend it’s not there. So, today - with my sweet babies who make this life perfect for me - we celebrate new beginnings. I know some part of me…actually, almost all of me…will always be broken hearted for what - and *who* - should have been, but I refuse to bury us in sad anymore. I will never pretend it was wanted or chosen or easy, but I will celebrate where we are…and we deserve that. Even while unimaginably painful, I need to acknowledge that today is the culmination of 2 years of us fighting to be ok and keep going. And we did. Our storybook has had more tears than we ever anticipated, and definitely more than my sweet babies deserved, but for the past 2 years it has been the moments where we managed to embrace our new life and co-sign happiness as beautifully chaotic where we started to feel a sense of belonging. So, here’s to the lives we live without choosing…forever in the shadow of what felt like it would always be and should have been - we will celebrate and love this life we are so lucky to have…even when it looks nothing like we imagined or want and while it takes a bit of time to re-learn what happiness means. ♥️☺️ Thank you to the family who showed up for us and the village who keeps us afloat while we’re so far away. ♥️ The Jones Whānau