Hello, my name is Marissa.

(and no this is not a blog about food... per se)

Not a food blog you say? Then why would you name it chickpeas and carrots? Allow me to explain...

You could say my husband and I go together like "peas and carrots"... we met when we were 15, started dating when we were 16, and 6 years and a long distance relationship later we were married! 6 years after that we had our first son, David, and 2 years after that along came Andy. Our last name is Ceci, which in Italian means “chick pea.” Oh yeah, we LOVE hummus. We love food, really. Cooking it. Eating it. Exploring it in different cultures. Talking about it. Watching shows about it. So while, no, this blog actually has little to do with food, it IS all about our family- our adventures, our travels, and sometimes our everyday lives. Welcome, to (chick)peas & carrots. We hope you feel cozy, encouraged and heaping helping of love every time you stop by.

When I said "yes" to my high school sweetheart, I had no idea the adventures God had to store for us. I knew I was saying "yes" to the United States Air Force, but I kept saying "the Air Force is my husband's job, not our identity" and with every passing year I have learned that is simply not true, and I could not be happier about it. The Lord has begun to warm and mold my heart to not only the military community, but to our new way of life. I have learned that by saying "yes" to Michael, we have said "yes" to a life full of unpredictability, adventure, travel and the most beautiful people and friendships we could have possibly imagined. But more than all of that, we said “yes” to learning how to fully rely on the Lord and His perfect plan for our lives. We learned to call Jesus home.

Our Air Force Journey has looked like this:

2012: Michael graduated and we got married!

2012-2014: We lived in College Park, Maryland - Michael got his Masters at University of Maryland

2014-2016: We lived in small town Columbus, Mississippi- Michael completed undergraduate pilot training

2016: For 6 short months we called Little Rock, Arkansas home- Michael completed training in the C-130J

August of 2016: we moved from Little Rock to Bosenbach, GERMANY! This would be a huge leap of faith and a very special move. While there, welcomed our first son, David, into the world!

And in August of 2021, during a global pandemic, while pregnant, we moved back HOME to Kennesaw, Georgia … and built a house! Michael is currently pursuing his PhD in International Affairs at Georgia Tech as part of the CSAF program.

With family and friends that now span the GLOBE I enjoy having a place to not only document our own journey, but to be able to keep our loved ones up to date on our adventures. My prayer is that this blog not only serves as my own personal scrapbook/journal, but that my words might reach others. Maybe you are a fellow military spouse wondering what you got yourself into, or maybe you are a spirit filled with wanderlust and simply want to hear more about places you plan to travel- whatever your current situation or story- thank you for being here. For being part of our journey.

May the Lord work through us so that as we travel this world far and wide we are a positive force for His good. This is our prayer, as Michael continues to serve this country, we remind ourselves that we really serve One and His plan is constantly unfolding before us if we will just listen, and follow.

Want to get in touch? Shoot me an email at: marissa.ceci@gmail.com

Interested in my yoga journey, classes or lessons? Click here for more info.