You didn't think I'd ever be back, did ya'? ;)

Hi Everyone!  I have missed writing in the space so much!  My last post was on September 1st.  If you know me in real life, than you know this was the day before a rather eventful day for us.  See, on Friday, September 2nd, we started our move to a new city and new home.  We had lived for just over 6 years in the same small, quaint city.  We had purchased a house and made lots of wonderful friends, some of which were our actual neighbors.  We had been attending the same church this whole time as well, another source of great friends!

So, over Labor Day we moved.  We went from a house we "owned," that was situated on the perfect sort of street.  Mature trees, green lawns, friendly neighbors, lots of kids, close proximity to fields for playing and playgrounds for climbing.  We could leave without locking our door, we could leave toys and strollers outside for days - never fearing they'd be stollen.

Sophia was not even one when we moved to the city we just left.  Both Riley and Haddie were born while we lived there.  All of their friends were there.  Our church home was all they really knew of church, and so on...

But, after about two years of praying and seeking the Lord over some pretty personal issues, dreams and hopes, we got to move!  I will always think so fondly of our time there.  We made a lot of memories and met and befriended people that I pray will always be in our lives.  But, it was time to go.  I honestly have not missed living there for a second, and that helps me realize just how ready our family was to make this move.

So, we now live in a big city, on a busy street, in one side of a rented duplex.  I always have my door locked, even if we're home, and I would never leave toys or strollers out front - unless I was feeling generous I guess.  ;)  We weren't here two weeks and Jamie's car window was smashed in and his GPS stollen.  We did have a handful of friends here, and we already knew what church we'd be going to - so all of that made the transition much smoother!  But, our kids have had to make all new friends and Jamie and I have had to be open to going deep with some new folks so that we too could cultivate true friendships.

Our journey to get here was a long one, and is a story for another day.  We are so happy though.  We adore our church and new church family, and in spite of the challenges of big city living, I feel perfectly safe and secure in our new home.  It helps that the renters on the other half of our duplex are a group of single men from our church!  Just one of the many ways God has shown us favor and blessed us since moving here.

We moved here with great purpose, planning and intent.  All of that is also a story for another day.  But, as we dive in to life here, we feel so peaceful and joyful over seeing so much come to fruition.

And, as of today, our house that we just moved from, which has been for sale this whole time, just received a viable offer!  We are so thankful and hopeful that it will sell and we'll be out from under that!

Now that I've broken the ice I plan on writing here regularly again.  My absence was nothing but us moving and getting settled.  I chose not to make time for it as I felt rather swamped with life in general, but, I am excited to get back to it!

And, just FYI, if you move somewhere new and meet a whole bunch of new people all at once, be careful about engaging in witty banter.  See, the one with whom you try to engage with a cutesy story, may not be the person you think it is.  Instead of being the host of your community group, it just might turn out to be one of the guys that lives next door.  If that's the case, he will look at you quite quizzically, having no idea what you are talking about.  Once you realize this, and see the look of horror (and amusement might I add) on your husband's face you seek to make it right.  Unfortunately you can't remember the name of the person you thought you were talking to, nor the name of the person you actually are speaking with, thus you try to cover (and fail miserably) and then leave in a hurry, contemplating whether or not to ever return to your new church.  You will also be so embarrassed that the amusement your husband is experiencing will not be shared.  You know, just FYI.