3 Months Off

If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do?

Three months off sounds like an extravagant amount of time. My first thought was that since I am "off" I would be alone. But that sounds boring. Yes, I need alone time, but that is far more than this extrovert would ever want.

So. If three months off included my family, I would probably want to travel. I would want to see the Statue of Liberty and Niagra Falls. Take my family to Disney World. Go see my extended family that I haven't seen in forever. See the Grand Canyon. Take the girls to all the places that I grew up. Go to the east and west coasts. Visit friends.

If we didn't run out of time in the states, maybe go to Germany or New Zealand.

It would be a marvelous 3 months.

Giving You Some Background

My family moved. A lot. Like I am only a few years older than how many places I have lived in my life.

My parents made life fun. They were always doing puppet shows for the neighborhood or letting us have lots of friends over. Their love for Jesus poured out of them and into every aspect of our lives. So,  even though moving was difficult and terrible, they kept Michael and I happy and gave us things to look forward to in each move.

With each move, new people entered our lives. It hurt to say goodbye, but the new people helped it not hurt as bad. I wouldn't know half as many people as I do if we had not moved. 

Moving made our family close. Sometimes we only had each other. And while there are times that I wish we could have been like my husband and only live in a few places, I am grateful for the bond that my family has from moving as often as we did. 

The biggest impact that moving had on me was probably in relationships. Relationships are fragile and distance breaks them. So as I got older I began to build walls around myself to keep myself from truly allowing myself to open up to others. It wasn't until college that I feel like I let some of those walls come down.

As we currently prepare to move, we are considering and weighing all the options that are available to us. I don't want to jump the gun and uproot our family if it is not necessary. But I also want to hopefully stay where we land for the next 25 years. When did I become the adult making these decisions? They are not easy that is for sure.

Blogtember

Meggan posted a link for blogging in September and I am going to try to do it. Crazy I know. Especially with pre-school co-op starting, awana starting, finding a house, and moving. But I miss blogging. I have been so extremely stressed out, exhausted, and overwhelmed that I haven't written anything because I do not want to bore you with all of the details of those things. But now I have some inspiration. YAY!


Want to join me? You should! Check it out below. :)

2nd Time Around

This week we officially got another offer on the house that we accepted. An answer to prayer really. I asked for prayer on facebook about the showing we had on Monday. This is a time that I truly felt God's care and His people's care for us.

I have been extremely exhausted from showing the house. At my breaking point exhausted. And this answer to prayer has truly lifted my spirits. Exactly what I needed.

Thank you for praying. Thank you for caring enough to pray.

From the bottom of my heart.

Thanks.

Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

As I sit here relishing the tumbling going on inside of my womb done by your sister, I think of you. It is natural for me to think of you right now. If you were the one inside of my belly, it would be about time for you to make your appearance. My bag would be packed. Our house would be covered in baby items. Totally prepared for your arrival.

My heart hurts this evening. Not just for the days that I will not get with you, but also for all of the other Momma's out there that have endured the same heartache and tragedy of losing their baby. Those first moments that are so special that we miss out on. That first adorable smile. Your first little giggle. The first tear. Your first tooth. The soft baby skin and smell. The way your feet kick as you get excited. The way your hand wraps around my finger.

And while those things will never come to be between you and me, my sweet baby, I still ponder them in my heart.

Missing you makes me long for the day when I can see you in Heaven. When I can wrap my arms around you. And see you with Jesus.  These things make my heart smile.

My dear sweet baby, I love you so much.

You will always be a part of me.

Love,
Momma

Vacation

We arrived at Meggan and Trevor's house last Saturday afternoon. After the grand tour of their beautiful home, we prepared to go out to dinner with friends to celebrate Meggan's birthday.

Sunday was grocery shopping and letting the children run free at the park. The exciting part about Sunday was getting to see Kami. Kami was in my Sunday School class that I taught at the Nazarene Church in Iowa when she was in the 6th grade. I worked with her class until Adam and I got engaged a few years later. We have kept in touch over the years and it has been wonderful to see Kami grow into such a beautiful woman with a big love for Jesus. It was so great to catch up with her!

Monday was super crazy as we packed up and headed to a cabin for the remainder of the week. Meggan and I also drove to Minneapolis to pick up Kimberly and her family. It was so fun to have several hours with Meggan to talk and not have children constantly interrupting. And to be there when Kim and Chris arrived. Here are a few pictures from our time at the cabin.

We had such a fantastic time. We ate. We laughed a lot. We dealt with the craziness of 6 children under 4.  We got zero sleep. But it was all worth it. 

History

This past week I had the joy of spending the week with two of the best people the world has to offer and their wonderful families. My best gal pals, Kim and Meggan.

As we were hanging out I was thinking about what I love about these two ladies and why they are each important to me.

I first met Kim as she was coming out of my room. When she saw me, I gave her a strange look and she took off running to her room. I chased her up to her room questioning her on why she was in my room. After several hours convincing me she was just "looking around" we decided to room together and became fast friends.

Meggan and I were not friends right away. We spent the first semester avoiding one another because of a few misunderstandings. During the summer though, Meggan began to write me and it gave us the opportunity to get past those misunderstandings and really get to know one another. Our friendship took time, but started out on a solid foundation.

The big difference between these two wonderful ladies and all of my other close friends comes down to one thing.

History.

These girls knew me as a single lady. As a freshman. As simply me.

Then, they watched and encouraged me in my relationship with Adam. They were there when we got engaged. And they were beside me when Adam and I got married. They continue to challenge me even now in my relationship with him.

They saw us go from a couple, to a couple with a cat, to a couple with two (almost three) girls.

They are like family to me.

And I hope that they are always in my life.

I look forward to seeing them again soon.