love overflows

our trip cross-country will be happening soon.  i feel like the month of march has been long and short all at the same time.  long because it seems like we are always working on the house to get it ready for sale.  short because there doesn't seem to be enough time to say good-bye and do all the things we want to do before we leave.

i didn't think that i would feel uprooted when the time came for us to move again.  but i do.  in the 8 years that we've lived here, there are roots that have formed and begun to grow deep into the earth.  relationships, places, community...there has been growth here for us.  transplanting will be a little hard (though i don't doubt that we will be just fine in our new environment).

since our decision to move, i've learned two things: 1. God is faithful. 2. God loves his children.

okay, i know those things already, but it's something else to really experience it. He has been so faithful in providing for us the things we need in regards to the move. all in His perfect timing, we have financially been able to take care of the important repairs needed for our house before we leave.

He has provided us with people to help us with our move in different ways.  our church family has stepped up and helped clean our home, fix a window, loaned us their car until we move (right now we only have one and having two allows for more flexibility), painted our upstairs...it reminded me of these verses.  it's like a family.  we share with each other, and help one another out. whatever is needed that need is met so that no one is in need of anything.  it's encouraging to see that lived out amidst our friends and church family.

we see God's love overflowing in our lives (not that it hasn't before), and i am humbled and amazed.  He has loved on us through pecan pie, get-togethers, words of love and encouragement through friends, prayer, tears and hugs.  it has been an overwhelming feeling, and has been a great reminder of God's character, His promises and His will for us.

emma's memory verse last week was from joshua 21:45: not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to.  talk about a timely verse for us.  God came through on his promises for the Israelites, and He will come through on His promises for us.  all we need to do is walk by faith.

wordless wednesday::bunny love

our church has hosted an egg hunt every year for the past 3 years.  and my husband (not our kids) looks forward to a photo with the bunny every year...rockin' the same look.

2011

2012

2013

more wordless wednesday here, here and here.

the track

i told my husband a while back that something big was going to happen to us.  i didn't know what, i didn't know when, and i didn't know how.  but i knew there was something...i just had this feeling.

i wrote about our crazy roller coaster ride of a year in july.  there have been lots of changes crammed into the past 18 months from aaron's new job location (resulting in an hour commute), ty relocating to seattle this past summer, having a baby, and knocking down our debt list to two more items (sans the house) to name a few.  things were happening, and i've been having this feeling lately that God was preparing something for us...something big.

and now folks, that something big has arrived.  we are moving.  moving back west.  back to where aaron and i first met.  back to when we began our journey together as husband and wife.  back to our beginning.  back to rain city.  full circle.

out of the 4 job opportunities within aaron's company that he interviewed for since we've been in cleveland, THIS seattle one is the one he got.  i don't think it's a coincidence that he got the job.  things have been falling into place for this very moment years before.  i can see that now.  it's like puzzle pieces coming together.  it was kind of like when we moved out here to cleveland.  things fell into place years before the move.  God is so good that way.

i find that God works change, at least for me, when i'm finally at peace with where i'm at, because that's when my heart is truly ready to follow his lead.  a friend told me that despite the ups and downs of a roller coaster, it always stays on the track.  i love that imagery, and one that i've not thought of before with roller coasters.  the ride itself is exciting, unpredictable, and exhilarating.  but it's always on a track.  even when we can't see what's ahead of us, God already has a plan in place.

it will be hard to leave.  i cried that first sunday at church after we found out we were moving.  it's so funny that after all these years of wanting to be back in seattle, it's harder than i thought to go back.  while i won't miss the winters here, i will miss the people.  beautiful, friendly, down-to-earth people.  cleveland is full of them.

there have been little pockets in my day, where i would just burst into tears thinking about leaving behind all the people we care about, or the moments that we'll miss that i thought we would be here for.  we will be leaving friends.  we will be leaving family.  we will be leaving friends that are like family.  that last good-bye is going to suck, big time. but the new adventure that lies before us is exciting. there will be more opportunities before us to do God's work.  there will be new friends.  there will be old friends and family re-united again.

and now, a new chapter unfolds...one that is familiar and new all at the same time.