a look back at 2013...
we kicked of the year with a potential job transfer for my husband, which would move us back to seattle. by march we were preparing for our big move cross-country, and in april we said good-bye to our beloved CLE. after almost 8 years, God said it was time to go back. back to where it all began.
as we waited for our cleveland house to sell, the kids and i made our temporary home in spokane, wa with my parents, while aaron spent his weekdays in seattle working and his weekends in spokane (about 250 miles one-way trip for him) with us.
gibson, emma, leilani and i celebrated birthdays at ibu and grandpa's house. gibson and emma both got to pick out their very own birthday cake with ibu. i didn't get to pick mine, but emma designed one for me, which was very sweet. and little leilani celebrated her first birthday with a yummy birthday brownie cake, which she devoured.
when daddy was back on the weekends we enjoyed being able to explore the area. some favorites included hanging out at lake couer d'alene, strawberry picking, the carousel ride, doing the caber toss at the spokane highland games, and an afternoon at wonderland family fun center for some mini golfing. it was a funny feeling to be back in the city where i spent my high school years, but this time with a family. kind of a weird nostalgia...if that even makes sense.
after 5 months of trying to sell our house, it was clear that God did not want that home sold. although we had been enjoying the time exploring spokane and having our kids get to know their ibu and grandpa better, it was time to take an alternate approach with our home so that our family can be re-united again.
within 2 weeks of deciding to rent the place, we found someone. it was an answer to our prayers. even though things didn't work out how we imagined it, i firmly believe it worked out the way God had planned it. and God's plans for us, based on our past experiences, have turned out to be the best plans for us, even if it isn't always easy.
in september, we were all finally living under the same roof again. we found a little house to rent that overlooks lake washington, and i admit that it's a pretty sweet view out there (minus the telephone lines). what a treat to be back in seattle and living in a place with a lake view...a girl can get spoiled that way.
i think everyone was happy to finally have access to all their stuff, and be able to sleep in our own beds again. the kids are back to their usual antics, and i think we are slowly settling in.
i guess 2013 gave us what we've always had every year...ups and downs. granted some years may be tougher than others, but i think the past few years for us have been tough. thankfully, we don't have to let the tough parts in our lives over-shadow our experience of a whole year. each year, we can find moments of joy and happiness, and those are the ones i want to cling to. i don't want to forget the challenging parts either, because those experiences have helped shape me into the person i am at this point in time. BUT, the joyful moments (big and small) are the ones i will cherish and remember most: happy faces, giggles of delight, snuggles, kisses, dates with my man, the shower of blessings we received from our friends during our moving process, one step closer to becoming debt-free, baby feet, coffee, chocolates, sushi, a certain little boy that likes to join us in bed in the wee hours of the morning, family time, silly time, church, and warm socks.
so farewell, au revoir, auf widersehen, adios, and ciao 2013. thanks for the memories, but now it's time to look ahead...
happy new year, everyone!
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