Hi friends! Where on earth have y’all been? 
Ahhh, it’s good to be here. I’ve been thinking a lot about coming to this place and posting, but life is full, and life is busy, and there may be a touch of chaos in the mix too. I can talk myself out of sitting down to post about 9 times out of 10, mainly because I feel my responsibilities elsewhere take precedence. These three little children seem to grow up overnight. As many of you know, they come with great responsibility and in the last few weeks I feel my position as wife & mother have left little room for much else, which is ok, because this is where I am now. One day I know I will be lonesome for my precious children, so while the responsibilities are great the rewards are far greater!
We are also making great efforts to wear out our suitcases. We are still living at the beach, with our main home 200+ miles away, and we find ourselves attempting to be here {the beach} which is where we live 90% of the time and still manage a home and business that are there back home. I’ve often felt like I’m either preparing to travel {packing} or recovering from travel {unpacking & laundry}. The kids are so resilient and never show signs of being affected by this going-back-and-forth life we live right now. They are eager to go and equally as eager to return, and for that we are so grateful. They make it easier on us, and anything that makes this easier on us is appreciated! We are still loving living here at the beach and all it has to offer, but I would be amiss if I didn’t admit that I miss my friends, church, and Community Bible Study. I remind myself these are all things to look forward to when we return home. And while we are living in a somewhat unpredictable situation, still unsure of how long we will be here, I am thankful for the promises of God and His unchanging word, and how it becomes afresh again and again. Last week I read and prayed through Psalm 139 and it was such a sweet encouragement to me… he searches us, he knows us, he hems us in & he never leaves us.
I took the kids to the park on Sunday afternoon to play and an added bonus of our park is that it’s also waterfront. Despite a dense fog, we had a blast, I sat in the sand with a book and they enjoyed a frisky little kitty that wasn’t afraid of the water and literally followed us everywhere.
I’m also reading two books right now, the one pictured above, Last Child in the Woods and Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Spy at my mother-in-law’s high recommendation. Both non-fiction, both thought-provoking, both encouraging… but in different ways. I’ll report back when I’m finished reading.
Backing up to December… we packed up and headed to the brown house the week before Christmas, and then we packed up again a few days later and made the journey to Illinois to spend Christmas with Mom & Daddy Boy and my extended family. Its a hike to get there, especially loaded down with Christmas loot. It had been over a year since we had traveled there, and when you have growing children that great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins hadn’t seen in over a year its worth any heartache to get there. Erika {my twin sister, if you happen to be new} already posted on Christmas here. Her pictures for the most part tell the story and she has many more than I do, but I will add a few of my favorite things from Christmas…
:: Christmas Highlights ::
A night with friends celebrating Christmas with a fire, carols, & Christmas stories before journeying north–family {love, love, love ‘em}–Bingo–Dirty Santa & soup on Christmas Eve–the schoolhouse–Cousin & George’s “Christmas sweaters” from JCPenney–Christmas morning chaos–snow–tractor rides– Daddy Boy’s never-ending projects–children bundled in down jackets–the man shed & its wood burning stove– food–the triplets–sunsets–fires
That’s all for now and I’m going to try not to be a stranger!!
