On comfort and reflection

I am sitting in a quiet home, surrounded by boxes and messes and disarray, sipping on a glass of wine, and relaxing after a LONG day.  Justin has been in training for the past two weeks, which means 12 hour days for him.  Today, after his 12 hour day he had a work dinner, which makes it a 15 hour day. That means today was a day of 3 meals and bedtime all on my own.. not my favorite.  But, instead of packing (which is what I really should be doing), I decided to take advantage of the silence and read a few old entries on my blog.  Oh.my.word.  I just read this entry I wrote 10 months ago.  10 months ago, I was so sad.  I was so lonely.  And I was missing home like crazy.  I was craving community and feeling known.  But I was choosing to focus on the small blessings I could see in front of me and believing that God was doing something amidst the hard.

Can I tell you about my day today?  I dropped Claire off at preschool and went to the YMCA.  My kids were loved on in the world class childcare they offer and I took one of my favorite classes where I got to focus on me and only me for one precious hour.  While at the Y, we ran into one of my favorite friends, who also happens to be a neighbor.  She and her kiddos came over after that for an impromptu popsicle date. After naps/rest time, she came back over along with two of our other neighbors and their kids.  The four mamas sat on the deck and chatted as best as 4 mamas with 10 kids can.  ;)  While they were here, we discovered that both me and one other mama were doing dinner on our own, since both of our hubbies had work commitments.  So she decided to stay for dinner.  They helped us clean and then headed home for bed.  I put my kids to bed, cleaned the kitchen, and melted into the couch, exhausted from my busy and full day.  And you know what? It was glorious.  My day had been filled with real, genuine, authentic friends.  I pulled up my blog and read that old blog post and tears streamed down my face.  I realized that God was absolutely doing something in the midst of the hard I was going through last summer.  I am so thankful for the community He provided here.  I am known.  It feels so good.  And... now, we're off on our next adventure.   Some days, like today, I'm like, "Really God?  You are doing this to us again??"  We are finally comfortable again. 10 months ago, I wrote this:

We are out of our comfort zone.  Eww... this one is a love/hate.  I kinda hate being out of my comfort zone and being stretched.  But I also know that allows God to work.  And I want to be grow and learn and apparently I'm not good at that when I'm comfortable.  Love/hate.


And then I think about the day I had today and realize how thankful I am that He stretched us and moved us out of our comfort zone.  If we had resisted, we would have missed out on so much.  So, here we go again!  It's crazy.  But because I know He provides so well, I am excited to see what new thing will spring forth in this next season of life.  He.is.so.insanely.good.

Goodbyes

The goodbyes have official started.  Last week I had coffee with a good friend to both catch up and say goodbye.  Saturday night we had dinner to say goodbye to two families that have been so special to us over these two years.

Yesterday was our last Sunday at church.  Our pastor prayed for us and we got more hugs and congratulations than we could count.  Of course there is no perfect church but this group of people became like family to us, which is what we needed during this season of living so far away.

On Friday night, our neighbor insisted we go out on a date while she watched the kids.  It didn't take much convincing... ;)  While we were out, a transformer blew in our 'hood and almost everyone lost power except our house.  So it turned out to be a party at our house while we were gone.  The girls loved it!  This neighborhood and the people here are truly something special.

It pains me to think of all we are giving up to make this move.  I know we have a lot to gain in this move but right now I'm focused on what we are leaving.  It is painful but truly it just highlights how many amazing relationships we've been able to enjoy over these two years.  I always dreamed of living in a neighborhood like this and what a blessing it has been to get to experience that, even if just for one year!  Our church and small group have been such sweet experiences and my life is richer from knowing these people.  I have been challenged, encouraged, cared for, thought of, loved on, and blessed by my friends here.  I am so thankful for these two years. They haven't always been easy but looking back on them, they have been good.

Isn't that just the truth though?  Things don't have to always be easy.  And, honestly, I think it's easier to see God show up when we are being challenged.  It's so much more obvious.  Reflecting on our time here, I can honestly say I am thankful for the way God challenged us by moving us here.  He has proven that He will provide what we need, when we need it.  He doesn't answer on our timeline and sometimes He leads us in a way that we don't understand.  But, even when it's hard, even when it's confusing, even when it's painful, it's always good.  Because He is good.

The last time we moved away from Atlanta, I couldn't get out quick enough.  I hated living here last time.  I never wanted to see this place again.  But this time, I am sad to leave this place.  I love it here.  I really do.  And I think it's cool that God redeemed the ATL in my mind.  When I leave here in 11 days, it will be with sweet, sweet memories.  And maybe even a tear in my eye.    

Take your child to work day

A few weeks ago I saw that it was 'Take your Child to Work Day'.  Although I knew we couldn't get away with actually sending the kids to work with Daddy, I figured we could at least go see him at work and have lunch together.

Justin works on the 18th floor of the King building

So fun hanging out in Daddy's office!

Pretending to work at Daddy's desk

The girls had fun leaving messages on Daddy's whiteboard

This little one was there too!

So fun to spend some time seeing Daddy at work!

We've been busy!

We are in the midst of enjoying our last Georgia spring!  It's been gorgeous lately and we are soaking in every last minute here.

It's been a crazy few weeks.  After six days on the market, our house is under contract and if all goes according to plan, we will close on May 30.  It's such a cool story and I'm excited to share it here once things are all said and done.  From here, we will head to Iowa to set up base at my parents' house while we house hunt in the Chicago area.

Other happenings around these parts..

Charlie has been enjoying his new view from the jumper!

We have enjoyed some yummy treats and walks on the greenway.

After their hair got FRIED in the hotel pool, both girls had to get it chopped off.  There were no other options... it was awful!  But the cuts turned out cute and should be great for summer.

Grammy spent a week with us, helping out tons!  We got a date tonight, she helped with our garage sale, watched the kids for us several times, made dinner, helped clean for showings, and kept us company while Justin was out of town.  He went to Lake Tahoe for work.  Not fair.

This guy just keeps being cute.

We finally tried out our new fire pit Justin just built...before we found out about the move.  We figured we better get a few uses out of it before passing it on the the new owners.  You're welcome for your new fire pit.  

We've been hitting up the YMCA as much as possible.  Awesome classes, 2 hours of childcare... you can't beat that! This morning we went on a run together while the kids played in childcare.  It felt like a date.  Awesome!

Sip & See for Char!

My sweet friends hosted a sip and see to welcome Charlie James to the world!  It was so sweet and thoughtful and I loved every minute.  

Charlie got dressed up for the occasion!

Love this little man!

Everything was adorable and I could tell so much thought went into it!  They used the nursery colors (yellow & gray) and added in some blue.  I didn't get pictures of all the cute decor (doh!) but believe me.. it was adorable!

They had mimosas, sparking juice, coffee, a yummy breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, fruit, grits (true sign of a Southern party!).  Everything was delicious and perfect.  

These lovely ladies put it all together!  

Most of the group.  Unfortunately two people are missing in this picture.. we didn't get a shot of everyone.  :(  

Charlie got some adorable clothes, diapers, a couple of toys, and some gift cards.  Everyone was so generous!

I loved the food, the decorations, and the gifts, but to be honest, the best part of the day was sitting in a room full of women whom I love and that love us.  It was a total kairos moment.  I kept thinking about how two years ago, we were leaving a solid community of friends and family.  I had no idea what was ahead.  What God had for us.  Why He was moving us 14 hours away.  But, almost two years later, I was sitting in a room full of women who were there for me.  I felt so overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  When we left Iowa, I didn't know if I'd make any new friends and, even if I did, if they would be true real friends.  I'm happy to report that, like He ALWAYS does, God provided.  It's amazing to think of how much richer life is when we are stretched, forced outside of our comfort zone, and when we have to believe that He will provide.  And that He is enough.

Thank you, dear friends, for hosting this for us.  It is such a sweet memory.

Winter Storm Pax

Can you believe Georgia now has had two winter storms within a couple of weeks?  This time the city was prepared... schools have been closed since Tuesday, people are staying off the roads, and thankfully Justin has been working from home.  We haven't left the house since Monday and it's been fabulous!  I'm not one for snow and cold weather but it sure is fun when it's so rare and everyone gets stuck at home together.

It started on Tuesday with rain, freezing rain, and a tiny bit of snow.  Wednesday it was freezing rain and sleet ALL day and then last night it turned to snow.  We got in some play time outside this morning before the big thaw.  It's melting like crazy!  That's the other thing I love about winter here.. in the rare occasion that it does snow, it's gone within a day or two!

Snow in the South!

Well.. we survived Snowmeggedon 2014 in the ATL.  It was such a catastrophic event that it was covered in the national news so I'm sure everyone has heard all about it... how 2 inches of snow shut down the entire city!  NOW I understand how that can all happen.  It was a perfect storm of more snow than predicted, six million commuters leaving work at the same time, gridlock on the highways, cars running out of gas, inadequate equipment (I read that Atlanta owns 40 plows.  They used to own four, but apparently the city went through a similar 'storm' in 2011 so they upgraded to 40), icy roads, and inexperienced winter drivers.

Justin tried to make it home but after moving 500 yards in TWO hours, he gave up and went back to work.  Luckily he happened to be running a training class at a hotel for work this week, so despite the fact that every hotel within a 30  mile radius was completely booked, Justin was able to crash on someone's floor for the night.  In the morning, the hotel lobby was filled with people who had slept on the lobby floor or chairs.  He finally made it home by 11 am the next morning.  The highways were filled with abandoned cars.  People either ran out of gas or decided to walk home.  My neighbor left work at 12:15 pm and got home at 3:30 am.  She had to drive a total of 20 miles.  It took her 15 hours.  Kids and teachers were forced to spend the night at school.  Many children were stranded on buses the entire night.  It was unreal.

Despite the chaos, the kids were thrilled!  My neighbor had the girls over all afternoon and they had a ball in the snow.  Claire claims it was the best day of her life!

It was unreal to watch the news and see all the accidents, abandoned cars, overturned trucks, etc..  all from two inches.  Schools were cancelled for the rest of the week (despite the fact that it's fifty degrees and almost all of the snow has melted)!  We gots to recover, peeps.  This was cray cray.  

Here is a video from the road Justin took to get home.  Notice the exit ramp at the end that at was completely blocked by abandoned cars...

When Justin finally made it home the next day, there were some VERY happy girls to greet him!

What a crazy day!  So thankful Justin made it home safely.  There were tons of stories of people helping, opening their homes, rescuing stranded drivers, passing out food and water, etc..  It's so cool to see people come together in the midst of a crazy situation like this.  

There ya have it... another adventure in the books!

Holiday Party

One of the fun things about Justin working at his company's home office is that we are invited to the holiday party each year.  In the past, they have had a fancy, adult only party.  It's been so fun to have an excuse to get dressed up and enjoy a night out.  Honestly, I was dreading this year's party, realizing I would be weeks away from delivering a baby which means huge, uncomfortable, nothing fancy to wear, etc...  I was THRILLED when they announced it would be a family party at the Georgia Aquarium instead!  It was closed to the public, so it was only the other employees and their families.  The girls loved it!
















Such a fun night!

Leaf jumping

I love fall! When we moved into our house, one of our neighbors told us that we have the prettiest fall tree in the neighborhood in our yard.  It finally finished changing color and I agree... I love looking at this out my kitchen window everyday.



 Some leaves have started falling so Justin did some raking yesterday.  The girls were so pumped to jump in the piles.












Thankful for beautiful weather, weekends with my family, and the beauty of God's creation.