Somehow, I blinked and
nearly half of the year has passed. The newness and hope of a new year
still seems fresh to me, and yet, January 1st was
ages ago. This year. Sheesh. It's been pretty crazy so far; and I feel like I'm
always playing catch-up. So, here's a brief snippet of what we've been up
to:
We celebrated the New Year with our family in Colorado while we were there for Cole's third rotation. Oh man, Colorado just might have stolen my heart. Our time there was so sweet, so refreshing and, in many ways, so healing. We lived with Cole's aunt, uncle, and cousins - and it was wonderful. I didn't work while we were there and spent many long mornings over coffee talking with Cole's aunt and cousin. I read a ton and cooked a lot and spent a lot of time with Cole's family who loved us unreservedly and extremely generously. Our time in Colorado was so, so precious. I could go on and on, but words just can't capture the sweetness of that season. Needless to say, it was super hard to leave.
In mid-February, we roadtripped back to central Washington where we lived with Cole's parents during his last rotation - and where, consequently, we'll be to stay. Cole enjoyed his final rotation immensely and I enjoyed spending time with my wonderful mother- and sister-in-law. And, we both appreciated being just three hours away from Portland and three hours away from Spokane - two cities that house so many people we love. It has also been so nice knowing that we are here to stay. After a year of moving, I'm excited to start putting down roots, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be living so close to family. In March, I started working at a local grant writing company and have enjoyed the opportunity to stretch and grow and learn something new. (and to get to write!)
Nearly a month ago, the house we've spent over a year planning was finally finished and we were able to move in. With the help of a lot of friends and family, we have slowly unpacked boxes (some that haven't been unpacked in over 4 years!) and have started to settle in. I've loved making it "home;" and I still can't believe that we get to live there.
We celebrated the New Year with our family in Colorado while we were there for Cole's third rotation. Oh man, Colorado just might have stolen my heart. Our time there was so sweet, so refreshing and, in many ways, so healing. We lived with Cole's aunt, uncle, and cousins - and it was wonderful. I didn't work while we were there and spent many long mornings over coffee talking with Cole's aunt and cousin. I read a ton and cooked a lot and spent a lot of time with Cole's family who loved us unreservedly and extremely generously. Our time in Colorado was so, so precious. I could go on and on, but words just can't capture the sweetness of that season. Needless to say, it was super hard to leave.
In mid-February, we roadtripped back to central Washington where we lived with Cole's parents during his last rotation - and where, consequently, we'll be to stay. Cole enjoyed his final rotation immensely and I enjoyed spending time with my wonderful mother- and sister-in-law. And, we both appreciated being just three hours away from Portland and three hours away from Spokane - two cities that house so many people we love. It has also been so nice knowing that we are here to stay. After a year of moving, I'm excited to start putting down roots, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be living so close to family. In March, I started working at a local grant writing company and have enjoyed the opportunity to stretch and grow and learn something new. (and to get to write!)
Nearly a month ago, the house we've spent over a year planning was finally finished and we were able to move in. With the help of a lot of friends and family, we have slowly unpacked boxes (some that haven't been unpacked in over 4 years!) and have started to settle in. I've loved making it "home;" and I still can't believe that we get to live there.
And two weeks ago, my husband walked across the stage, received his doctoral hood, was handed his diploma, and officially finished optometry school. I could not be more proud of this man and his incredible work ethic and discipline.
As we reflect over the last five months, I am so humbled and in awe of God's faithfulness, grace, and utter generosity. Despite the darker moments where my faith was lacking, He has continued to shower us with far more grace than we could ever deserve. Grace in the waiting, grace in the disappointment, and grace in the provision.
And we're looking ahead to a ridiculously busy summer. Hold on tight, it's gonna get crazy.
