On The Move

Sorry there haven't been any blog updates lately. We have been so busy getting ready for our big move next Friday! We can't wait! I am currently training my replacement at work and things are really coming together. My Dad will drive in on Wednesday, July 1st and we will pack up the U-Haul and head to Greenville, SC on July 3rd. This is a decision that has been difficult to make but I am confident that the timing is God's and that He is leading in this next step of my life. It is exciting. I will update more as we get closer to moving. Thanks for all of the encouragement and for loving on Kate and I both.

What do you say, Old Friend?

I remember at band camp (yes, I was a total band nerd), when the seniors would graduate, they would play that song "It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Boyz II Men. Every time I hear that song, I have this mental picture of Sharon Wood and all the other seniors that I can't remember their names right now, dancing in the middle of that old wooden floor at camp, hugging each other, not knowing what the next step in life looks like. It's scary - change. I don't care who you are - change is a scary next step.

I have often wondered why the Lord has chosen to keep me in Dallas, seemingly by myself. Of course, I've had the wonderful company of Kate for the past year, but even with a child, life has been more than a little lonely. The weekends have been the most difficult. Going to breakfast at Corner Bakery on Saturday mornings with an infant have been precious, don't get me wrong - the conversation is just a little limited :). However, I am confident that God has had me in Dallas for a very specific purpose - to draw me into a completely dependent and intimate relationship with Him. It has been 2 of the most difficult years of my life, but truly the best 2 years of life, with respect to the relationship with Christ that has come out of it. I have been a child of His for 17 years, but over the past 2 He has drawn me to Him in a way I never knew was even available to me.


So the change that's coming into my life is that on July 3rd, Kate and I are moving home to Greenville, South Carolina. We will pack up our sparse belongings and head home. I am ready. It is time. I would covet your prayers during this time, as any change is difficult, even when you're moving near the ones you love. Even though our time in Dallas has had it's challenges, we have developed a routine here. We have fallen in love with the people God has surrounded us with here. What will I do without Annette and Karl to make me dinner every night when I pick up Kate? That is really the biggest dilemma of it all....


Here is the plan: I will complete my time here at Taylor Winfield on July 2nd - they are all on board with the move and are assisting me in my search for another opportunity. We will be home by July 5th, hopefully have some final interviews that week, and start a new job within a few weeks of moving home. That would be the ideal situation. We will just see how God chooses to work out His plan. I want to do this part of my life differently than I have past changes/moves. I'm not going to get all wacked out, anxious and nervous. At least, that is how I'm praying. I'm leaning into Christ, trusting that His plan is best - mine is not. If you see me doing otherwise, I give you permission to call me out on it.

That's all the news I have for now. Excited for what the future holds, to see how God's plan plays out, continuing to pray for restoration and healing......

"But me, I'm not giving up. I'm sticking around to see what God will do. I'm waiting for God to make things right. I'm counting on God to listen to me." Micah 7.7

"Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act." Psalm 37.7a

Going Home!!!!!

Whoo hooo!!! Kate and I are heading home to Greenville, South Carolina tonight at 7:45pm. I can't wait!! We are going to celebrate her 1st birthday with our family and then she will be a flower girl in her Aunt Colleen's wedding. She just started walking, so we will see how that goes....Anyway, I will post pictures of the week as soon as I can! Have a wonderful weekend!

My Little Scooter Bug

Today is my baby sister's 24th birthday. She's the official baby of our family - even though we have a brother who is 7, and she has a neice that is 1 - she's still the baby and always will be. Ruthie is a precious one who loves everybody. She is always trying to keep the peace in our family and sees the good in everyone. She is a lot like our mom...not only in personality, but in her mannerisms. She can't dive into a pool to save her life, but ask her to sing the part of Meg or Raoul from Phantom of the Opera, and she'll be there. Ruthie brings fun to every room she enters. Anyone who knows her will probably tell you she is hilarious. She and Troy have an ongoing competition as to who is the funniest in our family. Believe me, I'm right up there with them in hilarity :)....but, Ruthie is by far quicker, and wittier than any of us. She loves on people like no other. She shows the character of Christ daily by giving of herself and her time to other people. She is the best combination of our entire family....rolled into one beautiful girl.

Ruthie was there when my daughter, Kate, was born. She stayed with me several nights nights in the hospital after Kate was born because I was very sick. Kate had to stay in the nursery under the sun-tannin lights because she was jaundiced. Ruthie woke up with me every 3 hours to wheel me down in the wheel-chair to the nursery to feed Kate. She even got to feed her a bottle a couple of times herself. It was so precious. It's one of those moments that you want to wrap up in a little napkin and keep in your pocket for a rainy day. Ruthie loves her neice, Kate, very much and I couldn't ask for a better Aunt Scoot.

We are very fortunate to have a close family and Ruthie is very important part of that. It's fun when your very bestest friends are your sisters and brother.

Happy Birthday, Scoot. I love you very much and can't wait to see you this weekend! Whoo hoo!!

Happy 1st Birthday Kate Elizabeth!!

As I sit here at my laptop, I smell a waft of old vomit coming from my skin. Today is Kate's birthday....her very first birthday, in fact. In a meager attempt to celebrate this big day, we went out to Gloria's Mexican Restaurant with our dear friends Annette and Carl. About a quarter of the way through our meal, Kate decides to throw up all over herself and her mother. Now, I'm not talking about a little spit up....I'm talking about a head to toe throw up - on both of us. Fun. So, I went to the bathroom to clean us both up, an impossible task, I found. Where it is cute and appropriate for a baby to walk around without a shirt on, it is just not ok for the mom. I tried to clean up in the bathroom, but it just wasn't working. I ended up rinsing off my shirt in the sink and putting it back on. It felt soooo good to put on a vomit/water covered t-shirt. Gross. We are now home and we have both changed clothes 5 times. Happy Day. Now, I sit here writing, smelling the vomit, thinking about a shower, but wondering what good it will do when I will probably be thrown up on again.

One year ago today, I was huge, uncomfortable, and ready to get this baby out of me. My ankles (cankles) had swollen to the size of my head - I'm not kidding. My body just hurt....it was time. Ruthie and I pulled up to Medical City Dallas Hospital around 7am. After laying in a hospital bed all day, the doctor decided I wasn't dialating fast enough, so she decided to do a c-section. Kate Elizabeth was born on Friday, April 25th, at 7:40pm. At first, she scared me. I hadn't been around many babies - especially newborns. I wasn't the one people called when they needed a baby sitter, if that says anything. But....it didn't take me too long to fall completely in love with this precious girl. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought I had no reason to go on - I felt I had ruined my life. But, God's gift of Kate has allowed me to experience life in a way I never thought possible.

Today, Kate took her first steps! 5 steps in a row! She is an amazing child. She engages people in a way unlike I've ever seen. She never meets a stranger and will wave and give a smile to anyone that will look her way.

Next weekend, Kate and I will fly to South Carolina and celebrate her birthday with our family. I can't wait!! I'm sure we will have lots of pictures to share.

Broken

I read this blog today and it was really powerful. Good stuff. Too good not to pass along. I appreciate those people who are willing to be authentic, even in their struggles, and also willing to admit that Christianity is not about me.
http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/imonk-101-when-i-am-weak-why-we-must-embrace-our-brokenness-and-never-be-good-christians

My Little Angel

It's too hard to believe that this little precious girl will be 1 year old this month. Can't believe how quickly time goes by....too fast. What a change this little girl has brought to my life and my heart.