Hello!

Life is an opportunity- benefit from it.

Life is a game- play it.

Life is a dream- realize it.

Life is a challenge- meet it.

Life is duty- complete it.

Life is reality- admire it.

Life is a promise- fulfill it.

Life is sorrow- overcome it.

Life is a song- sing it.

Life is a struggle- accept it.

Life is a tradegy- confront it.

Life is luck- wish it.

Life is adventure- dare it.

Life is life- live it.

Life is Love. 

Love it!

So here we are. 

One week we are in shorts/tanks, sunshine, large house, forever friends...the next week we are in scarves/jackets, tiny apartment, snow, no friends. It was a very emotional and exhausting week last week and more work than we had expected. Everything has changed. Everything. We are feeling like this awesome Colorado environment with family is just the right fit for us. But it has also been challenging, real...and totally faith building. Our 14 years of Texas roots have been lifted, misplaced, planted again. ALL is so new. The mountain air is so different from the southern air. Our hearts are wide open, raw and totally vulnerable right now. We are being brave and hopeful, strong. 

It's been about being sad and super excited and always looking to the beautiful light from the Lord that shines every minute of the day.

No matter where you are planted- it is what you can count on.

Move day(s).

Up and at 'em early. The four guys that moved us worked like dogs. We felt like we weeded through, sold, donated so much stuff (even my car)...where was all this coming from? We were sharing the truck with 2 other families also heading to Colorado areas. We filled up half of it, and the guys couldn't fit in the garage stuff. Another truck coming in the morning. 

Really? We were beyond exhausted. At one point (as my feet were tingling and it hurt to move facial muscles) I told Josh that I was so tired...I felt nauseous. Time for bed at a good friends house for the night.

 The next morning, they packed up the rest as we cleaned a bit. During this time our buyers were scheduled to move in. Soooo, they had delivery trucks dropping off their brand new furniture and moving in as we were still moving in! Moving is supposed to be crazy....but seriously? (Just one of the many bumps in the road with our house-selling process I tell ya.) Luckily the sweet family was working with us and we are so very blessed to have them living in our custom home. We both helped eachother and they prayed over us a few times. How cool is that?

Polly was packed in with us in the way-too-shoved-in-car. She had more room in her crate than anyone else in the car. Ha. Lauren must have known that Mommy and Daddy were spent one week (look at the bloodshot eyes in this drawing!). It was left on the fridge as we left because it was such a reminder every day.

Farewell's

For the past 4 weeks or so it's been packing, calls, more calls, searching, crying, laughing, frustration and saying goodbye in more way than one. I can't say that everything has been easy. It's been hard. 

 "Colorado-bound-Texas-style" party with some of my favorite girls ever (guys too!). Also a huge thanks to all the sweet "just poppin' by to say bye/hug" and meals from dear friends during our moving week too. xox.

 The girls school was really hard to say goodbye to. Owens Elementary has been a part of our family since we moved to Texas. Josh taught there, the older teachers remember when the girls were born, and Hannah was finishing her 6th year there. It was like home, teachers like family, and forever in our hearts friends.

 Close to every day bff Ellie and the girls would talk and play endless childhood games, searching for bugs and riding bikes...what kids should do. (And my dearest neighbor friend Mimi...miss our walks/talks already, girl.)

 Always fun. These kiddos have grown up with eachother. We have pictures of the older one's on a blanket when they were mere months old at their first "playdate". Tender, sweet friendships.

 We had a moving sale. I had been holding onto a big box of the girls baby clothes and it was time to say goodbye to the adorable little outfits (still spit up stains on some of them!) and the princess games, MY old Barbie convertible, play makeup, etc... oh, oh, oh........just too much.

 I had packed up all frames, mirrors, decor, fragile stuff right away. The one frame I left out was this one. I feel like it was one more goodbye to Dad and all the Texas memories we had with him.

spring has sprung.

One day last week we looked at the grass in our backyard and it was brown. Then just that afternoon Josh and I looked at eachother and mentioned how our grass was turning green already. Seems like when spring decides to show up in East Texas, well, it shows up within a few hours. No kidding. Buds popped overnight it seemed. Get out the shorts and t-shirts.

I love springtime. Always have. I love the flowers (and taking pictures of them:), the colors, the fresh smell, being outside, the sunshine, the fragrant breezes, the new skip in everyone's step. Needless to say, we have been c-r-a-z-y busy here with the clock ticking and the boxes piling getting ready to move. We are floating around with a ton of emotions and in a whirlwind of lists and to-do's. In the midst we have been really digging down deep to be able to stop and enjoy the breezes a tad. The girls had their Spring Break this past week. It consisted of: a fabulous ladies night away with best friends for me, taxes started/finished, a nasty stomach bug for Hannah and I (with fever, headache to boot), two sleepovers with the girls bff's, roofers/insurance adjuster chaos, Josh in Dallas (along with being a salesman, electrician, plumber, all-around fixer up'er here), packing, sorting, organizing, clearing, did I mention packing, tossing and finally selling way too much of our big and small accumulated stuff at our two-day garage sale.

By Saturday night Josh and I agreed our bodies felt like they had run triathlons. Where's the pillow?

It was Spring without the BREAK part for the adults in the house.

birthday fun

Hannah didn't want to have a large party thing this year for her 11th birthday. She has sweet friends at school, but she has this one really special friend. Her name is Ellie. She will be one of those best friends that you cherish your entire life and tell everyone that you've been friends since the third grade. Ellie's 11th birthday is just 2 days after Hannah's. They wanted to celebrate together! Josh mentioned that a freebie mall scavenger hunt would be fun to do. It was SO much FUN! We had teams and searched for 45 things at the mall in 45 minutes. Everything from a picture of a pair of red high heels and a JCPenney salesperson signature to how many dressing rooms at the Gap. (Daddy was a fierce competitor and it ended up being a tie!)

My mom has always made the birthday cake for both the girls birthdays since they were born. She is a cake master and I have loved that special tradition. Only one problem this year- she lives in Colorado! So, I surprised Hannah and Ellie telling them that THEY will be making their birthday cake this year. They were super crazy excited about the idea, did it all themselves, and I know it will be a sweet memory.

Hannah love. love. loves the water. So, off to a nearby indoor water park. What a perfect birthday weekend for her and her birthday bff!

Two favorite gifts: Wii Just Dance and a book of string games. She went to Camp Tyler last week with her class and Momma Bear camp counselor taught her some. She was hooked. Remember Jacob's ladder, Witches Broom...? I've enjoyed these favs just as much as her :)