jumpin' in.

We hopped into the whole Colorado thing this weekend. Here's the thing:

Saturday was a perfect, clear sky 84 degrees. Kids were even swimming in the pool here. Being that we are living in a high altitude this temperature means no humidity, no stickiness, no bugs, no condensation on cold drinks, different cooking, good hair, etc. Yay!
We climbed up (huffin' and puffin' a bit) what our little town is named after in the afternoon. Josh and Lauren rock climbed to the tippy top of it. Yes, fearless Lauren will more than likely be our mountain girl.

Then we woke up on Sunday and around 10am it dropped to 34 degrees and there was a couple inches of snow accumulating. We couldn't believe it. That's a 50 degree difference in less than 24 hours! Apparently this is a pretty normal thing heading into springtime here.

Never mind the freezing cold, wet, muddy stuff that snuck up on everybody....Josh and the girls hit one of many nearby state parks for a 2 hour hike. The girls loved it. It's the experience of it all I guess.

apartment living.

All week we didn't know where the rest of our stuff was. The mover called and had it all on another semi ready to be unpacked again. I have no idea how the movers/we (mainly Josh, really) crammed, shoved and piled a 3000 square foot home into a 1000 square foot second floor apartment. I mean, stacked 10 feet high in our single garage. And best of all....we get to move this stuff AGAIN when we find a house here. Yippee. Phahaha. When ya look at this place it looks like we should be aired on the show "Hoarders: Buried Alive" on TLC.

Josh and I had flashbacks. Flashback on when we were first married. We couldn't find (among many other things too) the screws to our bed frame. So we are sleeping just on a boxspring/mattress too. Boxes everywhere. Everything is everywhere. We only have maybe 10% of our house up in this apartment and we're making do. It's like the good ole' days. Minus the two extra little people that occupy our hearts now too. Speaking of the girls- they are loving just sleeping with their mattresses plopped on the floor and making a bit of a monkey mess. They are relishing in the fact (me too) that they can clutter up their space a bit. There won't be spotless house showings or much entertaining here for awhile.

This first week has had it's challenges and joy's.
The key word right now is: adventure.

The family times/celebrating a new baby Whiting coming soon: awesome.
The newness and missing the comforts of everything and everyone: rough.
The girls adjusting: fabulous.
The work that Josh has missed and has to catch up on: bummer.
The weather and views: totally rocks.
The homeschooling: tough, but I'm acting as if I know what I'm doing.
Leaning into God's plans...
being all together and having everything in one place at this point: priceless.

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 :)

Not sayin' goodbye. Just "see ya soon"!

The buyers of our home looked at around 48 homes before they saw ours online, came through the door soon after and put an offer in 2 hours later. I think it was magically their home when they first walked in. What's even sweeter is they have two light headed little girls. I remember sweating my panties off with little time to clean but kept saying to myself "if this couple loves this house, they won't care about the big fat dust bunnies, toothpaste stains in the sink, nasty windows..." I guess that peace and instinct was right.

I'm feeling like I can b r e a t h e and at the same time feeling like I'm suffocating in lists, questions and deadlines too. It has been a long 11 months of waiting, trusting and giving it all up to God. Now everything seems to be happening so quickly. We've had this "Colorado dream" softly singing over us for several years actually. Feeling it in our souls (along with prayer and a really nice job that landed into Josh's lap about 6 weeks after my Mom moves out there) a decision was made to go for it. I know that the life we have right now is just the beginning. Many, many more adventures, experiences and opportunities await us. We are ready. It's time to go. It's time to say farewell and we will see you soon, but never bye-bye.

I can't possibly hold all the emotions together. Our walls are getting bare and closets are being organized into boxes. There are big smiles and the easily flowing tears. What I do know is that within the uncertainty this past year my heart has been laced with the most beautiful hope, courage and trust that was being built every single day.

Looking back at the past almost 14 years here overwhelms me such goodness. Josh and I were still freshly married and ready to get out of the town we grew up in Ohio. We went forward, trusted tremendous faith and packed up a tiny U-Haul truck. We knew my folks were down here but we didn't have jobs, a place to live, friends.  It was indeed crazy big faith, but we yearned for a fresh new jump in our step and new beginning. It was without question the best decision we had ever made in our love together. We've seen a lot,  grew up a ton, worked hard, learned and changed by leaps and bounds in this Texas air. In a nutshell: Josh got a teaching job, we became responsible homeowners, started a precious family, built a house, changed jobs, experienced immense loss, pain, hardship, enjoyed an incredible church, had miraculous love enter into our hearts and made the most amazing friendships that will last a lifetime. Big stuff. Big time "roots" here. Our babies are now heading to 6th grade and 4th grade this year. This part of our journey has indeed been a blink of an eye.
A whisper in this lifetime.

Did I mention that it's all too much for my heart to handle at times? Yep.

We are anxiously looking onto the next chapter. The next 14+ years is about looking forward and always looking back with gratitude and love. All of it is so sweetly drenched in the most special memories. We wouldn't trade these years for anything. We wouldn't be who we are today without them. How and why should I/we be scared or nervous about the brand new unseen path before us?
The Lord took us graciously on this lovely Texas road and what a treasure and blessing the next one will be to take a ride on.

Hannah.

She is wearing my shoe size and my small fitted t-shirts. She oozes sweetness. Is stylish and a tad sassy at times. She's smart and sensitive and is having an opinion and rolling her eyes saying "aaaw, Mooommmeee" on more than one occasion. She's learning about what she loves and discovering what she doesn't. She's also beginning to understand what is a little scary and what is very comfortable in her little world.

She is so lovely both inside and out and is having her 11th birthday today?

I'm feeling excited about who Hannah is right now and who she is to become. I've been such a huge part of her where she has been and often wonder what part I am going to have in the future. I remember in the hospital room when she was only maybe a minute old and she leaned over to gaze at me because she heard my voice. It was the most magical and unforgettable moment. Our eyes locked and it was the beginning her precious life and of my new life and journey as a mother. I have been forever changed since that moment. She was a dream come true. Total and complete love at first sight.

Her freckles, her wide smile, her dreams, desires and giggles that warm anyone's heart is what I love right now. She's organized. A planner. She has the biggest sweet tooth known to man. She worries. She is crazy funny. Loves to relax. Loves to play hard and still loves to pretend. (Yesterday the girls didn't have school, and they wanted to finger paint. Yes!) It all seems to flip and flop back and forth. She's still young and stuck right smack in between being a little girl and a teen.

She's not too sure and not knowing what to feel sometimes. Apparently all this is normal and these days it is called being a beautiful, blossoming "tween".

Where? Did? The? Years? Go?

She's a piece of me and I love that she is an even bigger piece and reminds me of her Daddy.

She's adored in every way by everyone in her life and a splendid part of exactly who God made her to be. I've been so in love and will forever be trying enjoy and cherish every moment and do what I can to make this journey of hers just how it should be.  
Dreamy and fun....beautiful and full of love.

Just like her.

February randomness

"Life is like a box of chocolates. 

                 You never know what you're gonna get." -Forrest Gump

It's cold and flurry...everywhere. Got Ohio-blood in me, so I can take it. (Sometimes.)

Our little pooch is prepared!

We go to get juicy burgers at Smashburger every time Daddy is gone- been there alot lately, so it's tradition now. 

Missing Daddy.

Did I mention missing Daddy? Yea. He left love notes (and jewelry:) under random things for me. He's been texting me to "look in the tea bag container in the pantry" and "look under the lamp by the yellow chair" etc. etc. every night this week. Romantic? Uh huh. I'm still fallin' head over heels. 

Speaking of loooove. We created some quick Valentine yummies. Found these on the link "UCreate" on the left of my blog. Just pretzels with Hershey kisses melted a bit on top and squeeze a peanut butter filled m'n'm on top.        Bathing suit season yet? I doooon't think so.

Patient Polly. She had eye surgery last week. She's our baaaaby.

One last BIG not-so-random thing:

WE HAVE A CONTRACT ON OUR HOUSE! 

(a family fell in L-O-V-E with our sweet haven and after a week of slooow negotiations which means happy, sad, smiles, tears, nervous, ready...overwhelmed on all levels possible, really)