Where am I

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

Some contemplation was required when deciding whether to start over with a brand new blog site or to just update the old one and press forward.  I'm all about keeping it simple, so here we are.  While looking at things, my six year old immediately looks at the blog and asks, "where am I?"  He quickly noticed his face and his story are completely missing from these familial archives.  I quickly assured him that I stopped posting back in 2013, while we still lived in Alabama and before he was born.  He was just the prayer of our hearts at that time.

It did make me pause though.  Do I make a big catch up post or a series of them of the last nine years?  Or, do quick snapshots of our journey?  Is it necessary at all?  I'm still not quite sure what I'll do with it entirely, but it did make me ponder...where am I and where all have we been the last nine years since I posted.  Goodness!  I know for one thing, I am in my forties now and there has definitely been some life, some tears, some new wrinkles, some moves and some sweet joys lived in the hiatus.

In 2014, we still lived in Montgomery and found out we were pregnant with Cooper.  That year we also found out that Nate got a promotion and we would be pulling up the roots that we had lovingly sewn and moving our children again.  This time we were headed to an unknown, Evans, GA right outside of Augusta, GA.  I was very pregnant during that emotional transition.  I cried the tears of goodbye that I hadn't cried since we pulled out of Woodbridge years before.  How thankful we were to have people and community we were yet again so sad to leave.  Even in the hard, God provided.  Every time.  "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together." -Colossians 1:17 became my anthem.   

Moving truck outside of our Montgomery home

                                                              

                                                         Our new Evans home

Cooper was born soon after we arrived in Evans and we began our journey as a family of five in a new town where we knew only one other family.  It was a lot but God was faithful to provide, as He always does.  People we didn't know from my new MOPs group delivered meals, people from our new CC community loved on us and filled gaps, family from Atlanta area drove over to visit, help and take care of us. 

We also began our homeschool journey in Evans, which shaped the trajectory of our family and lives on this unexpected but loved path.  We loved our time learning with Classical Conversations and the dear friends made there.  

We were not in Evans long though, less than three years, before we found out N's job was moving us yet again.  This time we were moving to Atlanta.  After 14 years of being away from family by route of Charlotte, NC to Woodbridge, VA to Montgomery, AL to Evans, GA and finally the call we had been praying for almost our entire marriage came, we were going home. While this brought great joy, it also brought the challenge of uprooting our kids again after they were finally feeling settled and in community there.  While ATL was “home” to us, our children had never lived there

front porch in Evans

In 2017, we packed up all of our earthly belongings and little humans and made another, and hopefully final, move to Roswell, GA.  We love it here.  In the past four plus years of living here, we have found our place in it.  We are involved in a local church.  The Lord has blessed us with friends and community.  We have loved being closer to our families and being more involved in the day to day.  

We still exist in this inbetween place of having our hearts all over the country as our friends and loved ones live everywhere now.  It's hard not to feel jealous sometimes of the people who have never moved anywhere, and all their friends are the same ones they and their kids have always had.  That's not our story but that grass sure looks greener sometimes.  We wouldn't trade it though for the people we've met along the way.  To share just a few of the many that hold our hearts all over this country…

Another note worth mentioning since moving to Roswell is that through no fault of their own, our kids have attended three different school environments here, Roswell CC/homeschool group when we first arrived mid year, Veritas Classical School and new this past fall, and hopefully final move, to King's.  It's been more change and being the new kid for them and the life lessons in that for us all.  Our oldest has attended 7 different school communities and he is now in 7th grade(we’ve moved twice mid school year)!  While each move was prayed over, that's intense and something we pray for him in as God writes his own story.  They are so brave.

It took us a bit to find our feet and where we are meant to be in this new hometown of ours, but it feels like everyone is thriving now and we couldn't be more thankful for that and God's provision in our lives over and over and over again! 

So, Mr. Where Am I, you are everywhere and in all of it.  We all are, and as our family’s story continues to unfold we will continue to bear witness to a faithful Father who guides us, calls us, protects us, teaches us, provides for us and makes a way for us in all things, all places and all futures.  

And, to those we have known and loved every step of this journey, no matter what part of our story God wove our paths together, we love you, we miss you and we thank God for His timing in all things.  You are there in all of it too.