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Please excuse the discontinuity of this post- I wrote it over multiple days and feel like I've tried to fit so much in a small space~ there's so much going through my head. But I'm tired and just want to get something posted, as I know it's been a while!


The past week and a half has been a whirl-wind. I don't even know where to start. It's strange not to be only a quick drive away from a pizza night or a park play date, and I've broken down a few times, sentimental over all of the friends we've left, the memories we've made in Pittsburgh, which has been our home for the past eleven years, the distance between here and my family... But it is a relief to have finally landed here, where I know God has prepared a place for us, amid some of the most beautiful surroundings I've ever seen, I might add.

I had only seen this house once before moving in-- a rushed one-hour period of time, on a day we viewed two other houses that we really liked (our showing agent was actually trying to convince us to forgo this one altogether- the internet photos left a lot to be desired, and we seriously considered, but I thought we should at least give it a chance). I ended up liking it more than I thought I would that day, despite things that seemed big at the time (only one full bath, no AC... really minor in the grand scheme, and we've gotten along just fine with those details for the past several years, though we'd like to account for a growing family). I will say that it's much better than my memory of it. I've just been feeling incredibly blessed. Like this is a little piece of heaven. And I hope that I never take any of it for granted. I don't ever think I'll get tired of this view (which happens to be just a glance up from my computer screen). So I'll warn you in advance that you'll probably be seeing a lot of it, too. The kids have been adjusting well, taking to the great outdoors like they were born into it. #2 has been the most outdoorsy of them all, which is not what I expected, but I'm glad to see it. All of them have spent a good deal of time exploring their new surroundings, and I can tell this is going to be a wondrous place for them to grow up.

I keep thinking of God's perfect timing in all of this. I would not have done it the way that God did. Much of the process was wrought with frustrations and stress and despair. But considering all of the things I would have done differently if I'd had my own way in life, I'm glad I'm not in control. Looking back, it was clear that God had a plan from our very first house searches in the Pittsburgh area. And an amazing one. A plan that He is continuing to unfold before me daily. I'm reading a very fitting book now (thank you, Kaethe) that is reminding me just how necessary those trying, bitter times are. Our lives can't just be one happy blessing after another. To quote the book, "...a life of nothing but sweetness rots both your teeth and your soul. Bitter is what makes us strong, what forces us to push through..." I pray that in this new chapter in our lives, I will have the faith and courage to face the bitter with the same thanksgiving as the sweet.

Just some highlights from our first week and a half in our new home-- Our former mother's helper, Elizabeth ("E"), drove 5 1/2 hours from Minneapolis the first weekend to visit and help watch the kids (and took them to the zoo, apple and pear picking in our back yard, to get ice cream, etc.) while Mike and I began to unpack all of our earthly possessions. It was a real blessing to have her here. Mike flew back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon, and the kids and I were on our own for a few days until Grandma and Grandpa came to take the load off of me some on Friday afternoon, but we fared alright, fitting in some school, unpacking boxes, and checking out some local places of interest (i.e., the grocery store, post office). We've enjoyed almost daily walks down to the end of our long, pine-covered driveway to check our mail, baskets full of fruit from our backyard (the girls and I made a yummy apple pie), treks through the trails in the woods, roasting marshmallows in our fire-pit, dining on the back platform on nice days, wild turkeys and our neighbors' cows frequenting our yard, collecting wood for fires, playing in the living room with its amazing views, and spectacular sunsets, among other things. We're looking forward to countless more adventures in our new neck of the woods. We hope some of you might even make it out for a visit. There's plenty of room for guests!