There is no little life, that makes a big deal of God.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Great Exodus Out West Begins on October 17!
My husband Eric & I are moving from Cincinnati, OH to Seattle, WA, and we're starting this Great Westward Exodus on October 17! We've been working like crazy over the past few weeks to clean the house, pack, and do some last-minute repairs. We're hopefully going to be able to put our house on the market sometime late this week or early next week. On top of this, we're trying to sell one of our cars and Eric is working on a freelance project that is such a blessing because it will give us a little extra, much-needed money during this transition. Needless to say, we are extremely busy and running around crazy trying to get everything finished in a timely manner!
Eric's parents are flying from Seattle to Cincinnati on Oct. 17 to help us move, which means they will also be driving across the country with us. We're going to rent a UHaul truck, load it up, and drive it and my car across the country, hopefully making a fun road trip/vacation out of it. I've never been in a car for 4 days straight, however, so I will most likely go stir crazy! I can already hear myself asking about 6 hours into the first day "Are we there yet?" Oh well. We're going to stop in South Dakota to visit some of Eric's family along the way, so that will be very fun.
Also making the trip with us is our puppy Levi (who is happy anywhere, as long as he's with us), and our 2 squirmy ferrets (Oscar & Oliver, our little furry "kids" as we call them). So our little zoo, the 2 of us, and Eric's parents are all going from Cincinnati to Seattle, and we predict it will take about 7 days total, including staying one full day in South Dakota to rest.
We've been so busy making arrangements, dreaming about this day, and working so hard to get everything ready & packed, that I really haven't had time to sit down and wrap my brain around all that's happening! It's probably not going to really sink in until I'm waking up in Seattle that first morning.
And when that happens, I'll sit up in bed, take a big breath of that fresh, chilly mountain air, look over at Eric next to me, smile a huge smile, and giddily proclaim: "We're finally here!"
And on clear days, this will be our view:
(ok so this is closer to Mt. Rainier than we'll typically be, but it's just as gorgeous from far away!)
Eric's parents are flying from Seattle to Cincinnati on Oct. 17 to help us move, which means they will also be driving across the country with us. We're going to rent a UHaul truck, load it up, and drive it and my car across the country, hopefully making a fun road trip/vacation out of it. I've never been in a car for 4 days straight, however, so I will most likely go stir crazy! I can already hear myself asking about 6 hours into the first day "Are we there yet?" Oh well. We're going to stop in South Dakota to visit some of Eric's family along the way, so that will be very fun.
Also making the trip with us is our puppy Levi (who is happy anywhere, as long as he's with us), and our 2 squirmy ferrets (Oscar & Oliver, our little furry "kids" as we call them). So our little zoo, the 2 of us, and Eric's parents are all going from Cincinnati to Seattle, and we predict it will take about 7 days total, including staying one full day in South Dakota to rest.
We've been so busy making arrangements, dreaming about this day, and working so hard to get everything ready & packed, that I really haven't had time to sit down and wrap my brain around all that's happening! It's probably not going to really sink in until I'm waking up in Seattle that first morning.
And when that happens, I'll sit up in bed, take a big breath of that fresh, chilly mountain air, look over at Eric next to me, smile a huge smile, and giddily proclaim: "We're finally here!"
And on clear days, this will be our view:
(ok so this is closer to Mt. Rainier than we'll typically be, but it's just as gorgeous from far away!)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
In Motion
I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of "moving"; of being "in motion." I love this picture of Karena Dawn in an Oakley ad, running through a backlit forest. The body in motion truly is a beautiful, stunning picture. When a longtime runner runs with a long, practiced stride, the cyclic movements of the legs are fluid, continuous, and graceful.
Exercise is probably the 1st thing that comes to my mind when I think of "moving." And as you know, exercise and moving your body is one of the healthiest choices you can make.
Another form of "being in motion," for me, is a "Deep Thoughts About Life" philosophical concept. My husband Eric & I are in the middle of packing up all of our belongings and moving across the country soon to Seattle! We are extremely excited about this new phase of our lives; this new adventure; this change of locale. In this packing & moving process, we are in a constant state of motion. We are busy cleaning the house, moving furniture out to the garage, & packing our belongings all at the same time. Our bodies are busy working, and our minds are busying checking things off our mental To-Do list. We are embarking on an exciting and slightly terrifying adventure in the far-off land of Seattle, and it's a stressful mix of working nonstop to complete all our tasks, but at the same time being forced to wait for things to fall into place (like Eric getting a good job & our house selling).
Both our lives literally feel like they are moving down this path toward our future, which right now is hazy. We are in motion, walking down this twisty path and we cannot see around the next bend. However, we trust that God will lead us & clear the road ahead of us as we begin our pilgrimage out West.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Happy Birthday to Me!
It is my birthday today. I am 26 years old today. Yikes! When I was young, I never could've imagined myself at 26. But when I'm 40, I'll say that I never could've imagined myself at that age either.
I desperately wanted to move out to Seattle before I turned 26, but oh well. Maybe, hopefully, it'll happen soon! We have been praying non-stop that my husband gets a good job in Washington state so that we can move there without delay. And we've been working on our house like crazy, getting it ready to put on the market soon. Just this morning, we re-painted a wall that had been damaged last month while doing other renovations. It felt great to be so productive and get an important job out of the way! (Now there's only a dozen or so more things to do around the house, then we're all set!)
Isn't it funny how birthdays usually become times of reflection? We think about how we're living our lives. Are we who we want to be? Are our lives going in the right direction? Are we achieving our dreams? Are we using the years we've been given wisely?
And I am not immune to these questions. I've been reflecting on similar thoughts all day today, and really all the time, ever since I began this blog. Because I often discuss "Big Life" ideas on this blog, I think about things like this all the time. There's no reason to be obsessed with self-evaluation, but I think it's healthy & good to re-asses your life every once in awhile. If you like what you see, then great! Stay on that path! But if not, it's not too late! Make changes! Turn around and go in the other direction! Do whatever it takes to achieve your dreams and live the life you desire. And most importantly, ask God to give you dreams and His path to follow. I promise you, you won't be disappointed in yourself, or Him.
I know that God has never disappointed me, not in all my 26 years of life. He may make things turn out differently than I'd imagined or planned, but it's always better. God is in the business of "bettering" us, and He uses all types of methods, circumstances, & people to achieve this purpose.
I heard someone say once that "God loves us exactly as we are, but refuses to leave us that way." What a beautiful concept! I certainly feel that God accepts me this way, but refuses to let me remain as I am now. He always wants more for me. A better heart, a better life, a better relationship with Him. God has already done so much inside me, but I look excitedly towards the future, and wonder what kind of adventure God has in store for me in my next 26 years.
I desperately wanted to move out to Seattle before I turned 26, but oh well. Maybe, hopefully, it'll happen soon! We have been praying non-stop that my husband gets a good job in Washington state so that we can move there without delay. And we've been working on our house like crazy, getting it ready to put on the market soon. Just this morning, we re-painted a wall that had been damaged last month while doing other renovations. It felt great to be so productive and get an important job out of the way! (Now there's only a dozen or so more things to do around the house, then we're all set!)
Isn't it funny how birthdays usually become times of reflection? We think about how we're living our lives. Are we who we want to be? Are our lives going in the right direction? Are we achieving our dreams? Are we using the years we've been given wisely?
And I am not immune to these questions. I've been reflecting on similar thoughts all day today, and really all the time, ever since I began this blog. Because I often discuss "Big Life" ideas on this blog, I think about things like this all the time. There's no reason to be obsessed with self-evaluation, but I think it's healthy & good to re-asses your life every once in awhile. If you like what you see, then great! Stay on that path! But if not, it's not too late! Make changes! Turn around and go in the other direction! Do whatever it takes to achieve your dreams and live the life you desire. And most importantly, ask God to give you dreams and His path to follow. I promise you, you won't be disappointed in yourself, or Him.
I know that God has never disappointed me, not in all my 26 years of life. He may make things turn out differently than I'd imagined or planned, but it's always better. God is in the business of "bettering" us, and He uses all types of methods, circumstances, & people to achieve this purpose.
I heard someone say once that "God loves us exactly as we are, but refuses to leave us that way." What a beautiful concept! I certainly feel that God accepts me this way, but refuses to let me remain as I am now. He always wants more for me. A better heart, a better life, a better relationship with Him. God has already done so much inside me, but I look excitedly towards the future, and wonder what kind of adventure God has in store for me in my next 26 years.
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