Moving Day is Fast Approaching

I’m preparing for our big move to Florida. With every box I tape up, I get more and more excited. I envision where our belongings will go in our future home. I wonder what our paint colors and new flooring will look like. I imagine Luke playing along side me while I decorate. I plan to take Luke on walks every morning in our neighborhood lined with sidewalks. I picture picking up my phone and calling my parents to come play with Luke and I in our backyard.  And I get SO excited!

Then I have my moments.

Like today. I left the breastfeeding support group I go to (which is more like a mom’s group with a lactation consultant in the room….we swap brilliant ideas, talk about childrearing, and encourage one another. And our babies get to play in a safe, neutral place).

As I was walking out the door, Wendy (our LC) said “You’ll be gone to Florida soon, won’t you?” And I nonchalantly, with a smile and a shrug, said “Yeah, I only have a few more weeks at the group! I will miss it!” And I walked out the door. I got home and was curious just how many weeks do I actually have at the group? I pulled out my calendar. One. I have one group day left.

And then I got a knot in my stomach.

I have one day left to see the fellow mamas who have become such good friends with me.
I have one day left to walk down the halls of Emanuel and remember the excitement that last summer brought…the touring of the Labor and Delivery ward, the pre-registration for Luke’s birth, the being rushed to L&D, the Mother-Baby ward, the staying in the NICU (yes, that was a sad and scary time, but we came out with a healthy baby so the excitement still pulls at my heartstrings).
And I still remember my first time going to the breastfeeding support group. My mom drove me and even went in with me. Taking Luke out of the house by myself made me nervous… I hadn’t done this before! (Plus I wasn’t allowed to drive for six weeks.)

And here we are nine months later, on the flip side of the group going not for help as a new mom but to help other new moms. To be the encouraging voice they might need to hear to press on and nurse even if the baby seems hungry every minute of every day. To be the “been there” voice on nursing in a baby carrier. To help adjust those tricky straps that no one realizes moves in the Ergo.

And I cry.

I’m all sappy and then it dawns on me- yes, I will miss all of these things terribly, but what I will really miss about Turlock is that this is the place where I was born. My “wife who clings to her husband” side was born. My “wife who knows how to run a house” side was born. My “daughter who lives three thousand miles away and must be independent” side was born. My “momma” side was born. I became part of the person that I was meant to be in California. And for that reason, California will always be a special place to me.

A little over three years ago, I wrote this a post about us moving.  Let’s take a look at the second half of my post when I share good news about moving.

But.  There is good news.

    1.    I know God has a plan for me and my family.  This is part of His plan, and I choose to trust Him.  It's good to know that God has a plan for little old me, but I feel strongly that part of Him moving us across the country is to teach me to trust Him more.
    2.    My husband and I are learning to cling together more than we ever have before.  And I didn't think that was possible, because we already have more respect and love for each other than I could ever dream.  Moving so far away from our known little world in Florida will undoubtedly enable and even force us to cling together even more.
    3.    Financially, we'll be a lot safer than we are now.
    4.    I've always (as long as I can remember) wanted to be a Proverbs 31 (see verses 10 through 31 if you are unfamiliar) woman, and I feel that having a "fresh start" so to speak will allow me to create who I want me to be.  (Not that I couldn't do it here in our Florida home, but it's almost like a New Year's Resolution type thing... fresh starts can be helpful.)
    5.    Our small groups from church have helped me become friends with some amazing women.  Women that lift each other, that glorify God, and love one another with a genuine love.  We've grown so close through small groups, I'd feel blessed if Carl and I could put the idea of small groups in our future church's mind.  It's such an opportunity for growth.
    6.    If any of our friends would like to go to California, we will  host you in our home.  Any of you.  Seriously.  Hello, free place to stay!
    7.    Blogging material!  Need I say more?  Maybe I'll even go to the BlogHer '11 Conference!
    8.    Moving!  It's gotta be kinda fun, right?  I've never actually done that.  (How crazy is that?  When I "moved" from my parents home to my husband's home, it was more like "Come home from my honeymoon and my new home is full of my things"....that I didn't pack.  Yep, family moved me in to my new home.  It was such a blessing to come home from our honeymoon with no moving to do!)
    9.    We're going on an adventure.  That's always fun, no?  Carl and I always have so much fun when we're sightseeing together, exploring a whole new town is bound to be a blast!
    10.    Planes make traveling easy.  We don't have to take 5 days to make the cross country drive, we can hop on a jet a fly home for holidays.  (This gives Christmas music a whole new meaning... think: "I'll be home for Christmas.")

When I wrote those words, I never knew how true they would be. Looking back at the past three years, here’s an updated list.

1. God sure did, and still does have a plan for me and my family! I never knew how much I would grow as a person by moving to California.
2.  My husband and I cling together more than I knew possible, and now I also know that we will continue to cling together in the future in ways we can’t even fathom now.
3.  Still true.  And by the grace of God, Carl is able to telecommute so our income should remain the same. And we will still have insurance!
4.  Having a “fresh start” in California to bloom where I have been planted has helped me be the woman, wife and mother that I have wanted to be my whole life. I’m not perfect by any means, but I’m growing daily and for that I am thankful.
5.  We didn’t start small groups through the church, but the amount of times we get together and fellowship with our families in Christ here have been so wonderful. We learned the true meaning of hospitality. One family has opened their doors every Saturday night for a bunch of families to gather at, and another family is known for their willingness to open their doors on the spot, despite it sometimes being a “messy” house (that no one cares about anyway!). I hope to be able to do those things one day. Getting together in their homes have given us so many wonderful memories I hold dear to my heart.
6. We did host some of our Florida friends in our home! Not very many, but that’s okay!
7. Blogging material. HA! NEED I SAY MORE!??!
8.  Moving…. um, do you remember our adventure out here?! I pray that it isn’t so “fun” on our return move! HAHA!
9.  The last three years HAVE been an adventure…. learning California laws, taking day trips around the state….it’s been a blast.
10.  Planes do make traveling easy, but after my flight home I am hoping to not be in the air for a while. I’m a little tired of planes.

God has been so so so good to us.

This upcoming Saturday, our dear friends are hosting a BBQ as a goodbye party for us. We are so incredibly blessed.  Words can’t even explain!




As hard as it is going to be leaving our friends and our life here in California, I trust that this is the right move for our family.  I hope to be a blessing to a future family the way our California friends have been such a blessing to us.

Hail!

Yesterday, I told Carl how much I missed the Florida rain.

Truth be told, I probably told him about 5 times.

And wouldn't you know it.  

Today, it rained.

It even did more than that.

It hailed.

It's like God said, "You miss the Florida rain?  Let me send you some rainy weather.  I know how you love it so."

It's rare for it to rain here in the Valley.  

Or so I'm told.

Now, I'm not so used to hail, so I filmed it.

I know, dork.

But here, watch anyway:

And for the record, the reason I kept telling Austin to come inside is because I don't want him to be sick on this 5 DAY WEEKEND he gets.  

Not because I'm a party-pooper. 

Notice, he's barefoot.

Silly boy.

A few things I've learned.

Hey guys!

I've been really busy this week applying for jobs, enjoying my new phone, and staying on top of housework.  Let me say, I don't think the dishes will ever learn how to clean themselves.  True bummer, let me tell ya.  

Belle has a new friend at the park who she just loves.  She likes waiting for her other friends to leave so she can have him all to herself.  His name is Gizmo.  I have no idea what kind of dog he is, but he's bigger than she is by about 15 pounds and he's got long brown hair.  Here's a video of them playing together, in case you want to see.  And Belle also has another new friend who she met just two days ago, named Happy Feet.  Happy Feet is also bigger than Belle, but Belle is quite fond of her too.  She's, get this, part chihuahua, part terrier, and part dalmatian.  Crazy, right?  Ahh... love the doggies.

During our lovely settling in period, we have encountered several laws, if you will, in California, that just make us say, "Huh?!"  We're quite surprised to learn what we've learned this week.  Let me fill you in.

1. You need a license to ride a bicycle.  It's good for the lifetime of the bike, and it's only  $4.  I don't know the purpose of this, but okay.
2. You need a permit to have a yard or garage sale.  You can have no more than two in one year.
3. If you toast your sub at subway, you get charged an extra tax.  If you choose to not toast it, you will still get charged the tax if you take the sub "to go" instead of dining in.  The only way to not get charged that daggome tax is if you eat IN the restaurant and you eat your sub cold.  Ridiculous, I tell you.  

There ya have it.  Now you're a little more educated for when you come visit us.  ;)

Seriously now, who's gonna be the first to stay in our shiny guest room?  

Friends

"Do you have friends where you're going?"
-"No," but I will.


That was a line from Eat Pray Love, an inspiring, really good, down to earth book.  When I read it, I couldn't help but reread that one line, and then read it once more.  When we were packing up to move to California, so many people asked me, "Do you know anyone out there?"  My answer was always the same.  "No."  In the back of my mind though, I just knew I'd have friends, and even a complete family once I got out here.  A church family, that is.


I expected to be as involved with our new church as I was with our old one.  Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances in the past two weeks (I was sick once and Belle was sick the next week..I was up all night making sure she could make it to the bathroom outside...), we haven't been to our new church yet.  However, I've started hanging out, on a regular basis, at the dog park.  It sounds silly but it's a good time to be had...if you're a dog person.  


I get my animal loving side from my dad, otherwise known as Dr. Doolittle.  You'd be surprised how often animals approach him and seem to communicate with him.  He's like Ceasar Millan's European cousin.... or something.  Which is why I can't wait till my dad comes to visit and I can bring him to the park with me.  We can sit on the hill with everyone and watch the dogs all have a good time.  We'll have a stash of treats in my bag, a blanket to lounge on, and some club soda while we sit in the sunshine watching the pups play and communicate with one another.


And the dogs aren't the only ones that get to socialize.  (Heck, sometimes Belle prefers to just sit in my lap and not socialize at all.  And that's okay.)  Their humans do, too.  Being without knowing many people in the town, going to the dog park has become almost a form of therapy for me.  I sit on the hill in the sunshine with a great group of people and we all chit-chat.  About life, about home, about our dogs.  It's like we have an automatic bond.  I've met some really great people at the park.  I was introduced to an exercise program through a park goer, invited to church by a park goer, invited to a youth fellowship held every Sunday for Austin, found a dog-sitter, a groomer, and even a babysitter.


As convenient as the networking is, I'm not there for that.  I'm there just for the friendships, and because it's so relaxing!  I get to watch my best friend frolic and play with the other pups while I visit with them, and as the afternoon creeps in, we watch the fog roll into the valley.  Time quickly slips through my fingers.  Four hours have gone by and I jump up and scramble to get home to get that roast in the oven.  Where on earth has the time gone??  Ah, time flies when you're having fun.  It's such a natural, easy going type of fun.  Some people like to go dancing and clubbing... me?  I like the dog park.

A Day In The Park

Yesterday we took Belle back to the park.  We were going to try socializing her again.  Thankfully, it went much better.  Here's a conversation I had with my mom.  She called me while I was at the park:

Mom: "Hey, whatcha doin?"

Me: "Just at the park with Belle, you?"

Mom: "You brought her back to that park?!?!?!"

Me: "Yeah, but she's okay now."

Mom: "Is..... that.....chihuahua..... there?"

Me: "Yes, but he's not messing with Belle anymore."

Mom: "He's not???"

Me: "Nope, you know how dogs have ranking order with each other when they're in a pack?  Well the queen of the park is here today and Porkchop knows that he falls below her in rank, and luckily the queen likes Belle a lot so when Porkchop sniffed Belle, the queen put him in her place and now Belle's not afraid of him."

Mom: (trying not to laugh) "And who's the queen of the park, Lindsey?"

Me: "Her name is Gloria."

Mom: long pause.  "Okay." (pause)  "Are you on drugs??"

When mom (jokingly) asked if I was on drugs, I realized how insane my story had sounded.  But, in all seriousness, the queen (Gloria) really did protect Belle!  Gloria was a mix of a australian shepherd and corgie, so she looked like a small sheep herder.  And she was a herding dog, which put her at top rank in the park.  With her one brown and one blue eye, she could direct any dog to go anywhere she wanted him or her to, and he or she would do it without question.  She could even herd the big dogs that were on the other side of the fence.  She was that good.  

So thankfully, Gloria liked Belle and Belle liked Gloria.  And since neither particularly cared for Porkchop, they both outranked him in their minds.  So, Porkchop would get to sniffing Belle and Belle would hit him with her nose and drive him away.  It was really interesting to watch.  It was like having the queen's support gave Belle the confidence to protect herself.  I didn't need to use my squirt bottle!

And then there was Tomo.  Tomo was a poodle mix.  A very very fluffy, 20 pound poodle mix.  In all honesty, he looked like a sheep.  Not a dog, a sheep.Much to his dismay, he looked even more like a sheep when Gloria herded him.  Tomo was a gentleman and he greeted Belle properly, despite being a rescue dog who had been abandoned.  He was a fat and happy little dude, and him and Belle became good friends.  

Belle did absolutely wonderful at the park.  I was (I AM) so happy that she gets along with everyone now.  She was a completely different dog than she was the very first time I brought her to the park.  The first day, she just wanted to be held.  Yesterday, she was brave and bold enough to walk all the way to the other side of the fenced in area by herself or with the other dogs.  She ran with them, she played with them.  It was great.

As we were leaving, we passed by a yorkie who was trying to get picked up by her owner.  Little Layla.  I met Layla's owner, Liz, and asked if it was Layla's first day at the park.  Liz replied, "Is it that obvious?"  I told her only two days ago, it was Belle's first day at the park and she was just like Layla.  She got a big smile on her face and said, "Wow, so there is hope for Layla!"  Yep, now Belle is one of the regulars.  No longer looking like a newbie.  She even fooled a newbie into thinking she'd been there all her life.  That's my girl!

Look how muddy she got at the park! She needed a bath soon as we got home.

Here she is waiting for her water to be drawn.

All clean!

Excuse me!

Hey y'all! 


Please excuse me being away for a bit.  As you probably guessed, we finally made it out of Fort Stockton! We are now getting settled in our new home.  I've been spending every moment of my day working on the house so it can be in more order when my husband gets home in the evenings.  


I will have to take some pictures for y'all once it's all set up.  So far, I'm really enjoying this little town.  It's very easy to get around, the weather is foggy (which I LOVE) and it rains a lot (something else I LOVE!). Green moss grows on the roofs, and while this may be a turn off to some folks, through the fog and the pretty green, I feel like this is a semi-mystical place.  I think it's really pretty, in fact.  


An update on everyone: 
Carl is enjoying his work.  Everything is going very smoothly for him.  Thankfully the job is right down the street from our house, only taking about 4 minutes to get there.
Austin is not yet enrolled in school.  Darn paperwork!  They need all sorts of info from his old school (who is apparently slowing us down.)  There's a small chance he'll be starting school tomorrow, or (hopefully) Friday at the latest.  The upside of him not being in school is he gets to help me unpack.  
As for me, I've been getting the house in order and learning my way around town.  I've been to a few grocery stores and I've been shocked to find how different the foods are here!  I don't have my brands that I love, and I don't even have the same types of foods.  Sure, the basics are the same, but this stuff is gonna get some getting used to.  So far, we've had a bad experience with american cheese slices.  The package is called, "Pasteurized processed imitation cheese food."  UGH!  We figured we'd give it a shot because it was less expensive,  but oh goodness.  We're switching to the brand name!  Don't they say California is known for cheese?  (I know it's also Wisconsin) but the commercials say "Good cheese comes from happy cows.  And happy cows come from California."  Then again, that was "cheese food"...not "cheese."


So, there you have it.  Not too much going on.  We're all settling in.  Belle is adjusting pretty well.  She's not used to having two stories in our house, so she really likes to lay in our bed during the day and stare out the second story window.  It's pretty cute.  


I'll try to keep updating as much as possible, but right now, my priority lies with getting this house in order!  I appreciate all of you keeping me in your prayers.  Some of you have emailed me encouraging thoughts, and some have even snail-mailed them my way.  How sweet you all are!  It makes my day seeing cards in the mail simply saying that you care.  


Anyway, my husband is home with me now, so it is time for me to log off and spend some quality time with him.  We fall asleep very early here because we're trying to stay on East coast time.  (It makes you feel like a super human when you wake up at 6am fully refreshed (because it's 9am eastern!)  


It's 11:30 Eastern now, so it's almost our bed time.  Goodnight yall, and thanks again for all your encouraging thoughts!

Community

In 2010, in July to be precise, I started my blog.  I originally started posting and pretending that nobody is reading it.  It gave me a sense of freedom to express myself, and if nobody was reading it, I could say what I wanted.  Then came the followers.  Oh wow, now I have an audience.  No pressure.  Still, nobody that I know in "real life" was a follower, so I was still free to say whatever I chose.

One day, I posted my blog to facebook, and all of my friends and family were free to look.  I felt as though I had just opened up my front door, opened all the windows in my home, and said, "Come on in y'all!"  People came rushing in, much to my surprise.  I never thought I would feel that people were visiting me when they were simply reading what I wrote!

Alas, I welcomed them in my home blog and made them some sweet tea kept writing.  It amazed me how many people were checking up on me on a daily basis, and I felt so loved!  The only problem?  They were still all strangers to me.  I didn't know who these people were, unless they clicked the "follow" button or ran into me in public and mentioned my writing.  As much as I appreciated them "following" me, I was surprised at who some of the people were!  And that's when I did it.  I took the "Followers" off of my blog.  No, I didn't kick them to the curb.  I simply chose to not look who the people were.  I like the feeling that I'm entertaining my best friends and complete strangers all at the same time.  I'll admit, every now and then, curiosity does get the best of me and I go behind the scenes to take a looksie at who my followers are.  And I appreciate that they have chosen to reveal themselves!  (If for nothing else, I'm not caught off guard when they bring up my blog in real life!)

I've felt that I've created a sense of community here, and that people are constantly popping in to visit me.  And, you're always welcomed here.  I want you to feel as though you can come in, kick off your shoes, and sit on my patio with your feet dangling in my pool.  Or, at this time of year, you may want to sit by my fireplace.  Either way, I'll either make you sweet tea, or hot cocoa, and we'll have a good time catching up.

In 2011, I hope to continue growing this community.  What I would really like for Christmas (cough cough) is.......I would like to know more about who you all are! I see my page counter increase daily, but I don't know who my lovely readers are!  Don't get me wrong, it can be fun entertaining strangers in your home, but I just love it when strangers become good friends.  If you'd like to reveal yourself, please click "follow" on the side of the page.  It's really easy to set up an account and you never have to log in to it.  But, if you choose to remain anonymous, I'm okay with that too (I suppose).  You seem to be a shy bunch, though... I can tell that about you!  Hehe :)

Also, since we'll be moving across the country in a matter of days, I hope to really create a community in California.  It's a little bit nerve racking to move across the country and not know anyone, but you know what?  I already have a whole family over there.  No, I haven't met them, and as far as I know our blood is not from the same family tree... but I know that the church members that I will be meeting the very first Sunday I visit will be warm and welcoming brothers and sisters to me, and my family.  Because that's what we all are: family.  It is our duty and privilege to welcome one another with open arms and make sure we are loved.

So, please.  Come along with me on this journey.  Stay with me as I change homes.  Keep me company and in your prayers throughout this crazy ride!

Wonder

Recently, I have begun cultivating wonder in my life.  I've been welcoming it, embracing it, and becoming good friend with it.  You see, up until two months ago, I honestly thought I would live in Gainesville for years and years to come.  When Carl was offered a job in California, I was really hesitant to go along with it, and I downright refused.  I dug my heels in and said "Nope, we're staying here.  We have plans here."
But then, I realized that my life was not only my life, it was my husband's life.  This was something that he wanted really badly, and to see him happy I would do nearly anything.  So, I let go and said "Okay, looks like we're moving to California."  There are days that I still don't think I've actually realized where I'm going, but the whole process of finding a new place to live, planning our journey across the country and looking into a new life out there has caused my brain to go every which way.
People frequently ask me what type of job I will get.  I have no clue.  I'd like to work in the school system, and I'd like to work with hard of hearing children, but I don't know if that's where I'll end up.  I'm a planner, so for me to have the ability to let go of all certainties is a big change for me.  However, there are a few certainties that I will never let go of, and these are what help me stay grounded while also cultivating wonder:
My husband and I will be married till death due us part.  It's our choice, and we're sticking to it.  That's why we made a commitment.
I have the unconditional love of my family, and some of my friends.  I know they're there for me no matter what.
What more could a girl ask for?  I'm about to go set foot on the other side of the country and start a new life, but at the end of the day I know I can always come home to my husband and our family.  Although I am nervous about leaving my hometown, I know that no matter where I go, we will be okay.  I'm going to have fun trying to find a job, setting up a new home, and meeting new friends.  And all these things make me wonder in a way I never knew was possible.

So many questions!

I've received a few emails from you folks asking just where, why, and when are we moving.  I didn't realize it at the time but I guess I did kinda leave you folks hanging.  Sorry about that!  I'll try to answer as many questions as I can in this post.


Where are we moving?  We're moving to Turlock, CA.  Never heard of it?  Yeah, me neither.  Not till recently, I mean.  It's a small town south of Modesto.  And no, I hadn't heard of that until recently, either.  I'll say it the best I know how without directing you to google maps: we're moving two hours east of San Francisco, and slightly south.  (As a side note, I accidentally said two hours west of San Fran to a friend when I was describing where we were living..... she thought there was some island we were moving to.  I meant east.  I'm not always the best with directions, sorry!)


Now, I've never been to Turlock, so I can't accurately describe the town.  However, Carl went there for a visit, and from what I've gathered from how he has described it.....

• Turlock is an agricultural town
• It has a population of about 70,000 people
• It's located in a valley, with mountains on either side
• We can't see the mountains from Turlock
• It doesn't snow

Here's what I've gathered from other people..... (I don't know how accurate this is...)

• It smells..... I'm not quite sure what it smells like, people just keep saying "agriculture."  Not sure if that means manure?
• It's hazy from smog rolling over from the big cities around it
• The smog stays there because it's in a valley
• The people are extremely friendly

Why are we moving to Turlock?  Carl got a job working at MedicAlert.  'nough said.


When are we moving?  We need to be there by January 3rd.  That's the day Carl starts work.  So, the absolute latest day to arrive would be January 2nd.  It's about a 3-4 day drive (we'll most likely have a truck, definitely an 11 year old boy, and a small white puppy..... two of which won't be able to hold their bladder for too much of an extended time: I'll give you a hint, it's not the truck with the bladder issue).  So... that means we plan on leaving either Dec. 26th or 27th.  Which means Christmas is going to be bittersweet.  I'm thinking it might be more bitter than sweet.


So, that's it for now, folks.  Big plans, big plans I tell ya.


Just to show you how concerned some of us are about moving (ha ha)...while talking about moving with my family, here is an honest to goodness question that Austin asked us.  "Can we stop at a 7-11?"  (We can say thanks to Robbie for that one.... he introduced Austin to slurpies!)  Sometimes I long for the kind of days where my biggest concern about moving across the country was whether or not we could stop at a 7-11.  It's all good.  :)

THE news:

Before I announce the big news, you need to understand something.  Otherwise, you might not understand why this is such "big" news.

To make a long story short, I grew up in a small town.  I was born and raised in a beautiful old blue house.  In June of 09, my husband and I joined as one, so it was time for me to move out.

I won't lie, there were some tears over leaving home.  But, let's face it, I was 12 minutes from home.  Yes, just 12 minutes.  Easy breezy.  Super convenient.  I still go home to my parents a couple of times each week.  Why, you ask?  I enjoy their company.  I enjoy going home.  My parents and I have a close relationship and we all get along wonderfully.  So, I get to go home to visit as often as I want.  And- they babysit for us.  When we go out of town, or are gone for long days, Baby Belle gets to be spoiled at Grandma and Grandpa's house! 

Plus, here's my parents front porch.  Why wouldn't I want to visit here?  Isn't it charming?

It's like a little escape from a semi-crazy life.  And their side yard:

Which is why my news is considered big in my book.
You've guessed it- we're moving.

Where you ask?

Umm... that's across the country, y'all.

Away from my parents, away from my husband's parents, away from Austin's grandparents, away from all of our friends, away from our church, away from everything we know, away from.... okay, you get the picture.

Which means, there are going to be a few lot more tears.

But.  There is good news. 

1. I know God has a plan for me and my family.  This is part of His plan, and I choose to trust Him.  It's good to know that God has a plan for little old me, but I feel strongly that part of Him moving us across the country is to teach me to trust Him more.  
2. My husband and I are learning to cling together more than we ever have before.  And I didn't think that was possible, because we already have more respect and love for each other than I could ever dream.  Moving so far away from our known little world in Florida will undoubtedly enable and even force us to cling together even more.
3. Financially, we'll be a lot safer than we are now.  
4. I've always (as long as I can remember) wanted to be a Proverbs 31 (see verses 10 through 31 if you are unfamiliar) woman, and I feel that having a "fresh start" so to speak will allow me to create who I want me to be.  (Not that I couldn't do it here in our Florida home, but it's almost like a New Year's Resolution type thing... fresh starts can be helpful.)
5. Our small groups from church have helped me become friends with some amazing women.  Women that lift each other, that glorify God, and love one another with a genuine love.  We've grown so close through small groups, I'd feel blessed if Carl and I could put the idea of small groups in our future church's mind.  It's such an opportunity for growth.  
6. If any of our friends would like to go to California, we will  host you in our home.  Any of you.  Seriously.  Hello, free place to stay!
7. Blogging material!  Need I say more?  Maybe I'll even go to the BlogHer '11 Conference! 
8. Moving!  It's gotta be kinda fun, right?  I've never actually done that.  (How crazy is that?  When I "moved" from my parents home to my husband's home, it was more like "Come home from my honeymoon and my new home is full of my things"....that I didn't pack.  Yep, family moved me in to my new home.  It was such a blessing to come home from our honeymoon with no moving to do!)
9. We're going on an adventure.  That's always fun, no?  Carl and I always have so much fun when we're sightseeing together, exploring a whole new town is bound to be a blast!
10. Planes make traveling easy.  We don't have to take 5 days to make the cross country drive, we can hop on a jet a fly home for holidays.  (This gives Christmas music a whole new meaning... think: "I'll be home for Christmas.")

So, that's it.  That's our big news.  Exciting, isn't it?

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Moving tips?  Suggestions?  Wanna book a stay in our new home (haha)? Wanna get together before we leave this town? state? time-zone? coast?  

Coming soon!

Hi friends!

So, I'll be delivering some big news to you tomorrow.  

And no, we're not pregnant. 

Till then, here's Belle enjoying the cooler weather with a stylish pink sweater.  

Have a relaxing evening!

He's baaaaack.....

Carl arrived home safely from his trip to California... and as you can see, I wasn't the only one glad to have him back home.

Yep, we love him.