During this frugal season, a blog post to the hubby is about as exciting and romantic as this Valentine's Day is going to get. Therefore // spoiler alert // things about to get sentimental down in hurr.
Jordan,
It's that time of the year again. Your third year of medical school is more than halfway finished and your fourth and final year is on the horizon. You know what that means in this household ... it's officially time for me to start fretting about where we'll be callin' home six months down the road. It happened last year and Lord know it'll happen again next year, because whether I like it or not, each summer we are the family who packs up everything & moves from one tiny town to the next ...
Typically, you view our transient lifestyle as one grand adventure, filled with excitement and confidence in God's plan for our family. I, on the other hand, often view these moves, transitions and unknowns as one big fear-inducing pain in the buttski. I find myself saddened to uproot, after we just begin to feel invested into a community. You know better than anyone how this homegirl was born and raised in the same town and desires for her children to do the same. Yet that's not the path we've embarked upon, and oftentimes, I need you to help me embrace and appreciate the beauty of our story.
The one where every 12orso months, we get to explore a new place. Support local mom&pop shops, discover new restaurants, co-ops & coffee shops. Join new churches//small groups and be blessed by fresh relationships and perspectives. Walk new trails & spend Sunday afternoons driving new roads. Read new local newspapers while admiring new scenes from our backyard. The one where we get to learn about needs in new communities and commit to serving our new neighbors in creative ways. Where we pick new fruits in new orchards. The story where God teaches us to appreciate the beauty of the dry brown hills as much as the green valleys & placid blue lakes.
Although I am not always quick to appreciate the joys of our journey, you are, and for that I am so grateful. You greet each day and each town with a grateful spirit and an open heart. Assuring me that together, we will settle down & make each rental house, each new town and new adventure our home.
Coincidence that I am currently obsessed with Phillip Phillip's "Home"? I think not. In fact, I'm fairly certain you must have written this song & sold it to Phillip Phillips, because the lyrics, well they just ring so true. Drop the beat as you scroll down memory lane ...
"Settle down, it'll all be clear. Don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear. The trouble it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you're not alone, cause I'm going to make this place your home."
... From 1st&Yesler ...
... To our second DTR ...
... From our first "i love u" ...
... To our first casa ...
... Then our second home ...
You always take time to find beauty in the ordinary.
To wake up early after a non-existent night's sleep with Parkerman & soak up the sunrise.
You help me to open my eyes & appreciate the beauty in our backyard.
I will never get tired of hearing you exclaim,
"This is the most beautiful place I have ever lived."
... even though you say that each and every time we unpack our belongings and call a new neighborhood home.
Thanks for adventuring with such faith, joy, strength & optimism.
And for frequenting the Fred Meyer clearance deals to fill our walls with color and our rooms with chairs, with the goal of making each house feel like home.
I'm excited to see where this journey leads our family in the days, months & years to come. Cheers to the adventures ahead and the many neighborhoods that, together, we will call home.
Love you more than you know. xox
