vacation

We spent the last 2.5 days on the south side of Orlando at a resort with our friend Ray. Ray is amazing by the way. He's been incredibly giving and a true servant in the short time that I've really known him. I'm very sad to be leaving him, as well as many others, behind as we begin this new journey.

It was a great couple days though. Lots of hanging out at the pool with great people and yummy food. Said more goodbyes and took many pictures. I'm beginning to realize that I need to let the tears flow when they come. I haven't actually cried yet but Kelly mentioned that I maybe should allow that to begin b/c then Monday when we're leaving, I don't want it to all hit me at one time. I need to deal with it as it happens. Yuck. I'm not looking forward to the leaving part, though I can't wait for the things that are going to come. These people that we're saying good-bye to are truly like our family. They have been there for the good and the bad, the highs and lows, and they have given of themselves at times more than family has. They are in vicinity so it makes it easier but still. We have been soooo blessed by these people so leaving them is incredibly hard. I can only pray that God takes care of us again and provides friends who will encourage, who we can learn from, and who will become our new family. The one thing I'm excited about is the opportunity to travel and see these people we're leaving behind. I know that's going to be a while b/c of finances, but I'm believing that this is not the end and one day, there will be an amazing reunion:) So, here's to the tears that have not yet been shed. I'm not a crier but sometimes I wish I was. It might make it easier.

updated pictures

Our current bedroom. We sold the bed today so we'll be sleeping on an air mattress for a while. It's actually bigger than our bed was so I'm kinda excited about that. It's funny. The lamp will not be coming along with us so it's really just our clothes in this room.


This is our dining room. Ha! There are pieces of duct tape on the floor and one on the wall. These are our marks to show how much space we will have in the trailer. The table is going along, which I'm super excited about, so it's torn down and then the other things that are currently packed. We just need to pack the kitchen and bathroom basically yet.


The living room. The chair is coming along and the pillows but that's about it. We are hoping to sell the tv next weekend as well as the end tables. The boxes are all waiting to be packed.


And this is just a picture of Cooper. He likes to snuggle with the pillows on the floor, but not us:( He was just so cute posing like this; his paws are almost crossed:)

I was really emotional last night about some different things and then was completely reminded this morning about the fact of who I am, who I'm not, who God is, and how much my circumstances matter. It was good. And necessary.

2 weeks from Monday we start our trip. 3 days of work left for me at CIL and then I need to check in with Kohl's to see if I got scheduled at all. Things are definitely winding down and I'm hoping to use the time to really prepare myself for all that we're getting into. I know I'll need it. So that's life as of today. We'll see what happens tomorrow. One of our roommates is checking out a house for us. Pray that it goes well:)

Moving stuff

So Danny is off watching the first Final's game (Magic v. Lakers). It's a little late for me and I don't want to be cranky with the kids on our last day together. I was going to sit and watch a movie and here I've "wasted" all my time online. Standing at that.

It's been a funny afternoon. We had those whole pile of stuff that we wanted to get rid of. We were hoping to garage sale it one way or another. It's stuff that you can't really craigslist; small decorative stuff that you need to see at garage sales:) It's been sitting there a good couple weeks I would say. We got rid of the washer and dryer yesterday finally and so today, we both were in a random mood and decided to pack all our stuff into the laundry room. When we measured it though it was a little small (we were going for the size of our U-haul trailer). So instead, we tore down the table (I REALLY want to take it with us) and our "dining room" is now our "trailer" so that we can get an idea of space and what we can actually take. All that to say that we were tired of the other stuff just sitting around and finally just took it to Goodwill! Our apartment is so empty. No more chairs; just pillows. Random things to try and sell sitting around. The kitchen is about the only place that is still "normal."

We start our journey 2 weeks from Monday. That's the beginning. It's almost here. I have to say good-bye. These are the thoughts running through my head. Praise God for reasons to praise Him though. I was listening to a song tonight that reminded me again that it doesn't matter what my day or week has been like, there's ALWAYS a reason to praise Him. And so in the midst of my feeling like life is a bit... chaotic? I can still praise my Jesus and find peace and rest in Him. He is my rock and my fortress, the one who inhabits our praises. Even when the world is going crazy (my little world and the big world that we live in), He is the same. He is the only thing that I cling to. So even though today has been strange by letting go of more stuff and preparing ourselves more for this journey, He is God. His thoughts towards me are always good. Always. Reality settles in more on a daily basis, literally. And all I can do is rely on my Jesus. He is my peace and comfort when life is full of storms.