Settling In

Right now, everyone in my house (apartment) is napping.  And for those of you who know me well, you know that I am not a napper.  So I thought I would try and catch everyone up on what all has been going on here in Denver!

It is hard to believe that we started our journey here one week ago today.  It has been a whirlwind to say the least.  It has had its emotional ups and downs - but all in all, it has been better than we could have hoped.  And can I just say that the weather here is AMAZING!!  I walked outside this morning at about 7:45 and it was really chilly ... in August!!!  I still can't get over how beautiful it is here.

Monday was "Move-in Day."  We had everything unloaded by about 10:30 and the unpacking frenzy began!  I had had a pretty rough night of sleep the night before, to be honest I think a lot of it was anxiety, but God provided the adrenaline that I needed to get through the day.  Thankfully my Mom was here to help out with the kids so we were able to get a LOT done.  When Bryan and I both get into task mode, we are knock stuff out quick.  We had 80% of the unpacking done by the following morning - woo hoo!  The apartments are great - I will post pictures soon.

Then Tuesday came - probably the most emotional day for me.  I drove my Mom to the airport that morning and we both were teary most of the way.  I hugged her goodbye, drove off, and started sobbing.  It was a 40 minute drive home and I just asked God to hear the cries of my heart because I didn't quite have words to give at that point.  Yes it was hard to say bye to Mom, but I really think that that is when reality started setting in.  We live in Denver, Colorado.  Nothing is familiar.  Bryan is going back to school.  We live in a two bedroom apartment where my son is sleeping in a storage room (which he loves by the way).  We are raising support.  Bryan is going to have to work and be a full time student.  Our lives are changing ... and although I am ok with that ... it is still hard.

Ok - on to a lighter subject!!  Have I mentioned that we live in the on-campus apartments and ours is on the bottom floor and looks onto the playground?  Yes - we have played there every day and it has provided such a great avenue to meet people in the exact same stage of life!  Jordan and Drew are having a ball and meeting new friends (maybe I should just say Jordan is because Drew just runs around and rides a little scooter everywhere).  It has been a huge blessing and so much fun.  We are excited to see what the Lord has in store there.

My only complaint is our neighbors - they are so annoying and won't leave us alone .... haha!!! JUST KIDDING!!  Having Katherine and Sean right next door has been one of the sweetest blessings of this whole thing.  It is so easy to walk next door and just say hey.  Jordan is loving it probably more than anyone.  She loves little baby Tate and always wants to know what he is up to.  And Aunt Kat is pretty cool too!  Drew is warming up to them like family which is fun to watch.  Not that he was hesitant, but he is starting to realize how close we all are and he is joining in on that.  What a joy!

Ok - I realize this is a long post so I'll wrap it up with a few prayer requests:

1.  Please pray for a job for Bryan.  He picked up a number of applications yesterday for some restaurants within about 2 miles of us so he is working on those.  Please pray that God would lead and that he would get a job quickly so that he can get training over with before school starts.

2.  Please pray that God would provide for us financially.  Depending on how much support we are able to raise will determine how much Bryan has to work.  And being a full time student, it is going to be a challenge.  So the more support we can raise the more time Bryan will have for school and family.

3.  Please pray for me.  I am mentally and emotionally exhausted.  The last two weeks have just been a roller coaster of emotions with saying goodbye to people we love, moving, and now trying to get settled and connect with new people here.  I am trying to find the balance of letting myself be sad about leaving and still excited about being here.  I feel both very strongly so it is a bit overwhelming and a lot to process.

One more thing.  We have seen a number of rainbows since we moved here and they have been stunning and of course they remind me of Noah and the flood.  What an incredible story for me to cling to right now - a true story of obedience.  And every time I have seen a rainbow this past week, God gently reminds me that He is faithful.  And that His promises are true.  He is my Rock and my Fortress - and in HIM I will put my hope.

Here are a few pics:

Just driving home.  Can you believe that scenery!?

Loving being outside!

Cheez-Its, Apple Juice and Mountains!!

We made it to Denver!!  I still cannot believe that we are here!  And can I just tell you that the weather here is amazing!  Hot but not humid.  And the mountains are stunning!  Bryan and my Mom pulled out from Tulsa at about 7:30am and should be here in a few more hours - they are of course driving through that "wonderful" part of Kansas.  But they sound like they are having fun.

The kids did awesome on the plane!  I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers!  We actually got to have 3 seats which was a huge blessing!  Between Cheez-Its, apple juice and the Backyardagains - we were good to go.  Going through security was a bit of a task with Drew running away from me every 30 seconds - but we got it under control.  I basically just let them play as much as possibly before we got on the plane so that they enjoyed the down time once we were seated.  Honestly - the biggest hurdle was changing Drew's diaper in that crazy airplane bathroom!!  Talk about NO room.  I mean come on people - if you are going to put a changing table in a bathroom, make it wide enough to actually change a diaper!!  It was pretty hysterical.  And the moment we landed - Drew feel asleep on me and was knocked out!

My sister picked me up at the airport and we are just chillin' at their apartment - which is right next door to ours!  We move in tomorrow morning at 9am!  I'll post more about that in the days to come.  It feels so surreal being here ... but it is time.  We are ready for the adventure to begin!
7:30 this morning.  Ready for the day!


Heading out!  See you in Denver!


Get that energy OUT!


Troopers!  Jordan was holding ear phones to her ears.  I was SO thankful that it wasn't a full flight.


We made it!!

Moving Day Eve ... Saying Goodbye is for the Birds

So ... the truck is packed.  My Mom's garage is almost back to normal, although the rest of her house may need awhile to recoop.  I am sitting at the dining room table staring at a computer screen with so many thoughts and emotions that I want to write down and explain ... but my mind is mush and I am emotionally exhausted.  So forgive me for the lack of creativity or bluntness.  This is all I got.

It really has been an amazing and hard week on so many levels.  We have had such sweet time with dear friends which has been so good for my soul!  We have been blessed with great friendships here and we will miss you all terribly.  We take great comfort knowing that we will be back around the holidays and summers.  But goodbyes are just hard ... and I am just really sad.

Today alone has been an emotional roller coaster!  I had my last Body & Soul class which was hard - it has been a huge blessing in my life.  Afterwards, all of the ladies gathered around and prayed for me which was amazing.  I couldn't hold back tears to hear them praying the cries of my heart.  From safety for travels, to raising support, to finding new friends.  So many of my fears were lifted up before the Father and I couldn't help but weep.  I am so thankful that I serve a God who is walking this road with me and is holding me up.  Thank you Jesus that you care about every detail of my life - and that YOU are in control of it!

Bryan spent 5 hours packing the truck today!!  He is sore and exhausted - but he did such a great job.  Then we went to a fun birthday party for one of Jordan's friends and got to spend more time with friends that we love.  So it has been a full day ... but a tiring one.  And we begin THE BIG MOVE tomorrow so I need to get to bed.  But just so you all know our schedule for the move (we have had this question a LOT):

Saturday, Aug 7 - Driving to Tulsa to spend the night with my aunt

Sunday, Aug 8 - Bryan and my Mom drive from Tulsa to Denver in the Penske towing our car.  I fly with both kids to Denver (please pray for me!?)

Monday, Aug 9 - Move in to the apartment!!!

Our last night in Little Rock.  So hard to believe.  G'night.

My Mom's garage for the past 3 weeks!  Just thought this was funny!

My messy boy at the birthday party today.  He was in heaven!

My Girls

My heart is sad tonight.  I had to say goodbye to some of the people that I am going to miss most of all .. my sweet small group girls - aka. "My Girls."  I started with them when they were giggly 7th graders and they stole my heart.  It has been an amazing 4 years and I am so sad that I am not going to be able to stick with them these last two years.  When we first talked about moving, one of the things that I really had to surrender to the Lord was this group.  Not because they need me or that I am worried about them ... but because I just love each one of them so much and will miss them terribly.  I am so amazingly thankful for email, facebook, skype, cell phones and texting because I know that I will be able to keep in touch with them - but I am still sad.  Megan, Julia, Tori, Caylie, Chloe, Elizabeth, Kaitlin, Anna, Bliss, Taylor Ann, Katie and Grace ... I love each one of you dearly and am so thankful that God put us all together.  You are all so precious to me and I am so excited to see what all God has in store for you!

This was taken in 2006 at our first Christmas party!  They have grown up so much!  I love you girls!

Lots of Changes!

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind! We went to Kansas City for a few days to visit Bryan's family which is always so much fun. But this time we left the kids with PaPa & Grammy while Bryan and I flew to Denver to spend a few days learning our way around and visiting Denver Seminary (thanks again PaPa & Grammy).

Let me just say ... if you have never been to Colorado in the summer, then you haven't seen it at it's best!! We went without much of an agenda which was nice. We ate good food, went on a hike, did some shopping, drove around a lot, went to a movie and got some much needed R&R. I actually took a nap 2 of the days we were there - and I don't take naps. It had been a long and exhausting few weeks, so it was great to get away. But the highlight of the trip was our time at the seminary.

Look at my man on campus!! We still can't believe that he is about to be a student again! We got to go on a tour of the campus - which didn't take long. We met a number of the people on staff and Bry got to register for his fall classes. We got to see where we will be living which is just bizarre! For those of you that don't know, we will be in a two bedroom apartment on campus. Bryan will have about a 30 second walk from our front door to the main building where he will be having most of his classes - which means we will probably get to see him more - such a blessing. And another INCREDIBLE blessing is that Katherine and Sean are literally right next door to us! Our Father is so creative! It was a great trip - but we missed our kiddos and were ready to see them!

We got back to KC and had more time with family, including the Gaffs which was awesome! They are some of Bryan's cousins who live in Denver - we will be living about 10 minutes from their house! It was fun to get to talk to them about our trip. We are so excited to get to spend more time with them over the next 2 years! (See you soon Rob, Amy, Caity, Dale and Andrew)

We all went to Worlds of Fun on Friday and rode tons of rides! Jordan rode her first roller coaster and LOVED it - I was so proud! (Believe it or not - I am more into theme park rides than Bryan) The kids went home with Grammy after lunch and all us "big" kids went back to the park and rode all the grown up rides - we all had a blast!
















So after a week of traveling, we finally got home to our clean home (spotlessly clean since we had to make sure it was ready to show). It was a little weird to be home at first to be honest. After being where we are going to be for the 2 years, and then coming back to where we are currently - it feels like we aren't settled anywhere. It may just be like that for the next 2 months and that is ok.

And in other news - WE SIGNED A CONTRACT ON OUR HOUSE YESTERDAY!! What a huge relief. The market has obviously slowed down since the tax credit ended - so we are just thankful that God brought a buyer. Now we are just praying for everything to go smoothly.

Ok - long post! Sorry! Swim lessons post coming soon - our girl is a rockin' it!

Denver Bound!

If someone would have told me a month ago that we would be going to SEMINARY in DENVER, COLORADO this fall - I would have laughed hysterically and said they were crazy! It is amazing how God works. We have been through just about every emotion over the past month - and I am sure it has only just begun - but I can honestly say that we are truly excited about where the Lord is leading.

For those of you that may not know the whole story - here is the VERY shortened version. Bryan has been with FSM for 5 years - but over the past 9 months or so, he has felt God calling us to something new ... we just didn't know what that was. Through a number of meetings with godly men that have helped him process what his giftings are and what his passion is ... seminary kept coming up. Bryan actually asked me one night, "Will you at least pray about the possibility of seminary?" - I said I would - but my prayer was something along the lines of, "God - Bryan asked me to pray about seminary - so ... I really don't want to go. There I prayed about it."

Boy God must have a weird sense of humor!

A few days later, the two of us were in a meeting with Tim Lundy and Brandon Barnard - two men that love us and that we have a lot of respect for. Tim started asking Bryan some great leading questions about what he wants to do. At the end of it he ask, "Bryan, when you look around you, what job do you see that you would want." And Bryan said, "A Community Group Pastor or a Campus Pastor ... something along those lines." And both Tim and Brandon said, "YES - you would be amazing in that role!!" And as we talked about that it became very clear to me that seminary would be the next necessary step for Bryan to get to where he truly wants to be ... and to do what he is so designed for!

So after that meeting, Bryan and I went to grab lunch and I said, "Bryan - is this what you want to do with your life?" He said yes. And I said, "Ok - so where are we going to seminary?"

We considered DTS, but Denver was the only place we ever got truly excited about. Not only is it a great school that is in Colorado (as if that wasn't enough) - but my sister's husband Sean will be starting classes there in the fall as well! So we will all be there at the same time ... isn't God creative!? You should see the way Bryan's face lights up when he talks about being around mountains for the next 2 years - he is like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve!!

Now we just have to sell our house, raise support and get moved ... just a small 'to do' list!! It is easy to start feeling overwhelmed ... but it gives me great hope seeing the way God has led us to this point - He has led us this far, so I know He will get us there!

Crazy Weather Weekend

I am thankful to report that not only did we make it through all the crazy storms from the weekend - but we had a lot of fun at the same time! We were hanging out with the Hedlunds when the sirens starting going off - so we decided that we would just hang out in the hallway. The sirens went off about every 5 to 10 minutes for like an hour - but the storm stayed further east. It was crazy though!

Rik was following the storm on his iphone, and Jordan liked to feel like she was helping.

Jordan and Piper just enjoyed the adventure!!

Drew loved staying up after bedtime!! He felt pretty bigtime!

Jordan wanted to be in all the pictures - she has become a big fan of the camera!

All in all - we stayed safe and had fun with friends.