Venti Caramel Macchiato Please?

Less than 24 hours till moving day....what a mess this place is! Trying to find something you need is a nightmare! I've had to work all week, so finding time and energy for packing has been difficult. Tonight is my official "get it all done" night, and my cousin and dear friend, Maggie, has been kind enough to spend her Friday night helping me. I'm so thankful for the wonderful people God's put in my life.

I will be very thankful when all of this is over. Well, I'd better get back to work. Thanks for all the prayers!

Much love,

d

Fond Memories & New Beginnings

As I pack up my life again, I'm combing through so many things that bring back such sweet memories of growing up. It's amazing how much stuff one accumulates over a life time. I've always felt my storage space was small, but now that I'm tearing it apart, I'm realizing how much I've had stowed away all along. I've come across some pretty funny things - things and photos that remind me of my childhood, my awkward tween years and my high school days. Good laughs have been had, I assure you.

While it's sad to leave my beautiful room (which I put so much time into decorating) and bathroom (maybe I'll have some pics to post soon), it's exciting to know that fresh things are ahead. Sure it's my parent's house and I knew I wouldn't be here forever (at least I had hoped I wouldn't), but something about coming back to visit a place that holds so many memories is just nostalgic. I know I'll be moving on to new things within the next few months - but the thought of coming back to visit my family in an unfamiliar home is less than exciting.

On the upside, I've cleaned out so much junk and rid myself of things I had no idea I had held onto. It's somewhat freeing. I'm looking forward to a fresh start for myself and my family - since we'll be free of a house and it's maintenance, we've decided to take this time and do some traveling together as a family one last time before my sister and I officially "grow up." I'm so excited about this! I've been dreaming of traveling since I was a kid, and here's my chance to finally do it! I know big changes are around the corner for myself, so this last bit of quality time with my family will be cherished. We aren't too sure exactly what our destinations will be, but at the moment Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand are on the table. Believe it or not, I don't have a passport - so that's on the top of my to do list as soon as we settle in the rental house next week. I've been to Canada and Mexico and at the time, neither required a passport to enter, so now I'm on a mission. How's that for a little update? (I'm getting better at this :)

Much love!

d

Sleepless Night #2 - I'm on a roll.

So I'm moving again. This time it's only a few miles distance...actually my whole family is moving. We put our house up for sale a few months ago and after much prayer, house cleaning, and showing - we've found a buyer. Passed the home inspection and completed the appraisal - at this point, all that's left is the boxing up and moving out. This frenzy begins tomorrow. Due to the quickness of the sale, we've decided to make an extended vacay out of the transition and rent a fun house on the beach for 6 months or so. The only down side to this is we have to store just about EVERYTHING. Because the house is a beach rental, it's completely furnished - therefore we won't have room for the many pieces of furniture we've acquired through the years. As much as I just adore packing (smell the sarcasm?), sadly my end of the prep will have to be done throughout the late afternoons and/or evenings after work.

It's a bitter-sweet season for all of us. As we're all very excited for the things God has ahead, we're so sad to leave behind this beautiful home we've been so blessed to live in over the past 5 or 6 years. We've made so many good memories here, it always stings to shut the door on those.

Aside from that major endeavor - I've been nannying throughout the summer. The boys go back to school in August and I'll be out of a job once again. But not to fear, I have some things in the works that will keep me quite busy (I'll get to that in a moment). My best friend and dearest sister is also leaving me next month. :( As excited for her as I am, I'm terribly sad we'll be so far away from each other once again. She's moving to Lynchberg, VA to study communications at Liberty University. That too has had God's fingerprints all over it, so I know I can't be selfish - I'll just have to share her with LU for a season. I assure you, she will be dearly missed.

So my plans once the kids return to school?? Traveling! I'm so excited! Traveling is what makes me itch! I'll be heading to VA with my sister for a week in late August and then will head to the beautiful coast of California for a while in September - it gets better - with my DAD! :) He's been promising me a trip to California since 8th grade and I'm so excited, we finally have the time to do it! I believe we'll be traveling from San Francisco to San Diego and everywhere in between. California has had my heart for a few years now - probably since my first mission trip to Mexico 7 years ago. Needless to say, I'm thrilled to be returning to my favorite state. Beaches, shopping, sight seeing, visiting some of my favorite churches and hopefully seeing old friends - oh and can't forget that sweet father/daughter time! When I was little my dad used to take me on sales trips all the time (he's a rep for a sunglass company and travels up and down the East coast frequently), it was special one on one time with my dad that I so eagerly looked forward to. We haven't taken a trip together in years, so I'm really looking forward to this one. After California, Brenton and I are going with my parents to Tampa for a U2 concert (yay!) and then hopefully, if things work as planned, we'll be taking a trip to Ohio to visit his homeland. I have yet to see the places he grew up and meet the faces he speaks of frequently, so I'm looking forward to meeting his past. The trip is still in the planning stages, but we're hoping to go to Ohio and Michigan and then to Chicago to visit his sister Katie. While traveling, I'm really hoping to be journaling, writing, and breathing fresh air as I pray for this next season of life. Lots of new and exciting things ahead. My aimlessness seems to temporarily have a pause in sight - that is truly a relief.

Sorry I'm so bad at updating - maybe these sleepless nights aren't so bad after all....they're productive. :)

Love and blessings,

d

I must continue...

Totally can't sleep tonight....so I thought I'd put this time to good use, possibly relieve my brain from the many thoughts circling round and round.

Life never stops - change is always creeping around the corner and my heart easily finds itself left behind as I try to keep up with the fast pace of adjustment. Often, time is wasted as I backtrack trying to find the pieces of myself that have been strung along tattered streets. Calloused from the travels, and lightly bruised from the unexpected stops along the way - I retreat to regain strength. Creativity tries to fan a spark but can't seem to find the air necessary to birth more than a weak flicker. Beauty hides somewhere deep within and has great difficulty revealing itself, yet I'm determined to find it. Dreams have been put aside for all things logical, drowning in a sea of "responsibility" like a bag of bricks tossed overboard before it had the chance to reach it's intended destination. Yet somehow, through all the lurking, running, fanning and sinking - my grip remains tighter than ever as my frail fingers clutch ever-so tightly to the one hand that's worth holding. His light will pierce my darkness, His peace will heal my wounds, His spirit will ignite my fire, His breath will fill my lungs and His death will sustain my fragile life - for after all, He is the reason I must continue.

My Thoughts on Worship....

Hello friends,

Just thought I'd share a link : www.wonderfullymadeblog.blogspot.com I recently wrote a blog about my thoughts on worship for them and it was published this morning. :) Check it out and let me know what you think! Hope you're doing well! Updates coming soon!

Lots of love,

d