A Look Back At 2015

What. A. Year. I struggled. I overcame. I grew so much. As a woman. In my faith. As wife and mom. 2015 has been amazing. And the ending is so very beautiful. But it all started in January…

Actually, this journey that brought me here to this point, started back in September 2014. I shared in an email to my SOULSisters about how I longed to move, but really didn’t think it would happen for a long while. Less than one month later, my husband announced his desire to try for a job across the state. We’d be near our grown daughters, their husbands and our new grandbabies.

October 2014 was a roller coaster ride for my husband as he applied for the job, and went back and forth on whether he thought he’d get it or not. Meanwhile, I was the steady calm one who left it all in God’s hands. This part was his growing journey. I was the constant for him. I assure you, this is not the norm. He got the job. And a frenzy of packing took us by storm…

November I quit blogging…burnt out. Directionless. I let it go. And we packed up most of our house. Celebrated Thanksgiving. We were so thankful for the new job and moving out towards Salem, OR.

December included packing, preparing for Christmas, Bob wrapping up one job while learning the ropes of a second one four hours away, and getting the house ready to sell. Our grandbabies had their first Christmas. So fun! The month passed in a blur…

January 2016 – my husband started work officially on the 12th. This was the beginning of eight months where we had husband and dad home on weekends. The house went on the market by sell for owner. And the waiting began…

February – we gave the house over to a realtor…and we waited.

March, April, May, June…we waited. We had nibbles, but no bites. We house hunted ourselves and fought discouragement over some real lemons. We made the most of the little time we had together as a whole family. We used FaceTime all through the weeks. It was long. It was hard. And I missed my husband so much. Some months the seizures were exhausting. Some months were mild.

But then, it was TIME TO WRITE (AND LIVE) ONCE AGAIN. And my youngest daughter created a new holiday: (UN)NATIONAL NO REASON DAY where she blessed me with a handmade card and called me a rock star. You’ll see a lot more about this holiday in 2016. I ended June remembering to DREAM A LITTLE DREAM of dreams come true.

July and August birthed renewal. A deepening of faith. A beautiful horizon after what felt like endless waiting. HOPE stirred, and I felt peace WHEN GOD SAID WAIT. I learned that when you SEEK, YOU WILL FIND and that THREE ROUNDS WITH THE DEVIL is nothing with God on your side.

And someone made an offer on our home. August was the month of doing all the things you must do in the final process of selling your home. And more of us were separated. Two kids and the dog headed with dad to stay. A family divided. It was so hard.

We closed in September! And once again we were all together. In a travel trailer. But we were together! Six people, two cats and our dog. In a travel trailer. Yes, it pretty much felt like “woohoo” and “oh my goodness what are we doing” at the same time. We headed out once again to search for our new home. And we found it right away. God’s timing ya’ll. It really can’t be beat. I stepped out of the car at this place and peace wrapped around me. I walked into this charming house and fell in love. There were cuckoo clocks like I grew up with…and other things that either reminded me of my childhood or made me feel at home.

And then I turned a corner and saw it. The big blue beckoning to me. Hello, TARDIS! A TARDIS in the kitchen. And David Tennant, my fave doctor, in a closet. Okay, a life size cutout. But still. You can read a little about this adventure and my reaction in my WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU?. Let’s just say I screamed. Total geek mode.

Not only did God bless us with a house that has some things I specifically prayed for, but He went even more above with blessings I wouldn’t have even known to ask for. Isn’t that like Him? I am so loved by Him. It boggles my mind. He loves you, too.

October? It passed quick-like. We spent time in a new homeschool co-op. I got to know the owner of our new house. I determined to not be shy, and I got to know some great people.

November. Wow. What a month. It was hard. I really struggled with some intense seizure activity and wrestled with the impact it had on my brain. I also injured my foot requiring lots of time off of it and use of crutches. Vaulting over an inflatable wall in an inflatable play house is not a good plan for this mama. It was quite the painful and long recovery process.

I adopted RACHEL PLATTEN’S FIGHT SONG as my own. I had to remind myself often that I am a fighter. And I have a strong family, great friends, and God on my side. I did manage to write my BIRTHDAY BUCKET LIST and I wrote about RED CUPS. Or more accurately about how we shouldn’t be surprised about a world acting worldly. And how God is big enough to defend himself.

Thanksgiving dawned with three kids puking. Frozen water hoses. And a very sick cat. We thawed the hose, navigated a nasty tummy bug, and lost our sweet cat to a sudden diabetic crisis. We were not prepared to lose her. I miss her. Especially at night when my insomnia has me awake while everyone else sleeps peacefully. She was a beautiful, lovable, ornery and wonderful fur baby.

Good night, forever, Lady Muse. I will remember you always.

And December…oh December. We were told no appraiser could inspect our home until mid-January. But it happened almost immediately. Then we were told it would be a long wait for the home inspection. But that happened quick, and went well. Then we were told not to expect to close on time. The paperwork is behind. But we did. We closed on our closing date. December 16th. God is so good!

We headed to Pendleton December 18th (Friday night late) to load all our belongings into two huge UHAULs and a pull behind trailer. Only…a little over halfway there, we realized the keys to the storage unit were back in the Subruban. We had switched vehicles last minute and forgot them! Bob and Chrystiana headed back for them, and I jumped in the other car and went on to the hotel. They arrived at the hotel at about 4:30 in the morning. I couldn’t go back to sleep. I ended up with four hours of sleep, Bob with two and Chrystiana with none. The rest got a little more.

We had some wonderful friends show up to help us load everything, and then we said our final goodbyes to Pendleton. Sunday morning, we had another huge (over 30 people) party help us unload at the new house. Some even brought food. I’m still amazed by all those who helped on both sides of the trip.

We officially took possession of our home December 19th. We have unpacked a lot and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas here in our new home. We love it here! We still have so much left to do and unpack, and I fight a little overwhelm, but I continually thank God for this place. It’s beautiful. It’s charming. It’s peaceful. It’s a precious gift.

I love watching my children scamper all through our land. We have about 3.5 acres with lots of trees and plants and brush and grass and outside! And the house is spacious…especially after the travel trailer.

So goodbye, 2015. It’s been quite a year. Concerts. Beaches. Mountain hikes. Purple hair. Photography. Art. Creativity. Good books. Laughter. Tears. Joy. Sorrow. Sunshine. Rain. Floods. Rainbows. Beauty. Play. Gifts given. Gifts received.

Yeah. It’s been some year.

Hello, 2016…