Welcome To A Blog About Our Everyday Life: It's been awhile

Well Hi :) It's been awhile!

It seems like a lifetime ago, blogging. I've been telling myself for weeks that I was going to sit down and write a blog post- for no other reason than the fact that it used to be a normal part of my week- Now, it's not even a normal part of my year. I still write (type), only its medical assessments, documenting medications and health history (for my job) instead of delving into lessons learned or milestones in my personal life (and then blogging about them).

I don't think blogging will become a normal part of my routine, life just doesn't give me enough time these days. But I don't want to let it go completely, at least not yet. There is something therapeutic about organizing the emotions in my brain long enough to write them out. There is something personal yet universal when those (for a minute) organized emotions and life lessons show insight into God's story in my life. Really in our lives- because He is always working, hovering just above our physical while deeply intimate in our psychological- never visible with the full understanding that He is right here.

I'm giving myself 10 minutes for this post. I promised Ellie I would play a game of cards with her before she goes to bed- our card game starts at 9:00 and it's 8:50...

I keep typing and then deleting. Then sitting here with my hands on the keys, trying to find a starting point for a 10 minute blog post and the minutes are starting to tick by.

I think we would all agree it's been a hard year. My reasons for it being hard may be different than your reasons but we would still agree, it's been hard. There's been some beautiful moments this year and there has been some unexplainable anguish- anguish that will always be this side of heaven. The beauty has been precious- maybe it's preciousness noticed even more because a dark backdrop now hangs behind each moment in a way it did not before (since my 14 year old nephew, Wyatt, went home to heaven on April 4). The unexplainable anguish, that dark backdrop, is only dark as it hangs towards earth- that same dark backdrop turns to a brilliant white as it approaches the heavenly realm. Our gaze always needing to look up, our focus on eternity, to realize that what seems so dark here is made right in Heaven. It's made more than right, it's perfect into eternity. Looking up also serves as a reminder that no matter how things appear here, we have a God who is sovereignly working out His plan for our good and His glory no matter what.

My ten minutes is up and I've gotta go- a game of cards with my gal is waiting. It's been nice chatting with you, for just a bit!

P.S. Here's 2 randoms before I end-

1. We are hoping to go to Hawaii over Thanksgiving...we've had to cancel and rebook the trip 3 times due to trying to take the Hawaii approved Covid test (we settled on the home test by Vault Health). It will be an absolute miracle if we actually get to go (we are supposed to fly out of Portland early Monday morning)... I'll keep you posted

2. Our Ryan got married to his Danika last month (October 24). It was a beautiful and heartfelt wedding. Ryan and Danika dated for 4 years. Ryan asked her to marry him in August and they were married by October- Danika planned their wedding in a little less than 2 months (your amazing Danika!!). Matt and I are so happy for them.