Happy Easter!

I know this is a ton of pictures for one post, but with strict orders from grandparents to have "lots of pictures" I forced to obliged.  You might as well get used to it.  

Easter this year was slightly different that usual with us being gone and not being here long enough to make any friends to spend the time with.  However we had a wonderful weekend.  Before we moved our church back home had an egg hunt so the kids were able to join in the fun there before we headed to NC.  We decided to do our own egg hunt with the eggs Bay & Lou sent in our care package.  The kids loved it and had so much fun searching for eggs in the yard.  Levi even helped hide the ones for Naomi.  From the look of the pictures you can tell that Naomi had more fun putting her bucket on her head than putting eggs in them.  Sunday morning we visited a nearby church and they had an egg hunt that they invited us to so our kids did get to hunt a few eggs then as well.  My favorite part of the day was Naomi's dress.  Vain in know, but it was a crocheted dress that Moo had made for my sisters and I when we were Naomi's age.  We all wore it and for my daughter to wear it was really special to me.  She was not as cooperative as I would have like in getting her picture, but I was able to get a few good shots.  Maybe I can dress her up again for some better pics.  After church we grabbed some lunch and spent the rest of the day exploring our new town.

The best part of the weekend was sharing the story of Easter with our kids.  The previous Sunday the kids went to church with Aaron's parents.  Levi has been talking about Palm Sunday ever since and goes around the house yelling "Hosanna to our King!"  It has been a great privilege to teach my children about our Savior and Lord.  For them to learn not just about Easter, but that Easter could not have happened without Good Friday.  It has been a good reminder for myself as well.  I'll end with this thought.  I read/heard somewhere that many people died on a cross, but only one died for our sins and rose again.  Hallelujah!  I rose and my eternity is sealed forever!

Week 1

We've been in NC for a week now.  The transition has smoother than expected.  Both the kids made the move easier than expected, especially Levi who does not handle change very well.  I was amazed at how excited he was and how much he has loved being here already.  The other day we had the following conversation:

Levi: "I never want to leave the mountains."

Me: "You don't ever want to go back home to visit?"

Levi: "What is visit?"

Me:  "Go back to see everybody we love.  Go see Gramps, Mema, Grandmama, Grandaddy, Bay, Lou, your friends, like Malia & Javier."

Levi:  "I just want them to come visit us."

Guess he is set for life here and some of you better start planning trips to come up here to visit him.  We've gotten the yard cut and the weather has been super nice so we've enjoyed a day at the park and a walk down our road.  The kids love being outside so our yard is perfect for them to play in.  

The view is simply amazing and I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it.  One spot in particular on our way to town is breath-taking.  I'll be sure to grab a picture next time we head that way.  I told Aaron the other day that I am a horrible driver here because all I want to do is look at the scenery instead of the road.  You'd be the same way if you were here.  Trust me.

All our boxes are unpacked with the exception of about 2 that hold some books and office supplies we haven't needed yet.  At the moment it is just easier to leave them in the corner than to try to find a place for them in the house.  Our rental is just that, a rental.  Even with all of our stuff it still doesn't feel like home.  Not yet anyway.  I'm sure once we get in the groove of everything that will change.  We finally have enough groceries and such that I think I went one day this week without having to go to Wal-Mart for something.  

There are some really great things about being here.  The first is that we are less than 10 minutes from town so a trip to Wal-Mart or the grocery store is not an inconvience.  This is a great improvement from home where is was about a 25 minute trip.  I was able to go to town, buy groceries, and return within an hour yesterday.  It was a small victory for me.  We found a gym that is 5 minutes away that is a lot like the YMCA at home where we were going.  This was an unexpected find since we had looked online and hadn't found anything.  I was super excited and will hopefully be joining next week.  

We haven't traveled and explored much this week since we've been getting settled, but that will change soon I'm sure.  We did travel to Asheville to pick up an AC unit for the house.  It was a beautiful drive and we even picked up some Chick-fil-A at the mall there since there isn't one in Sylva.  

It has been a bit lonely here since we know no one and haven't really met anyone in just a week.  I like to go out and do things so being home for most of the day is starting to drain on me, but I'm hoping that once we find a church and get a bit more settled that will all change.  The gym should help with that and I'm hoping to find some things through the library to do as well.  

Aaron decided we should live like mountain people while we are here.  This was dinner the first night.

Levi has been a super hero most of the week.

 This rock is 5 minutes from the house.  It has Cherokee writings that are 1000 years old.

 We got a special and unexpected package in the mail yesterday.  Bay & Lou were so sweet and sent us our first care package!  Levi & Naomi loved it!

 Until next time...

Boxes

Right now my life is about boxes, Boxes, and more BOXES!  Now back to the box at hand...

Movin' On Up!

... to North Carolina that is!

Yup!  You read that right.  We are moving!  It has all happened quite quickly, but we are excited for this new adventure.  Our move is for Aaron's job and it all happens at the end of THIS month!  Aaron will be reporting on the 26th (12 days from now!) and the rest of us are likely to go up the following week.  Don't fret!  Our move is only temporary.  Aaron will be working on a road project and once the project is done we will be returning to GA assuming another opportunity doesn't arise.  We are looking at 6-7 months with a possibility of it being extended to a year.  We will be about an hour south of Asheville and only about a 3.5 hour drive from Covington.  We are in a mountain area and then scenery is beautiful!  This is a great opportunity for our family.  We are going to be able to keep our house here GA, so we plan to visit often.  We are just considering this an extended vacation.  I'll be sure to keep you all posted as the adventure begins!

Tribute

Monday morning I lost my dear friend Amy. She had been battling cancer since April 2011 and the Lord called her home this week. She was above all other explanations an exceptional woman. Her first love was the Lord and from the moment I met her she was a woman who walked by faith and not by sight. She always had a way of encouraging me even when she was smacking me with the truth. Her faith was only intensified as her battle against cancer began. She fought a courageous fight and chose life all the way to the end. I was amazed by her relentless pursuit of God, her righteousness, and her servant heart. Her faith was unwavering from the beginning, and a true testimony to so many. So many of us find it hard to trust the Lord with the things of our lives, big or small, but Amy trusted him with everything - she trusted him with her life. I have watched her over these last 11 months stand for truth and make some very difficult decisions as she faced her own mortality. When doctors said something wasn't possible, she said "with God all things are possible." When people didn't understand her faith, she clung to Him all the more. She was faithful because she knew God is faithful. I know she touched so many lives in her time with us and I am extremely grateful my life was one of them.

After I wrote this post this afternoon I heard this song and it reminded me of my friend. For all eternity she is giving all the glory to His name!

I Miss the Blogging World

 It seems I am in a blogging slump.  Not as much of a slump as some others (ahem, you know who you are!), but a slump none the less.  I love blogging, but I just haven't had much time to get on the computer and type out my every thought.  So here is my attempt to catch up on my blogging life.  


This is what we have been up to:

 Levi & I went and saw Beauty & the Beast.  He loved it and it took me back to my childhood.

Naomi loves to be in the kitchen with me.  I try to load/unload the dishwasher when she is not around because she'll climb in it and take everything out as I'm putting it in.  It drives me crazy.  She also LOVES to climb into the cabinets and play with my pots and pans.  I find her like this at least once a day.

 Levi is getting older and so nap time is changing.  I still make him take a nap during the day because I need a break and he needs some rest.  He usually plays for an hour or so before he eventually gives in and sleeps.  When I go to get him up I've found him surrounded by his toys several times.  I don't know how he gets any sleep with all those toys around him.

 Naomi is much more curious at this age then Levi was.  I never had to put locks on the drawers or cabinets because he just never got in them.  Naomi is a different story.  She loves to open the cabinet doors and pull everything out.  Her favorite game lately has been to open the cabinet drawer under the sink, pull something out and then throw it into the bathtub.  Why it entertains her so much is beyond me, but it keeps her attention while I get ready.  Guess at some point I'll end up putting those lock tabs in my cabinets.

 My car has 190,000 miles on it.  Yes you read that right.  Not too much longer and we'll be hitting the big 200,000.  She has no problems except for the headlights.  We began to notice that we couldn't see as well at night when we drove.  Come to find out the headlights had become fogged over, so Aaron got a headlight repair kit to clean them up.  We've known we needed to do this for a while, but we finally got around to it a few weeks ago.  I cannot believe the difference it made!  You can tell the difference in the photo.  

 Aaron bought something off Craigslist and when he went to pick it up the guy gave him this Sponge Bob kite.  Levi is obsessed with it.  He constantly looks outside to see if there is wind so he can fly his kite.  

 We went to Chick-fil-A a few weeks ago and Levi got this cow watch.  He was so proud of it! 

BSF

BSF (or Bible Study Fellowship) has been a huge blessing in my life.  I am eternally grateful to Pat Escoe for introducing me to BSF and for inviting me to come and be part of such a wonderful group of women.  Having a weekly study available to keep me in the Word has been paramount for me.  The study provides me with so much insightful information and the weekly discussions shine light on things I never even noticed.  Although I often find it difficult with two little ones to get all my homework completed (but I do), and often read a question and think "I have no idea what the answer is" I am amazed at how God multiplies my time to get it all done.  You see its more than studying facts, a certain book, or person.  I'm studying about God and His love for His people.  His love for me!  I recently joined the leadership team and that has brought on it new struggles and frustrations for sure, but God is still good.  He is still in control.  Right now the biggest lesson I'm learning is to rely completely on Him.  That no matter what is on my plate He has gone before me.  He makes my paths straight.  In truth its all about Him.  He receives all the glory.  Anything that I do though BSF is only Him working in me.

I urge you that if you need an outlet for studying God's Word please check out www.bsfinternational.org.  You can find a class near you to get involved in, and I promise you will be glad you did.