Nine Days

9

We move to Virginia in nine days.
Nine days.
Whoa.
That’s single digits, folks.

I had a small breakdown yesterday. Poor Keagan. I just couldn’t help it, though. I was standing outside (in the balmy spring weather that we finally got a taste of), admiring two new kittens at his parents’ house, listening to the cows, and looking out at the empty Iowa corn fields that are just begging to be filled with corn and beans. I could smell a hint of thawed manure. It was a glamorous moment. But anyways, I just couldn’t help it.

We had spent the last couple of days enjoying the weather, and family, and friends. People were saying goodbye to us, but no tears were being shed- just smiles, hugs, and sad hearts on the inside. So, when Keagan came outside after me, I broke down a little bit. I never thought I’d love Iowa as much as I do.

I’ve learned a lot in these last 9 months. I’ve learned that barbecues are called taverns, hotdish is casserole, egg bake equals egg dish, and down here they don’t shovel snow, they scoop snow. I’ve enjoyed our cozy little house on our wide open acreage. I’ve made it all the way down the gravel roads without fear of anyone even seeing my pathetic attempt at running (because no cars ever go by). I’ve walked to the mailbox in white athletic socks, brown dress shoes, grey pajama pants, and a grey dressy coat- just because those were the closest clothing items to the door, and no one would see me anyways.

It's all going to be okay, though. Life has been good here- really good. But now it’s time to do what we’ve been waiting for. I know that both of us are so equipped and ready to handle the move ahead, and the moves after that. We’re both flexible and adaptable and God never fails, even when we do. We’re going to miss this place, but we’re going to love what’s ahead as well. After yesterday’s breakdown and a good night of sleep, I feel so much better. I mean, really, now I can look forward to vacationing in Iowa!

We're going to miss all of you here in the Midwest, but you can bet that we'll do our best to keep in touch. I'm really good at posting an unneccesary amount of pictures on facebook and I've been getting better at emails. So, send me an email and I promise I'll reply! Better yet, ask for my address and we'll be pen pals, because nothing is better than getting mail and writing letters.

Thanks to all who have supported us through visits, emails, suprise cards, and smiles. It means more than you know and we are so lucky to have you in our lives. We'll miss you, but I'm done breaking down. Why? Because I've decided that instead of breaking down, I'm going to eat chocolate chip cookies.

And nothing is too bad for a chocolate chip cookie to fix.

-hannah

April Mornings

 

 My mornings lately:

Sleeping in longer than I should (on my days off anyways..)

Battling allergies again. What do all of you do to fight allergies? I never started getting them until a couple of years ago. Now, whenever they hit, they hit hard.

Scrolling through real estate pages, picking the listing that makes the most sense, and waiting to hear back!

Checking and responding to emails. I've been getting better at using this source of communication.Really, it's awesome. Phone calls aren't my thing- that's what I do at work, not on my free time.

Wondering how in the world it got to the end of April? This weather is crazy, but I honestly don't mind. As my husband said, it's like winter without the -50 windchill!

Considering going back to online school for something completely unrelated to my undergrad degree. Yay, new ideas!

In other news:

We attended a lovely wedding in Missouri Valley this weekend. I have a beautiful new sister-in-law!

We have been enjoying time off of work, and time with relatives...all the way from New Mexico. Laughter, good eats, and fun all around.

P.S. I apologize for the short, non-detailed blog posts lately. Lots going on!

What my days off look like...sometimes.

 Flowers, from my aunt, sent home after Easter. They make a lovely table addition

An April winter-storm? What?? Somehow, I enjoyed it.

Orange scones. Citrusy, delicious. Smell so good.

Wondering why I picked up sticks on Monday, before the storm. We have many more down.

Eggs. From our neighbor's farm. Thanks!

In other news, the storm was exciting and interesting. The aftermath? Drizzly, dreary, a dull.

Lazy lunch, email catch-up, laundry, courthouse business.

I still need to share my "weekend project." From weeks ago.

Trying not to reach towards something sugary when I need a boost.

Thankful for a husband who can turn the bathtub knobs all the way off. When he's not around the drips keep dripping.

Confused Christians

Today, I woke up to the sound of thunder rolling through the countryside and rain pounding on the window. I was excited. I love thunderstorms. The drive to work was quite dreary- at times the rain was pounding down so fast that my windshield wipers couldn't keep up, even though they were flying so fast that I thought they'd tear off and go soaring through the air, hitting some poor unexpecting object. But really, I was okay with it. In fact, I thanked God for the rain, because we know that the farmers could certainly use it.

Fast-forward to a little ways into the day. I saw an argument, online, about how we as Christians should be responding to this bit of a crazy-spell, weather wise. One was complaining (lightheartedly) about the snow they were receiving up north. One, was telling the other that they should not be complaining, but be thankful and grateful at all times- like God wants us to be.

A little bit of me cringed inside. It brought me back to some recent thinking.

Several weeks ago, on the way back from church, my husband and I started talking about how sad it is that we, as Christians, are often afraid to talk about our faith with other Christians. We're supposed to be out, living as examples and sharing the good news with others- but we can't even talk about Christian things with Christian people. Why? Because there are so many different ideas about different things these days and if you don't do things exactly the same, things can get rocky. It often seems that we judge and get judged in a repetitive and destructive cycle.

We tend to separate ourselves based on who has more "knowledge" or who's "theology" matches ours best, rather than helping each other get to a new level. We don't pay any attention to so-and-so's words, because seriously, what kind of Christian are they anyways? We nit-pick and argue and decide that we're sticking with this group over here, because they're just like ourselves.

We all have different opinions on issues- mainly marriage equality, how "relevant" the Bible is to today's culture, who Jesus really was, etc. In fact, there's so many different opinions (and loud ones at that) that most of the time I'm afraid to even say, "hey, this is what I believe."

We're afraid to celebrate what God's doing in our lives and hearts, because we're looking at the other person over there who's peering down at us from their picture-perfect life. It's frustrating. It's exhausting. It's discouraging. How come we can't all be on one page about things and accept that every person is at a different stage in their walk of faith? Let's listen to each other, and learn, and pray.

That's all I really needed to rant about today. But I wanted to leave you with something that can't be debated and something that I feel so strongly about that I'm not afraid- God is SO good. He's so fantastically good. Lately I have been completely overwhelmed over and over about how often he protects us, provides for us, and walks with us, even through the not-so-easy times. He's always there and he's always helping us out- even if we don't ask him for it. I mean, wow. It just blows me away to think about it. Maybe we should focus more on things like that- instead of telling others where they're falling short or focusing too intently on where we think we are lacking. Maybe we should be asking God to work on our own hearts, and what needs to be done there, because seriously, we all could use that over and over and over.

Let's support each other- not dig trenches and put up walls.

The News

So...after months and months of waiting, we have the news.

Quantico, VA, we're coming for you!

Ever since I first visited almost two years ago, I knew I wanted to go back someday.
Rewind back a year, and we thought we might be doing this in October...of 2012. But, plans change (or are never made) and you just have to do what you have to do.

I have loved the fact that we got to spend more time close to the family after getting married. I have gotten a chance to get to know Keagan's family a little better, and we got to visit with my friends and family in Minnesota a few times as well. Living in our rental home, out on an acreage, has been wonderful. I love the quiet, I love the view, and I love how close it is to town, yet still secluded. We both have been blessed to have good jobs in this waiting period. I have no complaints.

Except one.

We've been waiting so long that I've gotten so comfortable in our current life and now I'm a little nervous to get ready and go. I guess that's not much of a complaint, just a worry. And as I try to remind myself over and over, "Do not worry about tomorrow...Matthew 6:34."

Now, it's action time.

We're going to Omaha/Lincoln this weekend for Keagan to meet up with his office and hopefully get some last-minute details. Then, we're going to have fun and relax in the city for my birthday weekend. Then, we're going to apartment search like crazy. We've got a month to find out where we'll be living. Yikes. that makes me nervous a bit. After that, it's packing (thankfully we don't have a lot of extra items lying around), tying up loose ends, changing addresses, etc.

Goodbye, Iowa!

Despite my worries, and trying to let the "planner" in me relax, I really am excited. This is what we have been waiting for. This is our goal. This is our future. This is our adventure.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in over my head. There's so much I don't know. But I've come to peace with the fact that that's okay. We're gonna make mistakes or miss some information, but we're also going to learn from it. I've done my research, I have people who can help me out, and it's all going to be awesome. Seriously, I feel it.

These are the attitudes/mottos that I have pre-adopted (if that's a thing).
-Attitudes are not circumstantial.
-Things aren't always going to be easy, but you have the ability to figure it out.
-Find peace in the Lord first and foremost- not in accomplishments and comparisons.

PLEASE keep in contact with us. And if you want a little vacation...come visit D.C. We'll show you around! We'll be there about six months and then it's most likely on to Pensacola. So...come to Florida too. :)

We're excited.
-Hannah

April 2nd, 2013

Excerpt from Fearfully & Wonderfully Made. By Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey

     "The process of joining Christ's Body may at first seem like a renunciation. I no longer have full independence. Ironically, however, renouncing my old value system- in which I had to compete with other people on the basis of power, wealth, and talent- and committing myself to Christ, the Head, abruptly frees me. My sense of competition fades. No longer do I have to bristle against life, seizing ways to prove myself. In my new identity my ideal has become to live my life in such a way that people around me recognize Jesus Christ and His love, not my own set of distinctive qualities. My worth and acceptance are enveloped in Him. I have found this process of renunciation and commitment to be healthy, relaxing, and wholly good."