Michigan, Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, and now Minnesota are all home to me. I’ve never lived in Tennessee, but I definitely consider it a home since that’s Scott’s home and we spend so much time there. It’ll take some time for Minnesota to feel like home, but it’s home #6 on the list! I wonder how long that list will end up being? Your guess is as good as mine!
We woke up this morning after some great sleep on what I thought were amazingly comfortable beds at a hotel in Sioux City, Iowa. Both kids slept through the night! Tanner definitely talks in his sleep and he was apparently dreaming about Mickey last night.
I ran out to the car in the morning and was greeted with this.
Now this is not something new to me, but it’s definitely something I haven’t seen in October in quite some time! Welcome back to the North, eh? I think I have to put my flip-flops away 😢
We hit the road and it felt so good knowing we only had to drive 3.5 hours. That felt like nothing after the last two days! The kids were great, Leah only slept 30 minutes, but we all arrived safely! I have to say I enjoyed driving the stretch up I-29 through South Dakota because the speed limit is 80 and I loved looking at vastness of the land around us.
It felt SO good to see Scott. We went right to the refuge office. It was good to see everyone we’d met a few months ago and it felt good to just be back together. And these two…they were definitely overjoyed to see each other 🙂
Next, we headed over to meet Tanner’s preschool teacher. He starts on Monday and we are all so excited! He was a little shy, but that was to be expected. I am so incredibly pumped for him to start because I know he’s going to LOVE it.
After that, we zipped over to our house to walk through it with the realtor. Tanner got to see his new room that is currently pink and purple. We’re hoping to paint it this weekend! We left the kids with Kathy at the rental house and went to the closing and officially became homeowners…again. I looked at Scott while we signed our lives away and said, “How many times have we done this?” 🙂
We got back and dressed Tanner in his Leonardo gear and off we went to the town’s Harvest Madness where kids can Trick or Treat around the local businesses. We had fun and it was neat seeing everyone out enjoying the evening! Leah has a skeleton outfit for Halloween, but she was too tired tonight to get her dressed up.
I felt like I needed to go get groceries, but when Scott and I went to shop, I kind of just roamed around not sure what to get. The moving truck won’t be here until Monday. We do have a kitchen here where we’re staying, but I still just wasn’t sure. We grabbed a few things, but I’m sure the next couple days we’ll be eating on a whim.
I had some moments of overwhelmed-ness. I think I’m just ready for some order and routine. And that will come. We have stuff all over the place, but the organization will come. Hopefully 🙂
God gave us a beautiful sunset we soaked up for all it was worth! There’s a beautiful lake that separates Minnesota and South Dakota right where we live and it’s gorgeous!
Today was a whirlwind for sure, but we made it safe and sound and with some sanity left 🙂
I think I’ve definitely learned that my home is wherever these three are…ok, four with Jager 🙂
The kiddos slept until 6:45 on day 2 of our drive with just one wake up from both in the wee morning hours. We got ready, ate breakfast in the hotel (love those “free” breakfasts!), loaded up the car and headed out!
The cooler temps were quite obvious with one foot out the door. I’ve got socks for Tanner somewhere. I need to find those…
Leah’s struggled to fall asleep and has only stayed asleep for 45 minutes at a time, but it’s better than nothing!
She thoroughly enjoyed throwing every toy we gave her to the floor so every time we opened the door we had a nice avalanche of toys 🙂 Tanner has had fun with his TMNT stickers as you can see from Exhibit A (thanks, Mom!).
We took a pit stop after about 2.5 hours of driving and Kathy took the wheel so I could take a break. I’ll pause here to say Kathy has been the biggest help on this trip. I can’t imagine doing this alone!
One more pit stop and we made it to our destination in Iowa! We arrived with plenty of time to swim and sit down for dinner.
It was so refreshing to eat a salad at a somewhat nice place! We treated Tanner to an Oreo sundae because he’s been so awesome.
Leah has really been great, too. I think our total distance completed is 850ish miles so far. That’s a LOT to ask an almost 1-year-old and a 3.5-year-old. The van is a mess, but they’ve both been pretty content so we can’t ask for much more!
I laughed on the inside when the gentleman who held the door for us after dinner tonight responded with, “You betcha!” I’ve also noticed the leaves on the trees are much more sparse and the soil up here is so rich and dark. We are definitely in the North!
We will be up and at ’em Friday morning for the last 3.5 hours of our trip! We also close on our house and take Tanner to meet his teacher and see his school! He starts preschool in the afternoon on Monday and we are all so excited!!!!
We made it to Missouri! I’ll keep where we are on the DL (do people still say that?), but we are here.
It feels so good to not be in the car!
Today was really great considering our situation though.
Within minutes, Tanner was asking for the silly putty I got him which I originally was patting myself on the back for, but I’ve completely changed my opinion. Yeah, I was all like, “Look at me the amazing mom who occupied her kid all day in the car with silly putty!” Who knew the stuff sticks to EVERYTHING? Apparently I forgot. It’s all over his pants and I hope we can get it out! We will NOT be playing with the other colors I got him in the car tomorrow. We will have to save that for another day!
Our first stop was actually back in Murray, KY! It was a tad weird pulling in knowing we’d only be there a short while. The kids had doctor appointments for some immunization they needed and we stopped for lunch. I actually ran over to school to see my friends for a few minutes to say goodbye one more time while Tanner played at the play place at Burger King with Scott’s mom, Kathy, to get some energy out. I zipped right in and out of school in about 10 minutes. I really wanted to sit, stay, and listen to what had been going on since I left, but we had to get going. Just seeing everyone’s faces was…pure joy.
We jumped back in the car and stopped at Scott’s old office to pick something up and enjoyed some more play time!
From there we got back in the car and drove to somewhere in Illinois. We were in the car for a while. Leah took another 45 minute cat nap and Tanner started enjoying the slew of Paw Patrol episodes I downloaded. We try to monitor how much tv he watches in real life, but during these three days of driving, there are not many guidelines there 🙂
Right when we were about to stop for a break around 3:00, Tanner fell asleep. We stopped anyway to let Leah stretch out a bit.
Then we got back in the car for the final haul of the day. We got stuck in a bit of traffic around St. Louis, but it wasn’t too bad!
We got to our destination around 6, grabbed some Wendy’s for dinner, and took it back to the hotel. Leah was definitely ready to be out of the car and so were we!
I promised Tanner we’d swim in the pool, which we did, but we didn’t stay long. The kids really needed sleep, and so did we, but when I said it was time to get out of the pool…oh, the tiredness showed. Phew!
We got everyone upstairs and situated with some tears, but everyone tucked in for the night.
Thursday our goal is to drive another 6.5 hours which will be totally doable! 3.5 the next day and we will be…home.
I am so ready to be back with Scott and have our family back together. I can’t wait to get started on our new-to-us house. Most of all though, I just can’t wait to be back with Scott. Two weeks is enough time to be apart. He really is the love of my life!
We got back to Nashville from an amazing ten days in Michigan. I don’t think I’ve spent 10 days in Michigan in October in over 10 years. It was amazing. The weather was perfect – cool mornings and low 60s during the day, the trees on fire with color, and the air was so crisp.
It felt like God hit the reset button on my life. The chaos and craziness of packing up our life in Kentucky came to a close, we spent 4 great days in Nashville, then headed up to be with my family.
Sunday morning tradition!
It was so, so nice.
My nieces and nephews are growing so fast. One of the hard parts about living away is missing so much of their lives, BUT it is so cool to see how much they’ve grown when I do get to see them. I love that my kids get to spend time with their cousins and it’s extra awesome they are such good friends, despite living so far from each other. Praise God for technology and FaceTime!!
And that’s a Murray State Racers shirt by the way 🙂 I know, I know.
We also spent some time with a few of my high school friends and their kids at the Children’s Museum in town. It was awesome! The whole place was completely interactive. I can’t wait to take them back and take Scott, too! I think he will have just as much fun.
I also got to see one of my best friends/college roommates and meet her new little boy. Her daughter and Tanner clicked immediately and started making up wild ghost stories 🙂
And, yes, it was so fun being in Michigan for this moment. I swear my dad replayed it 742 times.
I loved being home with no real schedule. My sister and I snuck away by ourselves for a few hours, I got a tour of the super cool house my brother and sis-in-law are building, spent time with my mom and dad. Some of my favorite times were in the evening after the kids were sleeping and it was just me, mom, and dad hanging out. My dad “watched the news” which meant he fell asleep in the chair in 7.42 seconds. I helped my mom grade papers, I read, and sometimes just relished in sitting.
I got to do two unique things while I was there. One was see Selah in concert at my home church! We used one of their songs during our wedding and it was so neat to see them live. What an awesome band and in my opinion, their CDs do NOT do their voices justice. I could’ve listened to them for hours and hours. I definitely shed some “God tears” as I call them – those tears that fill my eyes when I think about how much God loves us.
The other unique thing I did was attend JUMP, a program that provides child care for SAHMs twice a month. For two hours, moms talk about different topics pertinent to being a mom. I absolutely loved it and would participate every single time if I lived there! The coolest thing is that it was led by a old high school friend. It was neat to listen to her and think about how far we’ve come since our days at HHS and in youth group there.
This past week’s topic was worry.
Now, it was interesting for me to listen to and talk with other moms about this because I really am not a worrier by nature. That being said, I do worry much more now that I’m a mom, but truly, I am not someone who worries much. I’m sure my husband wishes I worried a bit more about some things!
JUMP is set up with moms of preschoolers and “mentor moms” as they call them. These moms have grown children and serve as mentors for us less experienced mamas. I laughed when we talked about worry and one joked, “And yes, my thirty year olds are potty trained.”
Isn’t it funny the things we worry about sometimes? Most are so trivial and completely made up in our heads, but some big ones do come our way.
One of the mentor moms spoke about how she’s dealt and continues to deal with worry in her life. Their family owns their own business, her twenty-something daughter is a missionary in Africa, and recently they found out her husband has cancer. Talk about life right there.
One thing that impacted me as she talked was her ability to rattle off scripture for every worry she talked about and it was obvious her knowledge of scripture and ability to apply it to her life pays dividends. She talked about the tattoo of Isaiah 26:3 she got on her wrist.
She ended talking about how her confidence in the Lord taught her how to have peace – during the moments she fears for her daughter’s life or when she contemplates her husband’s future. I pray that I exemplify her when tough times come my way.
I thought about that last night when I had a slight breakdown after Leah had been so unsettled (she’s having some constipation issues…yeah, it stinks!) and she was tired. I’ve been living out of suitcases and been with my kids 24/7 for the last 3 weeks. I’ve got bags all over the place and random stuff the movers couldn’t take loaded in my car. I’ve tried my best to stay organized and I had lists everywhere of things I need to remember. I was just having a moment…as I know many SAHMs are nodding their heads in agreement saying “welcome to our world!” You guys are rock stars.
I know God is here. He has his hand over mine and is reminding me to breathe. These “troubles” are so trivial.
Regardless, I am thankful for the reset button.
Scott started work and I think he’s really enjoying it even though he says he has a lot to learn. He’s also been finalizing things to close on our house when we arrive. I’m so glad he’s gotten out and been able to soak in the outdoors up there. Look at this beautiful picture!
…and the sky is amazing, too!
Here’s to the next chapter that starts… today! We are locked and loaded with snacks, toys, movies, and lots of prayer for the 15-hour drive 🙂
It’s amazing how powerful our minds are. I’ll never forget sitting at a teacher training somewhere and the speaker was talking about this very thing. He asked us to do a simple exercise to prove his point.
So first think of one of your favorite songs – that one that makes you turn the music up in your car and belt out the lyrics no matter how good or how terrible you sound.
I’ll pick “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey. I could also choose the “Wobble” since that always gets me going.
Yeah, I heard you singing it!!
Ok, so whatever song that was, sing the chorus in your head.
Don’t worry; I won’t judge you!
Now, sing the chorus in your head super fast.
I’ll wait!
Done?
Finally, sing the chorus in your head and slow it waaaaaaay down.
Did you do it?
Good.
You CAN control your mind with that simple exercise.
After I completed that the first time, this verse instantly popped into my head.
From the Daniel Plan website
When I really think about it, so much of my life IS shaped by my thoughts.
With us moving, I had to give up my job after the first 9 weeks with students. While it hasn’t completely hit me yet since I’m visiting my family over these two-ish weeks, I don’t feel like I’m completely me without a classroom to go to every day. I’m trying to soak it in, but I need to not dwell on the fact that I’m not teaching right now, because I am so much more than that. I need to change my mindset and remember this is a phase and God will be honored with this season.
With my family, I am a much better mom when I decide early in the day that it’s going to be a good one. Now, even with these intentions, a day can quickly turn, but if I can remember that God gave me these specific kids for specific reasons, it helps us all focus in the right direction. I have to control my thoughts when I start seeing all the negative – the pile of dishes, the whines, the fact that I may or may not have showered in the last few days. When those sneaky thoughts start to reel, I have to grab control of them and change my mind.
As a wife, how I think about myself directly affects my relationship with my husband. I can become crabby quickly when my thoughts run wild, but when I keep my thoughts in control with God’s help, everything is so much better. I know even for Scott, he could probably easily focus and think about my many weaknesses – my forgetfulness and distractibility to name a few. Anyone who is married knows living with someone 24/7 isn’t always easy. I have to take hold of my thoughts as I’m sure Scott does, too.
With my health and fitness, my thoughts affect 95% of what I do. My mind, not my body, decides. I can easily convince myself to not workout, to not make good choices in the food department, or to “reward” myself with junk even though it will honestly make me feel terrible. Balance and moderation is needed and living by the 80/20 rule is so important. If I had to cut out all my indulgences, I’d fail. But if I can focus on eating well 80% of the time, success is inevitable. That, coupled with workouts for 30 minutes a day and I feel a gazillion times better.
But those thoughts…I have to take hold of them. I have to tell myself, encourage myself, and remind myself that I am worth it. I am worth taking care of myself. Everything is so much better when I do.
And if that means I have to do my push-ups while giving Leah kisses each time I do a rep, then that’s what I do! Because, really, I want her to take care of herself when she’s a mom; and I need to be the one to start setting that example for her.
I am so pumped for this next Challenge Group starting November 2! If you’re interested in joining me and a group of people working towards improving their health and fitness in the next month, let me know! You CAN do it. We can help you make significant strides and you can finish out 2015 with a bang. Then, those New Year’s resolutions geared towards a healthier 2016 will be much, much easier 🙂
PM me or email me at runninginthetrenches@gmail.com if you’d like more info!
Our departure from Kentucky came much quicker than I expected. Originally, we were set to leave this coming Tuesday. Then, the movers let us know they’d load us on the weekend, instead; I definitely did not expect them to be finished by Saturday afternoon. It was crazy watching the truck pull away with all of our stuff. You’d think we’d downsize even more with all these moves, but man, we still have a LOT. The American way, right? Maybe we will get rid of more once we unpack everything.
Saturday was a day full of the whole gamut of emotions. I woke up super early to get my van packed up because I knew the day would be crazy busy. Scott is heading to Minnesota later this week, but the kids and I won’t be joining him right away. Since we don’t close on our house there until the end of the month, the kids and I are homeless nomads and we’ll be spending our time between Nashville and Michigan. I have bags packed for both places (mind you the weather requires different clothes!), stuff ready for the drive to Minnesota and other odds and ends we need for the next three weeks. It was surreal packing the van, knowing what I was packing for, because it seriously feels like we just got to Kentucky from Oklahoma. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years! Before I left the house for Kim’s mom’s funeral, it was clear the movers would have everything ready for us that afternoon.
Of course, the whole time, Kim and her family were on my mind non-stop. After getting everything ready, I headed to celebrate and honor her mom’s life. I was blown away at how many people were there. It was such a testament to Leta’s life and her family. The funeral was all about Leta and Jesus. I loved listening to the stories that were told about her. And I’m pretty sure she IS in heaven decorating and making sure everything is just so. Hugging Kim and seeing her…there really are no words. The timing of this move is just so hard because I so want to be at school with her these next weeks and months. I am beyond thankful for technology.
I got back and the truck was ready to pull away. We thanked the guys who worked so hard the last three days and watched it pull away. We had to make sure the house was all set; there were odds and ends left we had to square away. I almost forgot to unload the freezer and I always forget about the condiments we have to throw away in the fridge. It’s all those little things that pile up at the end. Once we got everything squared away, it was time to head out. Driving down our road, I just kept thinking about how many times I’d walked and run up and down it and how much God has done in my life while living there.
And I just want to give a big shout out to my mother-in-law for helping with the kids and helping us this week!
~~~~~~~
If you live in Kentucky and have been a part of our life, I hope you can take a minute, close your eyes, and listen to this song. I’ve done it hundreds of times since I found out we were moving. And every time I listened to it, whether it was in the morning as I got ready for work or when I was in the car running an errand, I praised God for YOU. I love the rendition of this song for so many reasons. First, it starts with the Hallelujahs and as I sing that word over and over again, so many different people and events that have happened over the last five years flash before my eyes. People. Moments. Events. The birth of my kids. It all comes together with this one song. As we pulled away, I sang this song over and over.
I love that he starts singing the line, “We are desperate for you. Hear our cries. We need you Lord. You are worthy.”And then he follows with the line from another one of his songs that goes, “Oh, no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm. Oh, no, you never let go, every high and every low. Oh, no, you never let go; Lord, you never let go of me.” Despite all this praise, there is so much fear in me. I know I shouldn’t be afraid of ANYTHING because God IS by my side, but each move is scary. The unknown is so…unknown. And this time there are two little lives coming with us. I am so desperate for God right now. And I know He is here.
This entire song is exactly how I am feeling right at this very moment. I am praising God for the last five years and desperately clinging to Him as the page turns and we start this new chapter of our life. God has NEVER let me go. Ever. Even though there are countless times when I felt like I was alone and He had abandoned me, He was there. He has been with us during EVERY single move. Every time when we arrived to our new “home” and I felt like I wanted to turn right around and go back to where we came from, He was there. And he continued to be there and brought SO. MUCH. GOOD. into our life.
Every single “Hallelujah” in this song represents a person or a moment – a time when God brought someone into my life who impacted me or a time when God used me or used someone else for HIS purpose.
To ALL of my co-workers at CCMS, especially my best friend, Kimberly, ALL of you are so many of these hallelujahs. Your significance in my life will live on as I continue to teach who knows where. You have been with me through so much the last five years and it is an honor to call you my family. Being with you every day was so much more than a gift and I cannot imagine going to work again someday without you by my side. You’ve made me a better teacher and a better person.
To our friends we met through Journey Church, YOU are so many of these hallelujahs. There are so many names to list here. You know who you are! You have supported us, encouraged us, pushed us in our relationship with the Lord, and been there for us as we brought two new lives into this world. God is doing so much through you and you will be MISSED!
To Scott’s co-workers, especially his boss, Michael, YOU are so many of these hallelujahs. You have been there for us through the ups and downs we experienced here. You welcomed us into the Clarks River family with open arms and we are forever grateful for everything you’ve done for us. Scott has grown immensely and it’s because of YOU. I hope you were able to see a little bit of God’s love through Scott.
To our gracious Lord for bringing two precious babies into our world while we lived here – there are no words. We will never be the same. THEY are a reflection of YOU. I’ll never forget pulling into Kentucky, just Scott and me, and now we are leaving with two kids who have taught me more about God than anything else.
Another song that has been on my mind is Lifehouse’s “Everything.”
As we move around this beautiful country of ours and collect lifelong friends wherever we are, I cannot stop thinking about the lyrics to this song. God is my everthing and there is no way I can live the life I life without being moved by HIM. There is no way. There is so much beauty, so much good, so much of HIM everywhere I go. I see it in the friendships I have, the relationships that continue to grow despite long distances, and the relationship I have with my husband. There is NO WAY I cannot be moved by God. HE has given it all and HE has done everything. While I am still one of the most selfish people I know, I pray that the end ballad of this song will ring true in my life. “You’re all I want, you’re all I need, you’re everything, EVERYTHING!” I absolutely love BLASTING this song when I’m in the car. Rarely does this happen without tears streaming down my face. As we drove away yesterday, I kept thinking about my friends and family in Kentucky; know that I’m singing this song and thinking of YOU.
If you get a second today, get somewhere by yourself and think about your life while you listen to this song. I pray it affects you the same way it affects me.
I could type a novel here about the last five years of my life and how hard it is to leave. BUT, I am thankful. I praise GOD for my time here and I am forever changed because of it.
And, with that, I leave you with this. I’ve also listened to this a gazillion times since I found out we were moving.
Kentucky, THANK YOU for letting God use you in my life. I’ll miss the southern hospitality, the smell of smoking tobacco barns in the fall, the walks down our road to see our neighbor’s horses, the beautiful city of Murray, and the people you brought into my life.
One thing I am so thankful for with all of these moves Scott and I have made and continue to make is that I get to know some pretty phenomenal people along the way. I never knew I’d add so many best friends to my life in all of these random states I never expected to live in.
In Michigan, my friend Tamra and I have been close since we were 5 years old (I think!). She was also my college roommate and we are two peas in a pod. Distance and life doesn’t allow us to talk as much as I’d like, but we are okay with that. She knows me so well and we share such a LONG history together. We even have kids the same age and it’s been so fun to share that journey with her. In college, we met Laura and Liz and the four of us became a younger version of the Golden Girls. We have shared SO much together and are still close to this day. Even though our “2010 Plan” of all living in the same town never panned out, we still love each other just like Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche, and Rose. And, yes, I am Rose 🙂
In Virginia, my co-worker, Christy, quickly became my best friend during my second year of teaching. We were both starting our teaching careers and we were in similar places in our lives. We had a ton in common and our classrooms were super close to each other. I remember we would both get to work around 6:30-6:45am just to talk before we started our day. While we don’t get to talk as much as I want, she is still so important to me. I never knew I had a best friend waiting for me there!
In Oklahoma, I was blessed with two best friends. Whitney was a co-worker, but a friend first, and we hit it off FAST. You know when you just click with someone and it’s like you’ve known them for years? She was that for me. She and her husband became like brother and sister to Scott and me. We miss them SO incredibly much. I cannot count the number of laughs we shared with them. Their families welcomed us into their homes like we were there own. And then my friend Holly. Holly and Whit welcomed me into their already close friendship with open arms. Holly was another one of those friends I just clicked with so fast. Oh, the laughs we shared together. The Target trips. Our bond over Jimmy John’s. I wish I could just hop in her car and drive to Fort Smith with her and Whit for a quick Target and Old Navy run. And both of them have amazing voices and led worship at our church. I cried so many tears of joy listening to them.
In Kentucky, I’ve added a few ladies to that list, but tonight I want to focus on one of them – my best friend, Kimberly. Kim and I started teaching closely together during my second year here. She was the Literacy Coach when I started and her classroom was down the hallway. (Teachers know that even if you’re in the same building with some people, you may or may not see them at all!) I always thought she seemed like a cool person and I could tell by some of the e-mails she sent out that we had similar professional brains. It wasn’t until we both taught 8th grade Language Arts that we realized our professional brains were SO similar. Scary similar.
Our different personalities were a perfect complement to each other. Her strengths are my weaknesses. We flourished working together and there is SO much I will miss about her. We could talk to each other sitting in our rooms right across from each other, hashing out ideas for class while both sitting at our desks in our respective rooms. We would come into each other’s rooms in the morning with similar ideas on how to revise our lesson plans for the day because our students weren’t “getting” whatever it was we were working on. We could steal ideas from each other because the lesson we came up with or strategy one of us was using would fit seamlessly into our own classrooms. We both pulled our own weight and leaned on each other in times of need. We could take ideas from each other, make small tweaks for our own students, and as a result, our students learned. I think my most cherished times with her were the drives we’d make to and from Paducah after a long school day to work on our National Board Certification – which we both achieved TOGETHER, without reading each other’s entries. And the time we drove to Lexington to present at a conference together. The conversations we had – they were amazing. I am a better teacher and a better person just by spending the last five years in her presence.
It is so rare to teach with someone who shares such a similar teaching philosophy.
We got to know each other on a personal level, too. I got to watch her kids grow, her oldest start college this fall, and listen to her hilarious stories. I just filed as much as I could away in my brain for when my kids are her kids’ age. She supported me as both of my kids were born. I will never forget the day we were in the hospital with Leah when she had RSV. Scott ran home to grab clothes for us and right then was when the nurses came in to suck out all the gunk out of her lungs with tubes and things that made scary noises. She randomly showed up and I honestly don’t think I would’ve made it through those moments without her presence. She quickly became one of my best friends.
Kimberly has had a crazy few years in her personal life. She’s lost loved ones and handled it with so much grace; I can’t even tell you. Last night, her beautiful mother passed away after a tough fight with cancer. When I heard the news, the whole world stopped for a while. My family was still sleeping in the wee morning hours and I just sat on the couch in silence thinking about her and praying God would welcome Leta home.
I’ve thought about her and her family non-stop today. One of the things that has stuck with me today is thinking about the legacy that Leta left.
I did get to spend some time with Leta in the five years we’ve lived here, but most of what I know about Leta is in her daughter and her family. It’s obvious to me that Leta left a signifcant legacy because of how close knit her family is. I remember going to Leta’s house for some sort of holiday gathering last year or the year before that. I sat in her living room and it was FILLED with family members. There wasn’t much room for people to sit and I remember thinking about how awesome that was. She was so proud to have her family with her.
I saw Leta’s legacy and her impact even before her last days. When I see Kimberly with her family, I see Leta. I see God. I see God’s love. Leta made sure her family knew just how important family was. Her children and her grandchildren both know this. The way they love each other is a picture of Christ.
I loved seeing how close Kimberly, her sister, Lori, and Leta were. It always reminded me of how close my sister, my mom and I are and how close Scott is with his family. I PRAY that our kids want to be close to us like Kimberly and Lori are to their mom. I PRAY Scott and I will be able to leave a similar legacy for our kids. As a mother, and as I think about Leta, I cannot stop thinking about how important leaving a meaningful legacy is for my kids. A legacy of CHRIST and a legacy of love.
My heart is absolutely broken for the Barretts, but I KNOW that Leta is safe, healed, and at home in God’s arms. I know, without a doubt, that Leta’s legacy will live on in her family. My life is forever changed because of God’s influence through Kimberly and her family.
I don’t know what heaven is like, but I think this is a glimpse.
I had several people ask me what I did in class on my last day of school Friday. My students, in true middle school form, asked what we were going to do and I responded, “We’re going to have a dance party.” I always laugh when my kids walk into the room and ask what we’re doing that day. A little math? A little science? The usual…you know.
This past week, I wrapped up their final writing assignment for the 9-weeks and then spent the last three days doing some of the lessons I absolutely love that I won’t get to do with them this year. I also shared my words of wisdom that I normally try to share at the end of each school year. I usually share the Desiderata, which is something my dad shared with his students when he was a teacher. But since this year’s “end” for me is totally different, I decided to switch things up.
I decided to show my kids my middle school pictures and share THIS ARTICLE with them.
I’m sure you can probably scroll in a bit closer if you just HAVE to see.
And, no, I’m not ever scared to share them with my kids.
I love sharing them. My hope is that someone in the room feels like they can connect with me more. I hope they see that I WAS in their shoes. I was as awkward, if not more awakward, as they are.
One cool thing I always get to talk about when I share this article and my pictures with them is about the friends I had in middle school and high school. My “group” had about 8 girls and, because of technology and text messaging, I still get to stay in close contact with them. The other day, I picked up my phone and it had 146 unread text messages! We all talk in a group text message several times a week and it is so much fun. We talk about EVERYTHING under the sun and sometimes I cannot contain my laughter. Husbands, kids, babies, clothes…you name it, we talk about it. And it is SO refreshing.
The one thing I always talk about with my students when I show them my pictures is my friends that I had at that time in my life. I talk about how the friends you choose have such a HUGE impact on you and how important it is to choose wisely. I was definitely the nerd of my group of friends when I was growing up, but I was totally okay with that. My friends accepted me for me and I tell my students how important it is to find friends who do just that. They never pressured me to do anything I didn’t want to do, they welcomed me into their lives, and never made me feel like I couldn’t be myself. I am SO thankful for that and still thankful for it to this day. I love our conversations now because they are so different from the ones we had around our lunch table at HHSÂ and it’s so cool to see how our lives have changed TOGETHER. I hope you girls know how much you mean to me!
Anyway, I hope you find time to click on that article above and read it.
My favorite truth in the list is Truth #9 that talks about not peaking in middle school, high school, or college. I am SO glad that was not my goal at that time. Despite how stressful and crazy life can be right now, this really is the BEST time of my life and I am so thankful popularity in school was never my goal. I love watching my students’ eyes when I talk about this.
The week at school went well. My colleagues surprised me with a going away party and showered me with love, gifts, and notes that I will keep with me forever. Scott brought the kids to the party and I had no idea they’d be there!! Friday, the 8th grade staff put together an awesome lunch with homemade cheesecake that I just HAD to have. My students went above and beyond, bringing in baked goods, leaving me sweet notes, and loading me up with hugs at the end of the day. They are the best and I will SO miss seeing them every day.
Before our weekend officially kicked off, we had to say goodbye to Tanner and Leah’s Nonna. Ronda took care of our kids when Scott and I worked; Tanner has been with her since he was 6 months old! She was such an answer to prayer in our life. I was so thankful I could go to work every day and know he was taken care of. Ronda has allowed me to ask her a gazillion parenting questions and shared in raising my kids these last three years – I am eternally grateful to her. I can’t quite picture what life will be like without her, but we are thankful for technology so we can keep in touch!
After we wiped the tears away, I took the kids out to eat since Scott went hunting with a buddy. We had fun! The only bad thing is I think Tanner’s lovie, Little Mickey as we call him, fell out of the car as I was getting him in his car seat. We haven’t had any meltdowns yet and it’s the second night without him, so fingers crossed that Little Mick shows up or Tanner survives without him. We bought him another Mickey a few months ago when we thought we lost him, but he prefers THAT Mickey. The old one. The originial. Of course!
Saturday morning was breezy – 50ish degrees with some light wind. Scott and I died laughing when we both commented that we were cold. We’re about to move to Minnesota and we were cold. Uhhhhhh. Yeah.
Tanner had his first soccer game and, yes, he scored a goal! It was so funny watching the kids running into each other and scoring on their own goal. If you ever have a bad day and need a pick-me-up, three-year-old sporting events is the way to go!
We also had a little campfire behind our house and Leah had her first taste of marshmallows. Yep…she devoured them!
This morning we went on a walk, went to church, took naps, went to the library, and soaked in the day!
I’ve been enjoying my three new pairs of sweatpants. Perfect timing for a move up north with winter on its way! I’m not going to lie, I’m excited about not having to wear my work clothes for a while. I am LOVING this cooler weather right now. I can breathe and straighten my hair without it getting all wavy and crazy from the humidity.
Today, we started going through our clothes and purging what we can. We have a pretty big bag of stuff ready to take to our local thrift store. I also started packing clothes for the rest of the month. The kids and I will be nomads for a few weeks since we don’t close on our house until the end of the month. Packers come Thursday and the rest of our time here will be C.R.A.Z.Y.
I’m soaking in each moment. God is good. He is here.
Next, we headed over to meet Tanner’s preschool teacher. He starts on Monday and we are all so excited! He was a little shy, but that was to be expected. I am so incredibly pumped for him to start because I know he’s going to LOVE it. 
Running in the Trenches 