Provided for

This year has been a long journey.  It will be one that will stick out as we look back on our lives.  We will never forget it.

It's been awesome at times and really difficult at times.  But the Lord has remained faithful.  He always has and always will.

We've had our moments of missing Richmond, missing family, missing friends and small group, missing familiarity, missing our old home, and stability in a job.  But over and over and over we have been reminded that it is the Lord that has brought us here.  Nothing else has.  Why else would we leave the familiar, comfortable, and stable things?

One of the ways the Lord has blessed us this year is our neighborhood.  We really like our house.  It gives us the space we need, in a really nice community.  The only complaint would be our lack of yard, which is becoming a bigger deal.  But its the people that is blowing me away.

I've always wanted to live in one of those communities where you know all your neighbors and the kids all play together.  We're getting close to that here.

Tonight Ed and I sat in our backyard with two couples who live on our street.  One couple bought smores stuff  and pretty much invited themselves over to use our firepit, and that kind of explains our relationship.  Our next door neighbors have become dear friends.  They are seminary people so obviously there was an instant connection.  We have shared meals and desserts, traded babysitting our kids for their dog, talked on our front porches, discussed ministry ideas and philosophies, and dreamed about new babies.

The other couple just moved in down the street and they too are believers.  We are just getting to know them, but really like them as well.

So as we sat outside in our backyard laughing and telling stories, I was just reminded of this gift the Lord has given us.

Micah has a friend that lives right behind us that goes to school with him.  So this is the first time he has had a friend in the neighborhood, and he loves it!

All this in a neighborhood I didn't think we'd be here for much more than a year.  But all of a sudden I'm finding I love the people here and it breaks my heart to leave.  We have no plans of leaving yet, but know it will be in our future.

Right now I am just full of thankfulness for my God who has so richly provided sweet friendships for us all.  He has not only provided for us financially, but with relationships that go deep.  These are a treasure to me, and leaves my heart full and so grateful.  We are truly provided for.

Superbowl Traditions

Around this house, we like the Superbowl.  We love it.  It doesn't matter that it has been 20, yes 20 years, since our team won the big game.  We still like it, and look forward to celebrating it every year.  

So it got me thinking about how we've celebrated in the past.  One of my earliest memories of the Superbowl was 20 years ago, when I was 11.  The Redskins were playing the Bills, and I went over my friend's house to celebrate.  And they won of course!  

In college, it was not so much fun.  I was the kind of girl that actually liked watching it.  However, Ed and all the guys would watch it together with their hall, and no girls were allowed.  So I was left hanging out with all the girlfriends, and we played games instead of watching it.  They were more interested in the commercials, you know.  I'm still a little bitter about it now, can you tell?

Some of my favorite memories were the Bevers' Superbowl parties during our seminary days.  All our seminary friends went, and we always had the best food!  

Since then, we have just done different things each year.  We often get together with Ed's brother George to watch it.  

Last year was A-MAZING!  We went away with the Dowdys (two shout outs in a row!) to Wintergreen for the best weekend ever!  

This year its looking like it may be a fun year again.  We are hanging out with our friends the McMurrays since they now live close to us!  Ed and Wes are calling it the Slumberbowl XLVI!  We are literally having a slumber party at their house.  Our kids will be able to play together, then go to sleep - yay!  We will hang out and not have to worry about driving home - yay!  

So I'm pretty excited, and the best part is right now I'm hanging out with some of my best girlfriends.  6 of us met up this weekend for a girls weekend.  So all in all, its a pretty good weekend for me!  Pray for my husband, aka Daddy-On-Duty.  

How about you?  Do you have any fun traditions for the Superbowl?