We made it to SEVEN years!

You've heard me say this before: When I married Chad, I not only signed up for marriage to a great guy but I was willing to be a military wife that came with it's own special role.  I loved the thought of moving and adventure and "seeing the world" with him by my side. So after we got married, we settled in Cheyenne, WY for a year and a half before we got orders to England.  ENGLAND!  We didn't even have to learn a new language! It was really tough to say "goodbye" to our Nebraska families, and I remember how nervous I was coming home for the first time - I threw up the whole way home on that international flight, not fun :(.  We lived there for five amazing years before getting orders to Iceland.  ICELAND!  Who actually lives there?  We barely even knew where it was located.  It was considered a military "remote" - meaning a short tour, where the military member is allowed to bring family.  Those assignments were memorable due to the fun traveling opportunities ( Paris for the weekend? Shall we go to Switzerland for Thanksgiving? Canary Islands for Christmas? Yes please!) sweet friends we made - who became family to us, and the strengthening of our faith.  At our halfway point in Iceland, we learned of a position opening for Chad in Nebraska.  Chad's parents happened to have visited shortly after we had received the official notice that we'd be moving, so we surprised them with that announcement during their visit.  After being away from us for seven years, with only visits, you can imagine their excitement and tears!  Calling ALL of our family was exciting!  One more three year tour in Nebraska before three years at the seminary in St. Louis and God then placed us in small town Nebraska once again.  

The beginning of August marked the SEVEN year mark of our time here.  That is certainly something to celebrate considering our past moves!  The kids seem to be thriving, Chad is able to still serve BOTH in the military and the small towns, and there are many things to be savored by living in a slower paced environment.  I wouldn't be completely honest if I said that it's been easy for me, but mostly I am able to see all the great things that God had done in these past years.  I'm getting lots of practice at trading in past expectations for current opportunities...so I might have to trade chess classes for the kids for butchering chickens, or the realization that our small grocery store might not have the ingredients for what I want to make but I can substitute something plus walk there.  Really, there's pros and cons to where ever the Lord places you.  It's a matter of surrender and seeking His help so that you can BLOOM! So as we celebrate SEVEN years, here's a little looksy at how everyone looked at that time.  HOW can it be, they were so very tiny?  Everyone is so miniature, little pips, my heart can barely take it all in.