My Year, In Review

Tomorrow the movers come for all of our furniture. We've moved most everything else to our new house, so once the movers get the big stuff, we will be out of our rental for good. (Can I get an amen?!)

Even though I am only moving about 25 miles north, I am feeling a bit sentimental. I truly am so happy to be moving into a house that better fits our family (and that is ours!), and I do not think I will miss our rental house (though it has been a fine home this past year).

As we are moving into this next chapter of our lives, I am reflecting back on the past year...our first year living in Florida. In some ways, it has been a difficult year. Brett has battled health issues. I have not slept well and have nightmares regularly (something I've never had). We experienced our first ambulance experience with a child (which, truthfully, is a blessing we made it 5 years without one). Our landlords have, at times, been unkind, which hasn't been a huge deal but it is a feeling that lingers in this home. There have been some battles.

But it has also been a really good year. The best word I can use to characterize this year is freedom. Because we did not own a home, we had a bit of a savings....so (until last week when we purchased a house again), we had a bit more wiggle room in our finances than usual. We did not do anything wild, but we could breathe.

Knowing this was the last year before school started (and therefore making life much more structured and busy), I committed to very few activities. Our mornings were slow and our days laid back. The days were fairly predictable but not very structured.

Ministry-wise, I had very few responsibilities. We lived too far from the university for me to be able to do much, and I felt compelled by God to take a year to rest from active ministry.

Most importantly, my times with God have been the best they've been in years. I went through a spiritually dry time for awhile (before moving to FL), but in the midst of an unstructured, borderline indulgent season....my relationship with God has been one consistent part of my life. God has opened my eyes to dreams in my heart and shown me, in a deeper way, what He has called me to do (beyond my family). My prayer life has increased dramatically. I really got a revelation of how important praying is, and I have been more intentional about praying. It's been good. The presence of God is always good.

After a year of care-free living (for the most part), God is calling me to a season of discipline and responsibility (in a good way). I've had some pretty significant mindset changes in the last year (I love God's faithfulness to change me!), and I am ready to "take back my life", so to speak.

Once we get settled into our new house (because, let's face it, transitioning to a new place is not the time to start a new routine), I have vision for how I want my family life to change.

- We will be starting school in about six weeks, so that will naturally make our mornings more structured

- I plan to wake up before my kids to get my day started on a good note, which will require going to bed at a decent hour (on a side note, God willing, I will be pregnant in the next few months....we aren't trying yet but plan to start soon.....so this plan might go out the door for a few months. Just being real here!)

- I can't wait to start cooking healthy meals again (this shocks even me, but after living on junk food--just because it's easier during a move--I am ready for decent food)

- Overall, I am going to plan our days better

- I am taking on more ministry responsibilities. I already have a small opportunity (that I will write about later) that I am super excited about!! Since we will live less than 5 minutes from the university campus, I will get to be involved in campus stuff again! YAY! After a year of rest, I am so ready to minister again on a consistent basis!

This year has been pretty crazy. Through the hard times, it has been very good. I am thankful for all that God did in me this year. He is so faithful.