the beginning of the end

It started today. The beginning of the end. The last few weeks of going to worship with our amazing spiritual family has been getting progressively harder and today I realized that our days are getting very short to be together in close community with this part of the body. This week I will actually begin to pack our belongings...again. Three new babies have been born in our body in the last two weeks and I may not be here for their showers. This Sunday we will speak in our church for the last time as members. I realized that our little girl can't really be dedicated in this fellowship because the committement to help us raise her needs to come from the new community that we'll be moving to, not the one we have been part of for 16 years. I'm working on the last project with my first Hope spiritual mama that we'll do together for a very long time.

Things are winding down and picking up at the same time. We know our starting dates and our moving dates, we've picked colors for our house and know where some of the furniture will be. We're making plans for events that we want to coordinate with youth in the city so that our rural youth and the city youth can build bridges. We're excited about the new adventures, the new friends and the fulfillment of dreams. It doesn't get much better than this. I'm looking forward just a little to planting all that garden space (still a little freaked out by how much there is, but a little anticipation is rising). My son was revelling in the fact that there'll be so much grass to play soccer on and so much fresh air out at the farm. The three year old refers to it as 'his' farm.

So much to do, so many people to see, so little time to do it in.

So today I started crying over the beginning of the end of life as I've known it.

reporting in

Haven't posted in awhile so I thought I'd report in and let y'all in on the goings on around here.

1. We are officially an associate pastor couple to a delightful church close to nowhere!
2. We just got back from holidays sans kids - well, we had the wee one with us, but she's so darn cute you hardly notice her except for her crying in the middle of the night. Didn't manage to catch up on a lot of sleep.
3. We just had our 15th anniversary of getting engaged! WOW!
4. My eldest boy put the wrong eye drops in after an allergy attack and had no central vision for almost a week, poor guy - at least he had a good excuse for not doing his school work while we were away.

5. We took the first load of stuff to our new house.
6. Got sick on holidays - just look what happens when you actually turn off your adrenal glands.
7. CArebear's baby turned on her own! So excited about that!
8. Wrote a lengthy comment on CArebear's blog but that darn Beta blogger thingy wouldn't let me comment, so annonying. So friend, if you want the nutshell version on the birthing stories you'll have to get them in person.

9. STill can't get my links to show up on this silly thing...
10. All my wonderful kidlets are sleeping over in our room tonite, they kinda missed us, I guess! I sure missed them. Happy to be back, surrounded by those I love the most!

Good friend week

Have had such a good time with friends this week....

my Wednesday buddies - always wonderful - especially when you fold my laundry (you are too nice to me)
Friday night with the Schroeders - how much laughter was that - I will never take your jobs seriously ever again
Saturday - ladies craft retreat with tons of quilting buddies! I got so much done!!! but man was it cold - hope to get my before and after pics up soon - two beautiful quilts ready to rock and roll + an outfit for my girlie
Sunday - good food and good friends all day long - you guys rock
work out/dieting buddies - are we starting to look good or what? WHAT! (just kidding)