And then someday came...

I had two family members tell me recently that they missed my blog. I miss it too. I miss sharing my thoughts.  Documenting life as it happens. Instagram is great, but it's filtered and only a snippet.  So I'm making it a point to blog more this year.  I wish I could go back with an extra hour in each day over 2016 and write out my heart. It was such a powerful year of transformation for our family with HUGE steps of faith, attacks from the enemy that led to a deeper relationship with the Lord, new friendships, enlarged territory and promises fulfilled.  But with two moves, driving the girls all over the place with school and a major house renovation there just wasn't time.  It's not too late to document it I suppose... So I'll start here with two videos that show our Hesed Hill property.

Let me first start by saying this whole journey started in December of 2015 and honestly years and years before that when God started laying the ground work for us to move to Tennessee.  In 2015 we thought Texas was going to be home.  My honey had a job lined up, realtors were in place on both ends and during a house hunting visit it all fell apart.  There was disappoint, but also immense peace that it was right...there was somewhere else we were supposed to be.

Tennessee kept popping up in my Instagram feed.  The landscape tugged on my heart.  I always envisioned farms around me.  Being closer to family in Illinois was something I really wanted.  My parents are getting older and the thought of being that far away felt wrong. So Tennessee beckoned and then I saw pictures of a cabin in Leiper's Fork and I had a strong pull that we needed to come.  So I booked it as a surprise for our family on New Year's. We made the trip, fell in love and decided to add it to our "maybe someday we'll move there" list.  And then someday came.  We bought the house after a friend and realtor went through it for us.  It has SO much POTENTIAL they said.  There's some negatives...  A road that's almost impassable.  A nasty trailer eyesore that you'll have to deal with and a smell that knocks you over.  But all that can be fixed...  OH MAN!  So here's the beginning and almost the end of our reno journey.  Maybe I'll share some of the in-between sometime because that's where the real story lies.  The waiting.  The hard.  The shake your faith to the ground, what have we done moments.  The oh my gosh we're in hell.  Why did we do this...  But here's the first steps.

BEFORE

AFTER (a decorated version will come;0)

Click below...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/43976fxrk5ns3do/2016-12-16%2021.27.27.mp4?dl=0

Be a blessing.

a view that knocks my socks off
an office space that turned out better than i could have imagined
decisions that could only have come from Him
easy transitions
a new year full of great promise