We are coming up on one year of moving from Indiana to Florida. Hard to believe it’s been a year. Looking back it’s difficult to put into words what this year has been like for us and meant to us. Words really don’t do it justice but I will try. So here it is.

We are different people today than we were when we pulled up in front of our townhouse with the moving truck and looked at what was now home for us. We are stronger, more confident, walk with more humility, a whole lot braver and more dependent on God and each other. In a sense we all have grown up quite a bit.

We have been stretched and pulled till it felt like we would break and we were brought to our knees more than once. We have laughed more this year than ever and cried more tears than ever. Looking back the ups and downs and twists and turns of our year almost make me a little dizzy. I never planned to move to Florida so all the happenings of this year, the good and hard, were all one surprise after another.

This year we survived 2nd grade (barely) and kindergarten x2. We survived 2 soccer seasons, 2 baseballs seasons, 1 basketball season and gymnastics. We officially have 2 new readers in the house and another one who reads through books well beyond grade level.

Many miles have been ran, a marathon completed and another one scheduled. There is also a new runner in the house preparing for his first marathon.

We managed to chalk up a badly sprained thumb, a concussion, a broken knee cap and a season of sickness that lasted a good 3 months.

We have started and thrived in 2 new jobs that were both a total change of pace for us. We have learned many new work skills that have now become second nature.

We started a new business that is thriving!

We tried 5 churches and finally landed on #6 a month ago and have all (well 4 out of 5 of us) agreed we are staying!

We can confidently say we have friends here that are nice, normal people. They like us, we like them, it’s all good in the hood.

We are still beach people, even after a year. We still love it and can’t believe it’s just right there! And we have managed to get the beach routine down to a science that is perfectly simplified and doesn’t include making multiple trips back and forth to the car.

We finally feel like our head is above water. Just slightly, but still. It has taken almost a year but we are past the point of just surviving and almost to thriving. It’s a good feeling.

We are still homesick for family and friends that know us and miss what was “normal” to us. But slowly, v e r y slowly this is becoming our new normal. I can’t say I love it but I am growing to like it. We all are.

What I do love is what God has done in our marriage and within our family. And what He continues to do. The way we have changed inside and out would have never happened if we would have said NO to God’s calling to move.

First hand I am living out that God never promised obedience would be easy. But He did promise He would be with me every step of the way. He has been. He is.