A Whirlwind of Transition

We’re here! We made it to Arizona on December 29^th, and have been pretty much out of touch with the rest of the world until our phone and internet lines were installed yesterday.  But, now that we have reconnected with the 21^st century, I am looking forward to playing catch-up on the blog!!  But, I thought I would start with the here-and-now, and at least let everyone know we are still alive, though just a little behind on current events.  As time allows, I will work backwards, or forwards depending on how the mood strikes…and update the goings on of the past few weeks.

 

It has been 2 weeks (almost) and this native Californian is slowly getting used to the fact that she now lives in Arizona!  I am still trying to find my way around town…and doing quite well, thanks to the gift of a GPS system this Christmas!!  Still, just getting to and from the grocery store can be a bit of an adventure!  So far, we are loving the weather.  But, that isn’t saying much as it is really not too different from what we left behind!  And, if you read my last post, you’ll know that it has actually been colder here on a few occasions!  I know, I know, wait until the summer…  But, growing up in southern California, I’m used to hot…and beyond a certain point, hot is just hot.  Right?

 

This place is not quite as foreign as I once imagined it to be…though the cactus dotted landscape sure is something to get used to.  On the drive in from California, my dad and I were laughing at the fact that cactus apparently do not grow beyond the Arizona state line…on the California side, the freeway is lined with palm trees, but once you cross the border, the cacti begin popping up everywhere!  Hannah is absolutely fascinated with them and can’t wait to touch one…

 

Transition into our new house has been relatively easy.  Of course, it helped immensely that we had both my parents and Jason’s parents here to help with moving and unpacking boxes, organizing the kitchen, and keeping Hannah entertained while mommy and daddy unpacked or ran errands.  (Thank you!!)  Hannah loves our new house, her favorites are her new play/schoolroom, and the stairs.  Now that all of the grandparents have left, she is once again getting used to the idea of occasionally entertaining herself.

 

As far as the transition into our new church home…We have already met several wonderful people, and their warm welcome has been such a blessing!  Hannah was thrilled to find several girls her age at church on Sunday and we are already looking forward to many future playdates!  We really don’t know exactly what our life and ministry will look like at Way of Grace.  But, we are eager to invest in the friendships, opportunities, and ministries that the Lord has for each of us.  And we are excited to see how He will work in our lives, our family, our (new) church home, our community, and our world. 

 

We are so thankful for your prayers for us over the past few weeks and months, both leading up to the decision to come to Arizona and throughout the moving process.  It has been, and continues to be a bit of a whirlwind of transition.  But we know that our God is unchanging, and always good.  We have been reminded that “home is where the heart is” (cliché, I know).  And, our hearts belong to our Father in Heaven, so wherever He places us here on earth is exactly where we want to be.  And, for now, He has called us Arizona, and we couldn’t be more excited about it!

 

Stay tuned…updates will be coming soon!!