I am back!

I am back.  Whew...the last 2 months have been a whirlwind and it is hard to even remember why I have been so busy.  I am finding that managing a household with 3 kids is far more work than I ever imagined.  That is exacerbated by the fact that Brian is working more now than he ever has.  I have lost track of the hours, but I do remember that he was not around for most of December!  Fellowship has proven to be very difficult for both of us.  Brian is stressed and over-worked in a way that I have never seen.  He can't seem to get ahead and the work load just continues to pile up.  3 boys keep me moving and some days it is relaxing to just sit and play with them because feeding, bathing, cooking, cleaning and all the home maintenance takes so much energy! 

December:  This month was busy preparing our hearts for Christ's birth!  We did not celebrate Santa this year and instead focused on the true meaning of the season.  I know that Jacob was a little confused, but in the end, he didn't miss out on anything.  My parents came to visit for a week and we drove 16 1/2 hours to LaSalle, IL to see Brian's family.  Everyone was back so it was fun to see everyone.  We almost didn't make it as CT got hit with its first big snowstorm on December 26th.  We got a foot of snow and crazy winds, so getting out of CT got delayed for a day.  Since then, we have gotten pounded with 80 inches of snowfall total for the year.  UGH!  At first the snow was fun and exciting, then it was still pretty and appreciated and now it is completely dreaded and painful to look at it.  I don't think we will see the grass before April.  We have at least 3 1/2 feet of snow on the ground...too much for the boys to even play in.

January:  Brian signed a contract with Bon Secours St. Francis in Greenville, SC shortly after Christmas.  The reality of it all has begun to sink in and we are excited for the new opportunity.  We are down to less than 5 months in CT and then we can plant our roots in SC.  The job was too good to pass up and Brian feels that it has the potential to be a lifelong career there in Greenville.  We have begun house hunting and I will be flying down to Greenville next weekend to determine whether we will buy an existing home or build a new one.  We are pre-approved through the bank, so it is now just a matter of finding what we want!

So that leaves me with February.  More house hunting and soul searching.  The last 7 months in CT have taught me a lot of lessons and life has been anything but easy.  I am thankful for a few good friends who have supported me along the way; they are truly a blessing!  I have done a lot of deep digging with my faith and trying to understand exactly what my role in this world is.  I have only begun to get answers, but it is exciting as I start to really embrace this new role!  More on that later.  For now, I am thankful for good health, a husband I get to spend a few hours a week with and 3 beautiful boys that keep me going and give me a reason to get up in the morning!