The Big Things

I sat down this evening and decided that some of the posts that are being drafted are just going to wait.  I decided to pick up from today and then go backwards.  The last three weeks have been pure craziness.  I sat at lunch today and thought that the time has just gone by and I don't even know exactly what happened.  I guess the summary just doesn't seem to do it justice... friends, family, moving, friends, family, moving. Oh, and don't forget unpacking!

Friends:  I have to say that God has blessed my life with some amazing people.  I am a firm believer in the idea that God can bring a person into your life for a reason and he can take them away just as easily.  However, despite years of separation both relationship wise and distance, there was one person that never seemed to leave my heart, prayers or thoughts.  Colleen, aka Rudy.   Long story made shorter, Colleen and I recently were able to reconnect. I was so excited when I learned she was coming home a couple weeks ago.  YEAH!!!  We saw each other for the first time in years.  An evening of lots of memories and lots of catching up was exactly what we needed. Those years of separation had done nothing to damage that friendship.  We could still laugh, finish each others sentences and sure had a good time telling stories to Paityn and Colleen's niece.  I am thankful for the time that we had recently, as I truly believe that God has blessed us with our friendship.

Colleen and I in December of 1999 and Now

Family: With life as crazy as it is, it isn't very often that the state of Colorado is able to be blessed by the presence of my brother, Tom.  So, we take every moment to enjoy it when he comes.  The best part is it isn't just Tom anymore.  We now enjoy visits from Tom and his fiance, Becki.  I know that I always love when my brother comes to visit, but I tell ya, it takes weeks to pull Paityn out of the clouds anytime she gets to see Uncle Tom and Aunt Becki.  They were here for just under a week.  They took Paityn shopping for her dress for their wedding (Paityn get's to be a junior bridesmaid), played lots of monopoly and even helped us move.  We were able to not only enjoy the visit but also celebrate my brothers accomplishment of graduating from college.  He is the first in our family to do so.  We are SO proud of him. As sad as we always are when they leave, we just enjoy every moment we get with them.  I have to say that the joy of my brother picking on me hasn't changed one bit.  30 and 33 years old and our mother still had to scold us a few times.  Bless her heart, Becki just rolls her eyes and chuckles at Tom when he picks on me.

Moving: Well, after two years of living in an apartment, our family is so glad to now be in a duplex.  We were so blessed to have the apartment when we did.  There was a time for downsizing life in so many ways and the apartment was perfect.  It was originally chosen as the place where Paityn and I would live on our own.  When Corbin and I got married, he joined us there.  Then you add the dog and two cats.  Well, needless to say the time for downsizing had left us.  We were so blessed to have been able to contact a previous landlord of Corbin's and found they had a three bedroom duplex that they were going to be renting at the same time we needed a place.  I guess you could say the rest is history.  We spent the first week of July moving.  Thanks to help from family, it was a much smoother move then we expected.  Bandit is in love with having a yard and Paityn discovered that there are all kinds of great hide and go seek places here.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for us at this new place.  On a side note, one thing that I am the most excited about is having a place to put some flowers again.  Well, my Mom blessed us yesterday with a little planter of flowers.  The first flowers for our new place.

You know, time sure does fly by.  I sit back on a daily basis and think of all the things that happen that I will someday, not even remember.  It makes me think of a quote that I recently saw, " Enjoy the the little things in life because one day we will look back, and realize they were the big things." That is the point I am at.  I can write about these big things, my dear friends, my family and things like our move, but sometimes I just wish I could remember all the little things too. The hug that came with the friendship reunion, the laughs and creative game play (I swear you should be able to make the deal to never have to pay rent) that go with a family game of monopoly, or the moments of cherishing our new home. Sometimes, it is just so hard to put those little things into words.  So, with that being said, please treasure the big things for now as I continue to work on my ability to express those little things.