A fresh start.  A new beginning. A brand new blog. Yes, I confess I have tried to blog a time or two in the past and failed miserably. However, finding I have a little more time on my hands paired with my family growing and changing at lightening speed, I have decided that blogging about our lives would be a super way to document these fleeting days.

I am almost 37 years old. I married my high school sweetheart the day after I graduated high school (and no, I was not pregnant). I have an 11yo dd and an 8yo ds. I homeschool my dc. They have been homeschooled since birth. My dh is also nearly 37. He is my hunky firefighter and all around Jack of all Trades. We live  in the desert and pretty much hate it. We dream of moving somewhere a bit cooler and greener. We would love to have our own little farm or ranch. We currently live on a little acre out of town and truly enjoy the space between neighbors. We also love how clearly we can see the stars. We have 8 chickens, 4 hermit crabs, 2 dogs and a cat. We also have a large vegetable garden.

I am a Christ follower. Something else I tend to fail miserably at. During the past week I have been rather astounded by the idea of grace and mercy. Call me a slow learner but I am beginning to finally see that there is no possible way for me to get it right. I have to survive by grace alone, breath by breath, moment by moment, day by day.

My little family is facing changes over the next year that are scary and exciting at the same time. We are preparing to sell our home. We have decided to travel around our state on my hub’s 6 days off between tours in a fifth wheel. We are going to do this for a few years then purchase some land and build our own home. Sounds easy enough! I am sure it will be much more involved than that but it will be a chance of a lifetime. An adventure! What an opportunity with the kids! We hope to go out of state twice during that time. Once to Alaska and again to Virginia. From a homeschooling perspective, it is going to be one awesome field trip!

We love to camp so this won’t be a stretch for us. I believe the biggest challenge (in my mind thus far) will be whittling down our possessions. We have 18 years of ‘stuff’ to evaluate. I confess, I love the thought of a clean start. Purging is so therapeutic for me.

I hope to chronicle our journey here. I am eager to see what the Lord has for us in this season of life. I want desperately to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. To acknowledge Him in all of His ways and allow Him to direct my (our) paths. (Proverbs 3:4-5) I want to capture every thought of  doubt, fear, anxiety and make it obey Him. (2 Corinthians 10:5). My sinful nature wants me to guess at the future, worry about what’s next, wring my hands over my health, fear over finances. I pray that the Lord will remind me to allow Him to lead and that through this next season we will all draw closer to Him.