Hello fall.

Yesterday was the first day of fall. I wish I could say that I celebrated with a pumpkin spice latte, but Elle and I did make cookies with autumn leaf sprinkles this afternoon. It was 68 degrees this morning when we went to the park, which is about a 20 degree cool down from normal. It feels nice, and I'm even contemplating baking granola later today.

The long list of "Moving In To Do's," is dwindling and we're starting to feel at home. Elle's room is all finished. Well, kind of. I spent a couple weeks getting it just right, but as soon as I finished, I woke up to 1/2 the wall decals on the floor. Such is life. There is now a bare wall in her room, and I'm open to suggestions. : )

Things at church are going well. Our leadership has recently decided to make a defined separation between "ministry" and "community." Basically, anyone can attend and be involved in a ministry, but you need to be a member to be in community. So, I'll have to complete all the membership classes before I can get into a community group. Being out of fellowship is beginning to take a toll on me, but at least this is a short term circumstance.

Elle is doing well. My roommate Bridget is always amazed at her capacity to reason and problem solve. She's had a cold the past two weeks, but I think she's finally making a recovery. She continues to be excited to go to daycare and happy when I pick her up; I am thankful for these things.

Life has been a bit on the stressful side, as the "new" wears off and the "real" sets in. There is always a new reason to lean into the great sufficiency of Christ and depend on His grace.

Love to you all. Enjoy the pics.

xo

A little update

Hello Dear Ones,
I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I should probably give it a go.
I continue to be amazed at the Lord's faithfulness and provision. Things are going fairly well with Elle's daycare, my work, and church.
I finally mustered up the courage to address the sugar situation at Elle's daycare. In my world cookies, popsicles, and apple juice in the same day, every day count as excess. It looks like I will be packing some special snacks for Elle from now on. Thankfully, our daycare provider is really flexible, and was open to my requests. I haven't even touched the corn dog issue yet though! : )
Work is taking quite a while to get going. For the first two weeks, there was a problem with my computer access, which is now resolved and I can FINALLY start seeing patients tomorrow! I'm still liking my job and feel passionately about what I do. It's not an easy job to help people make changes to be more healthy, but I feel it is a noble cause. : )
Church has been a blessing as well. I was able to connect with a woman in my church who heads up the Anti-Trafficking group at our church, her name is Monique. She actually lives one street over, on the same street as Elle's daycare! My heart for human trafficking has been to prevent trafficking within the US through foster care. It is reported that 80% of foster care children are considered high risk for being trafficked as they enter their teen years. It is amazing how the Lord knits things together. Monique, had been praying that someone would come to the ministry and take on the foster care piece of their ministry! This is an answer to prayer, but also a little scary... I don't even know where to start! Please pray that the Lord would connect me with the right people, and show me what the next steps are in this ministry. Not to mention, I need help with my time management. I want to spend time with Elle every minute I'm off of work, but also realize that the example of service I set will impact her world view as she grows up.
We are settling down here, and it feels more like home every week; which is not to say that we don't miss all of you out there!!
Next week things start to get a little busy. Adam will be coming for 5 days to spend time with Elle. One of our roommates moves out and Elle will finally have her own room! Sharing a room with her has not been that bad, but it will be great to have my own space again. Then I'll be heading off for a weekend away to celebrate Shelly's 30th birthday! It will be busy but fun. The next blog post will be pictures of Elle's big girl room! I'm pretty excited about decorating her new room. I took her shopping to pick her own pillows... I ended up picking the decorative pillows, and Elle chose a bumble bee pillow pet. I should have known.
More later, love to you all.

xoxo

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Today is Wednesday, which means we've made it more than half way through our first week of full itme work and preschool here in Riverside. As I was talking to friends around the table last night, it really started to sink in... Great is Thy Faithfulness.

It has been such a crazy journey thus far! To think back just a month ago, the Lord has brought us so far... literally! I am feeling very blessed and very thankful to be back at work, and that Elle is doing so well at Preschool. She seems to really like it there, I get good reports on her every day. And when I pick her up, she tells me, "I not cry at Mimi's house." : )

That little girl is such a delight! She let me read to her about COPD tonight, and when I thought she wasn't listening anymore, she would ask me to go on! Don't be surprised if you hear her talking about chronic disease and nutrition care later. ; )

Things are going well. Here is my song for tonight:

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
  Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
    "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

First trip to Laguna Beach!

The last time I was at Laguna Beach I was 41 weeks pregnant and being induced the next day. The last few hours before becoming a mommy I soaked in some sun and reveled in the beauty. It was fabulous. But this trip was way more fun! : )
Elle LOVED it. As we ventured towards the waves, I didn't anticipate that Elle would run towards them and get super excited about being drenched with cold water. We started in a sun dress that got soaked from the waist down. Then I put her in her swim suit and soon after, she was dripping wet and full of sand from head to toe.

Why did we move?

Ok people, I know I have a terribly history with blogging, but I'm going to give it another try. ; )
Elle and I are going to miss our family and friends more than we know, and I really want you to feel like you're still part of our lives even though we're now in California.
I realize that I may need to fill is some blanks for some of you. I am frequently asked why I decided to relocate my small family to Riverside, California when our extended family is in Colorado. Well, that's not an easy one to answer! : ) I guess the simple answer is that I was given a great job here, but we all know that work is just one piece of that big pie called, "Life." The story makes a bit more sense if you back up a year.
When Elle turned a year old, I started to look for full time work. Living with my parents wasn't a bad situation at all. I had two people to help take care of Elle, my Mommy made me dinner most nights, and because they let us stay in their home I was able to work part time and stay home with my baby for the first two years. However, life must go on and it was time to go back to work full time and find a new home for Elle and I. I looked for a job in Colorado for a year, but didn't have any luck. I have been working in a hospital for the past year and a half, and really wanted to get back into outpatient work. Sadly, I did not find a job in the location I wanted, and had to face the reality that I may have to expand my job search. This was a reality that was met with disappointment and resistance, but eventually made me realize what I was really looking for in a home.
1. A church, a community, and friends to share life with.
2. The opportunity to partner with people who are passionate about human trafficking, and/or foster care.
3. The ability to be financially independent and responsible.
So there it is. Those are the reasons Elle and I are here in California, and not in Colorado. I knew that Riverside was the only other place I could have all three besides Colorado. I have a great church here, with the ministry opportunities that have been nagging at my heart. I have some AMAZING friends who have been so loving and supportive over the past four years. And, I was offered a great position with Kaiser in the area of nutrition that I wanted to be in.
I know this is going to be a tough transition for us. My mom and dad have been so generous and drove with us here, but are leaving on Monday. I'm excited for a day at the beach with Nanny and Papa tomorrow, but honestly nervous for the "goodbye." That's going to be a hard one.
It's getting late for this girl who's still stuck in Mountain Standard Time, so I'm signing off.
Much love to you out there.
xoxo
Wade