I have found millions of these beautiful tiny explosions of color. Sometimes you have to step back from you busy schedule and hectic lifestyle and breathe in the fresh air. Breathe in the wonder of life and blessing of each day. God is good. Leaves are an excellent example of His attention to detail and the beauty of His creation. The amazing part is how much more He is concerned with the soul’s of men. The beauty of creation is nothing in comparison to the beauty of His love towards mankind.
Can’t say I ever imagined living in Michigan. There are a lot of things about Michigan that scares me away, mainly, S-N-O-W! The Southern California girl in me shutters at the thought of it. Luckily, we have not hit that part of the season so it is not something I have to fight. But their fall season is breath taking. The colors make the trees look as if they are on fire, consumed by yellow, burgundy, orange, and red. Colors I have only imagined, but never seen, used to paint the open landscape. A California fall means boots, scarfs, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and naked trees. There really isn’t much of a transition period. On the other hand, Michigan falls are an explosion of color, and smells. Oddly, it is still pretty humid. We are told this is not normal, it is pretty odd. I keep trying to wear boots and scarfs, but the weather is not permitting. The community we are staying in has no fences, only wide open spaces between the homes. There are no street lights, which makes for an almost magical experience at night. The stars are incredibly clear and bright. All that to say, so far, this has been a great experience. I cannot complain.
I couldn’t be more thankful for this month’s living situation. Matthew and I keep looking at each other like is this real? My cousin has graciously opened up his home to us for the month! We just got back from spending the fourth of July with some of his friends at their beach house. Everyone was kind and friendly to us, just two strangers from LA. We kicked it by the beach all day, took a brief pizza break for dinner and headed back to the beach for one of the most amazing firework shows I have ever seen. Per my cousin, Mark, fireworks are not allowed on the beach. There are check points that cops check what you are taking onto the beach. Mark says that people go the day before, bury the fireworks on the beach and the night of the fourth dig them up and shoot them off. I am not going to complain, the show was amazing! You sat under a beautiful open sky, and watched for miles fireworks going off to celebrate our country’s independence day! It was pretty amazing!
Iowa.. Farmhouse
Nebraska.. Bridge to Nebraska
Wyoming.. Lincoln Memorial.
And we are still going strong…two more states to go until California!
Thank you Mom for taking time out of your super busy schedule to drive across the country with me and my kitty! I don’t know about everyone else’s mom, but mine is pretty awesome.
In 2 Samuel David cries out to the Lord,
“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. (2 Samuel 22:7).
The Lord has heard my my soul’s cry. Leaving everyone one behind was hard. But the Lord has been so good to me and my little soul. He has kept my friends and family close, whether it be by pictures, text messages, or phone calls. He also has gone above and beyond by bringing people to me! Even new people! God is so good! This past week I was able to meet up with a dear friend from college. I am so thankful for her friendship and our time together! Thank you Lord for remembering me… even all the way over here in Kentucky!
It’s all how you see it.
The idea of leaving church, family, friends and stability was terrifying! It was the last thing in the world I wanted to do! I hate living out of a suitcase and that is what was being asked of me, for 8 months! I was “fat and happy” with my life, content in where I was. Don’t misunderstand me being content is not a bad thing, but becoming complacent is…and that is what was slowly happening. Being out of our bubble was the best thing that has happened for Matthew and I. It was not an easy transition by any means, but I can see now it was what we needed for this particular season of life, in order, to grow closer as a couple and as individual people. We were so busy with life, with everything we were involved in, and these past few months we found each other again. I was looking back on pictures of the last three months, crazy it’s been three months, and part of me cant believe we did half the things evident in our pictures. The Lord has been so good to carry us through all of the change and uncertainty. I am in shock we are almost at the half way mark. I am so thankful for these past few months and the opportunities the Lord has given us. I feel so blessed. He knows what we need when we need it and provides, even without us asking. There have been days that Matthew and I just look at each other and cant help laughing at our situation. The Lord has given us joy through our sadness, companionship despite our lonely situation, and wealth despite our tiny budget! We couldn’t be more thankful for the Lord’s goodness and providence through these past three months. I am incredibly excited to see how the Lord is going to work through the next part of our trip and what he is going to teach us. Summer time is here and I am excited to see what is in store for us. All glory goes to Him.
Are you ever just amazed with the direction the Lord is taking you? I am.
I cannot believe we are in month three! The Lord has been so good to bring us through these past couple months. We have learned a lot, but the most important is priorities. We have had numerous conversations about this issue throughout our trip. Where do WE fit in to all of this chaos? The idea that if we have each other we can get through anything was always in the back of our minds. I feel like I have heard that my whole life through the media and our society. Love will find a way. But what if it doesn’t? What if we aren’t enough for each other. Being together the past couple months has showed us that we are weak people, who let each other down… all the time! The Lord has stripped us of all friends and family, our support system was gone. So, naturally, we turned to each other. We each had separate expectations and never communicated that to each other, just expected it. The Lord quickly broke the idea that we were all we had. He was gracious and loving as he showed us where we were wrong. We had been focused so much on each other that we had neglected our own relationship with the Lord. Our priorities neglected the Lord. He has taught us that we need Him more than ever when things are good and bad. We are not perfect and will mess up again, but in the meantime, the Lord is faithful. Although we are faithless He will always be faithful. He cannot break His character. When we seek after Him wholeheartedly we simultaneously grow closer as a couple. We both are thankful and excited to see how the Lord will use the rest of this trip.
Ventures of Love 