goodbye

After much prayer and discernment, Keith and I decided to begin a new chapter in life and ministry. Keith accepted a job at church in southwest Atlanta. But, of course we cannot begin a new chapter without first closing another. 


At the end of March, we told our church family in Hohenwald that we were moving. We spent April ministering alongside and soaking up time with dear friends who, over the past three and a half years, have become more like family. We are humbled and thankful for their loving and supportive response to our leaving. 


Then, for the next five weeks we were able to take time to rest up and recharge. We spent time looking for a house, vacationing at the beach, and visiting friends and family. We drove 5,000 miles and spent time in nine different states. It was a treat, indeed. 


This week, we’ve been back in Hohenwald finishing packing, preparing for and having a garage sale, and spending a bit more time with sweet friends. Tonight is our last night in Hohenwald, and after a busy and tiring week, we were able to eat and enjoy time with special friends: friends who have shown us what it means to love unconditionally; friends who have demonstrated patience again and again; friends who have sacrificed their time, energy, and giftedness to bless us; friends who have loved us like family; friends who welcomed our precious boy into this world and loved him like their own; and friends who have supported and encouraged us as we close this chapter and begin a new one. We will forever be thankful for our time in Hohenwald and for our precious church family. 


Not only are we saying goodbye to people, but we’re also saying goodbye to this town. I will miss the way in which its small size makes it easy for me to find my way around and quick to get from one place to another. I will miss seeing someone I know almost every time we go to the grocery store or out to eat. 


In addition to our town, we also are saying goodbye to our neighborhood. I will miss my almost daily walks pushing Carson in the stroller and stopping to chat with neighbors. I will miss the familiar greetings from the older folks and the children that we’ve gotten to know. I will miss neighborhood kids who come over to visit and play with my boy. I will miss hearing Chase holler, “Hey Carson!” when we go out to play. I will miss having good friends living right next door and the ease in which that allows us to share meals and conversations. I will miss the familiar and comfortable way Carson knows our sweet neighbors. 


Furthermore, we are saying goodbye to our house and the memories it holds. Memories of time with one another snuggled on the couch for a TV show, cooking a meal together, hosting out of town family, sharing meals and game nights with friends, and tucking my boy in bed in his sweet and cozy room. This is the house where we brought Carson home and began learning to be parents, where we spent time almost every day hanging out on our big front porch, and where Carson took his first steps. It is the only home my sweet Carson has ever known. He knows it is "you house!" Moving 14 hours from my family and the only home I’d ever known was scary, but somehow this house has always helped make me feel at home and like I belong, and for that I am and will always be thankful. 


I’m anticipating the next chapter, but for tonight, my last night in Hohenwald, I’m savoring the last few sentences in this chapter. Thank you, Hohenwald, for all that you mean to my family and me. We love you.

summer

Our summer activities are winding down and I'm beginning to prepare for school. So, before summer is completely over, here's a little "summer"ary:) of what we've been up to.

Shortly after I returned home from Texas, we took middle-schoolers to Impact at Lipscomb. It had been a while since we'd used community showers and participated in all that is crazy/silly/fun about middle-school camp:) We enjoyed spending time with the kids and building relationships with them!

We had sweet friends, Andy and Carol, from Maryneal come visit. They came to Tennessee for a family reunion and made time to find us while they were somewhat close! It was a treat to visit with them and show them our home, town, and church.

Then, I got to go to Albuquerque for a couple of days of girl FUN with my mom, sister, aunt, and cousins. It was sooo fun!! We enjoyed time together visiting, eating, and walking around Santa Fe. We even took a tram ride over the mountains...so pretty and fun!

When I got home we had company. Jarrod and Lewis stayed with us and went with Keith to the Christian Scholars Conference, which they LOVED! I went and heard the last speaker and got to see several of Keith's ACU professors and their wives. They are always sweet and encouraging. Then we got to have lunch and good visiting with Dana Hood, my sweet professor/mentor/friend.

The next week was Summer Celebration at Lipscomb. It was beginning to feel like Lipscomb was our new home, but no worries we are still bleeding wildcat purple, not bison purple:) However, if we have to be far from ACU, there's no other college campus we'd rather spend time at. Anyway, summer celebration is their lectureship. We enjoyed worship and classes. Our favorite class was Earl Lavender's "Transformissional Friendship." It was the BEST class I've ever been in. ever. Maybe I'll blog more about it later. We enjoyed meals in the city and fireworks on Friday night too. But, the very best part of summer celebration was spending the night in Nashville with Ronnie and Angela (one of our elders and his wife). We always have the best late night conversations with them.

Then, one night we went with a big group from church to Faith Night at the Nashville Sounds baseball game with Jars of Clay! We got a concert, baseball game, hot dog and coke, all for $10!! Isn't that such a good deal?! We had a blast!

Last week, Keith and I went back to Nashville for a couple of days, but this time, there were no events, conferences, camps, or meetings, just FUN and RELAXING! It was a little vacation for just the two of us:) We slept in, read, snuggled, soaked up some poolside sun, and went out to eat.

Between and amongst all of that, I've done a little scrapbooking, read, slept in, worked on Sunday school lesson plans, and enjoyed meals and conversations with friends.

And, guess what?!!

My sweet husband has finally joined the world wide web of blogging!

You may have noticed that I went a little nuts with the links on this post:) There were probably more links on this post than the whole rest of the blog put together, but if you only click on one link, make it this one. I think you'll enjoy exploring apprenticeship!

Check it out:)

big news for clarksville!!!

We're moving!

Keith accepted a job as the preaching minister for Hohenwald Church of Christ in Hohenwald, Tennessee. We're planning on moving around the first of the year. We visited in early October. Keith preached, taught, and interviewed. We had a wonderful weekend. Hohenwald is a beautiful town in middle Tennessee, about an hour south of Nashville. The people were very sweet and welcoming. They made us feel right at home. After our visit we spent time praying, thinking, and talking to family, friends, and mentors about whether or not this was a good fit for us. Keith and I feel like it is a great opportunity and a really good fit for us. Everyone we talked to was very supportive and encouraging. We are really excited about opening a new chapter in our lives!

Maryneal

Today we said goodbye to our sweet church family in Maryneal. Maryneal is a small community about an hour from Abilene. Keith has had the opportunity to preach there for the past two and a half years. Keith preached his last sermon, we had a yummy potluck meal together, enjoyed a time of singing, and then Keith "handed the reins" to Ben, a new graduate student who is going to take over the preaching at Maryneal.

During our time at Maryneal we have been so blessed by these sweet people. They have loved us, welcomed us in their homes, encouraged us, been patient with us, laughed with us, and fed us lots of great meals. They've allowed Keith to practice and grow as a preacher and have helped us learn how to minister together. We've gotten to know them really well, since there are only about 25 members. After church, each Sunday afternoon, one of the families invites us into their home to have lunch and spend the afternoon together. We have thoroughly enjoyed this time with each of the families. They are wonderful cooks and have fed us well. They've shared lots of recipes and cooking tips with me! After lunch, we've enjoyed visiting, playing games, watching ballgames, doing crafts, grading papers, and taking naps. Then, we go back to church for the evening bible study and worship.

Today, we appreciated being able to have a time of transition as we're leaving and Ben is taking over. Everyone was really sweet and encouraging. We got lots of good hugs! We will miss them so much, but we're excited that someone else will have the opportunities that we've had. They let me have the quilt that I bundled up with every Sunday morning as a memento. They have a basket of quilts for cold-natured people to use during church--such a great idea in my opinion and something I will miss for sure!

We will always treasure the friendships that we've formed and the things that we've learned while we've been a part of this sweet church family.