Catch Up, Part 1

Time flies. I know I am not the only one to feel it, but I just can't believe we're already half way through April. So much has happened over the past few weeks and there just simply hasn't been any time to blog. Which has made me a little sad because I feel like I am missing recording important things I will want to remember later. Oh well. I will do my best to update you on the past few weeks...

New Job
So I am LOVING my new job! I wake up every morning feeling so thankful for how the Lord has provided this perfect job for me. And as I mentioned before, I feel like a completely new person. I am actually rested and I just feel normal again. I am really enjoying my job, and I am again blessed by amazing people to work alongside. I am in a pretty good routine and feel like I have found my rhythm. I still have a lot to learn, but everyone is so helpful and willing to help me. I love that while I have a pretty set routine, I am always doing something different. Meaning, at my old job I pretty much just sat at my desk, worked on reports, and participated in conference calls all. day. long. Here, I am hardly sitting still for longer than 20 minutes. And I really enjoy that! I get to work with a wide range of people from all corners and levels of the bank. And the culture is very much like a mini-family. Which I also really enjoy. I am learning why they were named to the 2011 list of "Top 100 Places to Work in Dallas-Fort Worth" by the Dallas Morning News.

And more than the job itself, there are the sweet blessings of normal life. I can wake up at a normal time, feel rested, and have plenty of time to spend with the Lord, eat breakfast, and get ready for the day. I can leave when it's light outside. I can get to work in 4 minutes (5 if I have to wait on a bus at a stop sign). I can come home for lunch if I want to. I can enjoy random visits from my husband on his way home from work. I recognize that these are a lot of things that most people don't get to have. I don't say them to brag or highlight how awesome my life is right now. I say them so that I can remember what incredible gifts from the Father they are. Because I know that these things are not promised or guaranteed to last. But I want to enjoy and be grateful for them while they do. Because that's what they are- incredible gifts from my Father.


McKinney
With the start of my new job, I am really starting to enjoy McKinney more. Simply because I feel like I am really living here now rather than just sleeping/visiting. It is really feeling like home, and I am excited about making our life here. We are continuing to meet with our home church, recently moving our meeting time to Sundays to accommodate schedules and families. Mike and I talk all the time about how incredible it is that we look out across our living room and see the faces of now dear friends, people we didn't know existed a year ago. We are beginning to pray through what our next steps as a group are, and where we feel the Lord is leading us in terms of transitioning into an "official" church plant. Through some provisions of relationships in the area, we are excited about how the Lord is working and where He is moving. We would appreciate prayers in that process, as we want to remain faithful and obedient to the Lord's plans and not get excited and jump ahead with our own. It would mean more transitions in the future, so prayers over that are coveted.


Married Life
As of this weekend, Mike and I have been married for 9 months! :) The Lord has really used a lot of varying circumstances to teach me a lot about myself and about marriage. I am learning to communicate better- whether it's through learning how to be a better encouragement for my sweet husband or it's through learning how to share with him how I am feeling about certain things. I certainly leave a lot to be desire in both areas, but I am thankful for Mike's patience and grace as I work on it.

But married life right now is sweet. Part of it is the fact that we moved "away" to McKinney together. We jumped into this new adventure together and get the opportunity to walk through these huge transitions together. Not that other people don't do that. But there is something about moving away to a new city by yourselves and having to start over, build relationships, learn the community together. And  then part of it is the fun of being closer to home so I can enjoy those sweet surprise visits at work, or like today we can have lunch together. I see so much of how the Lord is providing pockets of time for us to focus on us. We're still technically in the "honeymoon phase" and haven't been married long enough for the craziness of life to really settle in. But I see how quickly that can happen. It will be something we will have to work on preserving throughout our marriage. So right now, while things are good and sweet, I am thankful to Jesus for days I can enjoy lunch with my husband :)