Hello "Fall"...

The beautiful season of fall as arrived all across the country. To me, fall has always meant birthdays (my sister & sister-in-law's in Sept. and mine & my dad's in October), leaves turning color, football season, cooler weather, hot chocolate, and a jacket in the brisk wind. After moving to Arizona, we have survived the heat of the summer and have moved into autumn. Some things have remained the same- still had my birthday (25th to be exact) and there is still football, of course! For anyone who has lived in an area where seasons don't really change much (Phoenix for example), I can't imagine never seeing the colors of the trees in the fall or feeling chilly enough that you want to curl up with a blanket. Fall takes on a new meaning for us now that we are living in Phoenix. We considered it a cool down when it got into the high 90s! The palm trees don't change color here and people think the 70s are cold! It's the last week of October and just today is was 89 degrees. People say that your blood thins out after living here for a while and you'll start to feel cold when the weather is in the 70s. I tell them they are crazy.. the 70s is perfect weather where I'm from. As much as I miss the colors of the leaves and wanting to drink a hot beverage or put on a hoodie, I love the fact that in about 2 months... I will NOT be shoveling snow, NOT be putting on gloves or a scarf, and I will NOT have to warm up my car 20 minutes before I leave for work. Sorry for those of you who will be doing that. :)

The first weekend in October, Eric and I took a trip to San Diego. It was about a 5 and a half hour drive from our apartment with beautiful desert and mountain views along the way. It was birthday celebration trip for me and we went to the San Diego Zoo, walked around the Gas Lamp District, and had a romantic dinner at a little place called the Ocean Room. San Diego is beautiful and I look forward to visiting there again sometime! Our hiking adventures have dwindled down a bit as I'm still having hip issues. I've been through physical therapy and the Dr. believes I have some sort of mechanical issue that has caused the labrum to tear. I'm hoping to get an MRI done in the next few weeks to determine if surgery is needed. Until then, I've been taking it easy on the working out. I've have finally started my Masters degree for Professional Counseling at Grand Canyon University, where I work. What a blessing that God has provided me with a job that allows me to continue my education for free! Eric has just started training for a half marathon he's hoping to run in January. He also just got accept in the FastTrack program at work that will allow him to become a manager of a branch eventually! I'm so proud of the hard work he has put into this job and that he is getting the recognition he deserves!

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving here and attending the Notre Dame vs USC game in Los Angeles. We get to see some friends of our from high school and experience a game "in the ghetto." (If you've ever been to USC, you know what I'm talking about!) And I am looking forward to coming home to Indiana at the beginning of December for an early Christmas with the family. I cannot wait to see my family and my nephew again as well as our friends and their newborn little girl! Oh how we do miss our family and friends at home. And yet we are our own little family here and are learning to make this a home.

Here are some pics from San Diego!

Our 1st trip back "Home"

Over Labor Day weekend we were able to travel back home to South Bend/Elkhart for the first time since moving to Arizona. The Saturday we flew in was also Notre Dame's first home football game of the season.. so you can only imagine Eric's excitement. As soon as we got off the plane, Eric headed to the parking lot to meet his grandma who drove him straight to the stadium, and I waited around the airport for my luggage. My mom and brother were the first family members I saw; lots of hugs and tears from my mom. Then each person slowly started to trickle in. My sister Katelyn and her boyfriend Tim walked in to surprise me. Then I saw my brother-in-law walk in carrying a little bundle in his arms with my sister following behind. I ran over to my sister and cried like a baby. I had missed the last 3 months of her pregnancy and missed the birth of her first son, my first nephew. It was so awesome to see them walk into the airport and surprise me. Then I saw the most handsome little face of my nephew, Zephaniah. I got to hold him in the airport, it was all I cared about doing at that moment. It was great! Not only did I get to spend lots of time with him and my family while we were home, we also attended the first Notre Dame home game. My brother and I drove to the Notre Dame area, as close as we could get, then literally ran about 1.5 miles to Notre Dame stadium to make it in for the kickoff. It was like walking into my home when I walked into the stadium. Funny how even something massive like a football stadium in the fall can feel so much like home.
Besides the game, we got to spend lots of time with Eric's family as well. Sunday we celebrated Eric's sister Candice and her fiancee's engagement with a party at Eric's grandparents. It was so good to be laughing with family again and making memories. We got to see our dog again, Rockne, who remembered us and even wanted to snuggle in bed with us every night. We've missed him too. We spent time with my family and close friends too, sharing what has been happening in their lives and letting them know the adventure God has brought us to in Arizona. It was hard to leave. I didn't realize how much I missed all the big trees and grass, cool air, and open land. More than anything how much I missed having family so close. But then I realized too, when I was in Indiana, how much I missed the mountains and warm air. How I love the independence Eric and I have here in Arizona. We knew after coming back home to Arizona that God has us here for a reason and He is aways good. He is teaching us what it means to rely on Him and each other. Our marriage is growing and maturing and God is showing us how to really trust in Him.

Here are a few pictures of our trip home.

Good Things from God

Just wanted to share a few good things. God has been showing us his beauty and glory in different ways, allowing us to have joy. Last week I shared that I might have had a hernia and had been having a lot of anxiety about it. I went to the Dr. today and it is NOT a hernia, but probably an inflamed muscle or tendon/ligament in my hip from a sprained hip or some sort of muscle injury. No surgery required thus far. I got lots of x-rays today and will go to an orthopedic surgeon next week. That Dr. will look at what type of injury it might be, if I should get a cortisone shot and possibly an MRI to see if anything is torn. So, I'm praising God that it's nothing too serious. Trusting Him is not always easy, but He still provide comfort and shows He has good things for us.

Another GREAT thing is that my new nephew was born on Saturday morning! My mom called me at 2:30am AZ time (5:30am IN time) to say my sister was at the hospital and the contractions had started. Everyone (but us) was headed to the hospital. I was able to get on Skype with my younger brother and sister for 2 hours while we all waited in the waiting room at the hospital together. My mom was in the delivery room with my sister and was texting me with updates. She later came out and told us Zephaniah Lee was born at 9:33am. My entire family: mom, dad, Katelyn, Michael Wayne and Eric and I (through Skype) were all able to go into the delivery room to see Tracy and Chris and to meet Zephaniah all at the same time. It was really special and I was so thankful to be a part of it even though we live across the country and 3 time zones away. Zephaniah was 6 lbs 12 oz., 19 1/2 inches long. He has my sister's eyes and Chris's nose and lips. He has dark hair and the cutest little yawn. Below are some pictures of him. Now we're really excited to go home in less than 2 weeks to see our family and hold our newest little member. It's so funny how much love I have for this little guy, even before he was born. I can't wait to be a doting Aunt, even when I'm here in AZ. We are so grateful that he is healthy and here finally!

August Adventures

Here we are in the middle of August already! How time flies! We have been living in Arizona now for about 2 1/2 months, and so far so good! Since my last post a lot of different things have happened. We have become season tickets holders for the Arizona Cardinal (I didn't say this was going to be in order of most important.) We took a weekend to travel 2 hours north to Flagstaff, which is 7000 miles above sea level. So there were gorgeous mountains, lots of trees, cute little shops, and great little restaurants. We stayed in a little cabin in the woods. Literally. It was a one bedroom, one bathroom, no internet or TV. We cooked dinner for ourselves and just enjoyed being together without the white noise of life. We went hiking in the morning and went to the Cardinals football training camp both days. Eric was excited to get a few autographs. Having these tickets also means attending games, so we went to the pre-season game yesterday. It was very hot outside as we walked around to see the sites, 112 degrees! But we have great seats for the season and look forward to attending games together.
We've both been busy at our jobs, but enjoying them! I am making new friends at work and learning how different their "west coast" backgrounds are to my country mid-western roots are. It makes me grateful how I was raised. We're also enjoying the new church we just became members at. It's a large church with great opportunities to get involved. We're joining a couples group soon and have also volunteered to serve in the children's department and nursery.
Speaking of nursery... my sister, Tracy, is due anytime now! Her due date is August 28th, but I think she's ready to go now. I can't wait to meet my little nephew and love on him! We are headed home over Labor Day weekend for the Notre Dame game, Eric's sister's engagement party, time with friends and family, and to snuggle with my little nephew!
Another "Adventure" we have had in August is the possibility that I might have a hernia. I've had some pain in my lower right hip/pelvic area since the week we moved here. It's been off and on, but has increase in the last month. I went to an OB/GYN last week, and don't think it's anything gynecology related, but I go in for an ultrasound tomorrow morning just to make sure. Then I see a regular Dr. next Monday and we're very much praying that a hernia is all it is. If so, it will require eventual surgery, so for now we are leaving it up to God until we have more answers. We're praying for healing and that the surgery can wait until after our trip home.
During this waiting time, and this questioning... my heart has been in a tug of war against the Enemy. My thoughts have been filled with worry and fear and I'm crying out to God to free me of this captivity. He is doing amazing things in my spiritual life in the last few days. I have started a devotional book called Breaking Free by Beth Moore with a long time friend whose living in California now (that's another blessing to share later). Along with reading that and being halfway through Captivating, God is revealing amazing things in my life about freedom in Him and having peace from Him. God is showing me why He had brought us here to Arizona.. .and showing us how we are going to grow!

July Happenings

The first few days of July we were so blessed to have Eric's parents here to celebrate the 4th with us and to see what our life is like here in AZ. It was so good to see family, and familiar faces. It was great to show them our new life here and let them know waht we've been up to. We picked them up from the airport Sat. night July 3rd and spent the morning of the 4th climbing the steep side of Camelback mountain. It was quite the tough climb not only for Eric and I, but definitely for inexperienced hikers like his parents. But it was worth it in the end.




We went to church after that and spent the afternoon in the pool. That evening we had a cookout with the rest of the family here in Peoria and watched fireworks across from our apartment complex.






On Monday we traveled up to Sedona, which we discovered is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It's a national forest full of mountains, red rocks, natural bridges, and creeks and streams. It's gorgeous and we took a hike up to Devil's Bridge. Below are some pictures of our adventures.






On Tuesday, July 6th, I started my new job at Grand Canyon University as a faculty scheduled for the online courses for the college of health sciences. Since GCU started their online programs last year, they have grown to like 30,000 students taking online classes. I am one of the people who schedules the professors to teach those courses, but I only schedule for the college of health sciences. Eric's parents were still here, so they went to one of the old western towns south of Phoenix. That night we went to a Cubs/ Diamondbacks game. It was good to see friendly Cubs fans and cheer for our favorite team with them! Eric's parents left the next morning and returned safely to a very flat Indiana. Eric and I are returning home September 4-8th to attend the Notre Dame home opener, celebrate his sister Candice's engagement to her fiancee JT, to see my new nephew Zephaniah (who is due to be here around Aug 28th), and see all our family and friends.. and our dog Rockne! We can't wait to go home and hug everyone again, especially our new nephew and our puppy who we miss very much. So we'll be excited to see our family again and have that feeling of home :)

Eric and I have been attending Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) in Glendale and are hoping to get involved with their small groups there soon. It's a very very large church, but has great opportunities and great challenges and encouragement. We miss having friends around and miss our small group from church at home. We haven't met a lot of people here our age, so we're looking forward to making new friends. We've been able to Skype with our friend Becca, which will now become a weekly event :) Anyone else wanting to catch up, we do have Skype and we love seeing you and knowing what's going on in your lives!

Hiking Pictures

God is so good

This is a song that's been replaying through my mind today. I'm sure it's something we all sang in sunday school, but it's just a reminder of how good our God is. God is so good, God is so good, God is so good. He's so good to me. God has been so good to Eric and I during this transition time of moving across the country and starting a new life here. We feel comfortable here, we feel God's Holy Spirit bringing peace and reassurance to us about the move, and now God has showered His blessing on us by way of a job for me. I interviewed 2 Fridays ago at Grand Canyon University, a christian university, here in Phoenix. The position was to be the faculty scheduler for the online college of health sciences. I have applied for about 12-15 different jobs since the beginning of May when we knew for sure that we were moving and this was the only interview I was called in for. I can view that in a positive or negative light, but I felt filled with God's peace about this one interview. I went back in this past Monday (yesterday) and interviewed with the director of the department who offered me the job within the first 5-10 minutes of the interview. What a blessing! This offer was great, such a huge financial burden is now lifted and I am filled with joy and praise for the Lord! I start July 6th at GCU and can't wait!
I've been off work from May 21st till now and although there was a move across the country in there, I'm ready to go back to work. I'm ready to relieve some of the burden off my husband and to feel like I am providing too. My days have been full of... well.. not much. Laying out by the pool, swimming, hiking, cleaning the apartment, watching movies, watching the World Cup on the spanish channel, walking to get the mail about 3pm everyday, and cooking dinner. So, yeah after about 4 weeks of that.. I'm ready to go back to work! Sometimes it's too hot to be outside so that's when movies come in handy :) It's gonna hit about 110 this week so I might take advantage of the pool. I've been asking Eric to go to IKEA in Tempe since we moved here, but we were really trying to wait till I had a job to do any shopping or eating out. Soooo... now that I have a job, he's agreed to do a little shopping at IKEA this weekend! I've never been there before, but everyone says I'll love it, so I can't wait!
That's the exciting things that have been happening in our lives here in Arizona. Only two more weeks till Eric's parents come to visit!! It'll be fun to entertain a little bit and do a little site seeing with them before I start the new job. Until then I just keep remembering, God is so good.

Rounding 2nd and Going Into 3rd

We've now been here a little over 2 weeks and entering our third here in Peoria. If I have not mentioned this to anyone yet, I love living here! And it's been a comfortable transition, thanks to our God's comfort and peace. We are completely assured that this step of faith was what God had been calling us to. It's been a rough couple of months in our lives with the miscarriage but God is showing us that He has a purpose for us here in Arizona and is teaching us about our marriage first and foremost. To be quick to listen and slow to speak, to be supportive and understanding and to be each other's servant. God has also been teaching us patience throughout the time that we've been here between needing our house in South Bend to sell and waiting for me to get a job. So if you know anyone looking for a house in the South Bend area let us know! The job environment out here is a lot like Elkhart, slow. I've applied to several local colleges, universities, and business, I've only had one interview, which we're hoping to hear more from this week.
Back to the transition...I thought it would really difficult learning the new roads, new location, and the weather, but so far so good! I do miss friends and family, but not tremendously yet because Eric and I are definitely enjoying our freedom as "just us" here. No offense anyone, please don't take it personally, but we've talked about how this is a get-away we needed, that fresh start to our lives to create our own adventures. We are looking forward to family coming to visit soon so that we can show them the life we've started here. It's hard for me to miss baby showers for my pregnant sister and friend back at home and August weddings for my cousins. And we all know Eric is going to miss Notre Dame come this fall! We try to keep ourselves active here enjoying hiking on the weekends and in the morning when Eric's doesn't go to work till 10am. And yes I've had my anxiety issues about the possibilities of seeing snakes on the trails. We went to a Diamondbacks/Cardinals game last Friday which was fun. We also enjoyed discovering Lake Pleasant about 30 minutes north of our apartment on Sunday after church. It's a huge lake with rocky, hilly shores, set in the middle of mountains and trails. It was gorgeous. We've also gone for walks about our complex and I try to exercise while Eric is at work, even if that means swimming and laying out by the pool a couple days a week.
This week we're looking forward to a birthday party for our little 2nd cousin Kyle and also attending the Rattlers (arena football league) with some family. Eric is involved in a softball league with our extended family out here to and is having fun as that season starts. Continue to pray that our house sells in Indiana and very soon and also that I will be able to find a job very soon. We're praising God for each other and for the promises He has for our future.

KELLY

Adventures

We have arrived! After full day of packing a moving truck last Thursday and some really hard goodbyes, we took a 3 day road trip from Indiana to Arizona. We, (Eric, Kelly, and Kelly's dad), traveled across 7 states in a moving truck and all experienced a taste of what it means to be a truck driver as we hauled our SUV on a trailer behind a 22 foot moving truck. We moved into our new apartment in Peoria, AZ on Sunday, May 30th with the help of family here in Arizona. It was really hard moving into a place I've really never seen before. Although Eric and I looked into moving into the same complex a few years ago, it's still not the same when you're not quite sure the measurements of the rooms. Eric did a great job though picking a great place for us to live. The apartment is 2 bedrooms with walk-in closets, 2 bathrooms, large living room with a balcony over looking the pool. The kitchen is very small compared to even our little one at our home in Indiana, it's definitely been hard finding a place for everything. Luckily we do have a small storage unit at the apartment complex which is filled with our old high school stuff, Christmas decorations, etc. But after putting our pictures on the walls and seeing the familiar faces in them, it's starting to begin to feel like a house... not quite home yet.
I have spent the days unpacking and organizing and unpacking. It's amazing after having 2 garage sales before we moved how much stuff there still is! Yesterday was the first day I went out to our pool, which felt amazing! It's surrounded by palm trees and has a small waterfall as well as a hot tub. The kids are already out of school here so there are usually families in the pool playing. Yes, it's pretty much like we're on vacation right now, except all our things are with us. The first day we were here it was 101 degrees, so far it's It's been in the upper 90s... 100 degrees is the projected high for today... and 108 for this weekend. I keep saying, "bring it on!" but then today when it's already 80-85 degrees at 8am, I'm starting to realize why the guy at the truck rental place told me, "Welcome to the oven!"
Eric's working everyday at Citi Financial. And that the right job will open up for me too. My devotions have consisted of the theme of trusting God. I've written down verses about trusting and leaning on God as my Rock on notecards and taped them to my bathroom mirror so I see them every morning. It reminds me to "lean not on my own understanding," but to trust Him and know that He is our Rock.
As we begin this new adventure in our new home of Arizona, pray that we can adjust to the time change, the weather, our location, and our jobs. Those are the basics to start with, of course it's always hard to leave the place your grew up and our families. Hopefully we can keep you all informed of our lives here in Peoria as we start a new adventure.

And the leap begins...

First- Happy Mother's Day last Sunday to my mother, Eric's mom Ranae, to my sister who will be a mother in August, and to my friend who will be a mother in September. I am also going to wish myself a Happy Mother's Day. This past Sunday was hard for me- I was 3 months pregnant when I miscarried our baby. And Sunday I thought a lot about holding a baby and having the presence of a baby in the flesh with me, being able to talk to it and change it's diaper, holding it close in my arms, and carrying it around. Tuesday at work I spent most of the day thinking about holding my baby and thinking about how instead, God is holding it, which is so much better, but still hard. I have a worship CD at work with me and when I'm by myself I often have my own little worship time. I replayed a song over and over and was almost in tears as I sang several time, the words I focused on were: "You're mercy flows like a river wide, and healing comes in Your name. Helpless children are safe in Your arms. There is none like You." But more than anything "healing comes in your name and helpless children are safe in your arms." Thank you Jesus that healing only comes in your name and I know that my child is safe in your arms. THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU!

Tomorrow Eric leaves for Arizona and we begin our giant leap of faith into this crazy adventure God is sending us on. We couldn't be more excited! Anxious, yes, a little.. it's a HUGE change in our lives! I've been thinking about the changes I will have to get used to living in Arizona compared to living in Indiana. First of all, the 3 hour time difference. As Eric moves out there for the next two weeks and starts work, he'll have to try to go to bed later and start to adjust his body and mind to the time change. Of course, the weather will be a huge change. I mean, today in South Bend, it was 55 degrees and we have a flood watch. Tomorrow it will be 78 and stormy. In Arizona, the temperatures are already reaching into the 90s and will be in the 100s by the time we move. And I doubt there will ever be flood watches. Although we've been to Phoenix in July and have experienced 113 degrees... it's different when you live there.

Another change is that we will be moving from our 2 bedroom cozy home to a 2 bedroom apartment. We, well, I am looking forward to decorating to new place and we both are especially excited about having a pool in our complex. God totally knew we were going to be on this adventure at this time in our lives. 3 years ago when we were engaged, we looked at moving to Phoenix, even went out to look at apartments and I looked into going to Arizona State to get my masters. Back then the cost of living, as well as out-of-state tuition, was too high for us. But now that God has been preparing us, and the place we are going, He has also prepared the same apartment complex that we wanted to be in 3 years ago for us now. Arrowhead Landing (www.arrowheadlanding.com) is the place we wanted to live 3 years ago, and it's the place we'll be moving into at the end of the month. God's funny like that huh? We are praying that our house sells and that I find a job soon so that we can afford to live in the apartment as soon as we move while our house is still on the market.

The most difficult change will be leaving our amazing family and friends. Almost all of our family (both sides) live in Indiana or Michigan. It will be hard to leave our parents and siblings, and the new nephew that will arrive in the August. Along with our close friends who will welcome a beautiful girl in September, our great church family, and our crazy dog Rockne (who will be moving in with Eric's parents)... yes these will be the hard things to leave: Notre Dame football games, Bethel, our first home, the US 20 bypass, green trees, planting flowers, Hacienda, mowing, etc.

But we know that we have a lot to gain. We completely feel that God has big plans for us. This is GOD's adventure for US- something GOD has blessed and something we have prayed over for years. This will help us to strengthen Eric and I as a family, our own family, our own adventure. It will be good for us to be on our own, to rely on God and each other to grow, learn, and develop in our marriage. We are still praying for guidance and patience as I continue to to apply for jobs. We're also praying that we find a church that shares the same beliefs and values we do based on God's word. This will help us to develop relationships and find others to share our journey with and become accountable with. There are a lot of changes about to occur... we are so blessed, so excited, and so ready. This giant leap of faith is about to begin.

Decisions, Decisions

Lots of decision are being made in our lives right now. Big ones, small ones, life changing ones, minor details, what-ifs. What we know for sure is that when God opened this door in our lives, He knew that we would have many options and choices to make. And the devil thinks he can tug at our hearts to follow a different, easier path, even by throwing Eric's dream job at him at Notre Dame. But with all our hearts, we know God has a different plan. And in the name of JESUS, I know we won't let the devil have any power over us. God has been so faithful, because we have been so faithful. Day by day He is showing us that He is preparing our hearts for Arizona, and preparing Arizona for us.
Officially, Eric starts work on Monday, May 17th... our 2 year anniversary. Never thought we'd be apart for this, especially across the country from each other. But we'll find some way to celebrate, and how amazing these 2 years of marriage have been. Eric flies to Arizona Thursday night May 13th and will get settled in at his dad's cousin's house where he will be for two weeks. Then on Friday, May 27th, Eric will fly home and that Friday we'll start our journey, in a 20 foot U-Haul with my dad, to Arizona. We'll drive over Memorial weekend and hopefully end up in Peoria sometime Sunday. So I'll spend 2 weeks without my husband (which is nothing.. when we first met we knew each other for 10 days then Eric left the country for 3 months!) but I'll be the one home packing and cleaning and getting ready for our new place.
Now... our new place, could be a new apartment or could be a spare bedroom in Eric's family's house. It's his dad's cousin and their family has been so gracious to offer us a place to live until our house sells. So we have to play out the scenarios in our heads... if the house doesn't sell by___ then we'll____.. or if the house sells by___then we'll___. See our decision dilemmas!? Selling the house is a huge prayer request because it determines how long our stuff will or will not be in storage and how long until we are able to move into our own apartment. We have an open house this Sunday which we are preparing for and hopefully going to gain a lot of interest from it!
So there is still lots of packing to do, goodbyes to eventually say. Our weekends are so booked until we leave between birthdays and graduations and get togethers. But we'll make it through day by day, praying for our moving process and for the place we're moving to. Good things are coming... thank you Jesus.

Life Changes

As of today... these are the statements we've heard in the year 2010 that have changed our lives.
"Happy New Year!"
"We're having a baby in August!" -Kelly's sister Tracy and her husband Chris the first week of January
"Surprise, I'm pregnant!" -Kelly to Eric January 16th
"7 weeks along, everything looks great! You'll be due around September 28th." - Kelly's Dr. February 11th
"Eric, something's not right." - Kelly to Eric on vacation in California the first week of March
"Kelly, I have such a peace about whatever happens, either way." - Eric to Kelly in Arizona a few days later.
"I'm sorry, but you are having a miscarriage. The baby stopped developing at 7 weeks." Kelly's Dr. Monday, March 8th, Kelly was 10 weeks along.
"Can we consider moving to Arizona at the end of the year if we don't have the baby in September?" - Kelly to Eric after the appointment.
"They have openings for my job in Phoenix, my manager sent my resume to a manager down there and I have a phone interview Friday." - Eric to Kelly March 10th
"We're putting our house up for sale... we're moving to Arizona!" - Eric and Kelly March 12th

And so the year began... It started out with Kelly's sister telling us she was pregnant and due in August. Kelly found out 2 weeks later that she too was pregnant, and surprised Eric with the news. Our first ultrasound was great, at 7 weeks we got to see our baby and it's little heartbeat. The first week of March we went on vacation with Eric's family to California and Arizona. While there, Kelly had some complications, but we felt such a peace that passes all understanding. When we returned and went to the Dr., our worst fears we confirmed... and Kelly would begin the process of miscarrying that lasted for an entire month before it was all over. Within one week, we found out we would miscarry, Eric looked into branches in Arizona, and would have a phone interview the same week. We put our house up for sale and prayed about where God would have us go. There were two openings in two different cities, one where Eric has extended family, and one an hour away from them. All during this time, Kelly was having a painful miscarriage that ended at the end of March. She is feeling much better now and we have begun the process of healing emotionally. But we know our baby is safe with our Heavenly Father who is providing a much better home than we ever could. We have now discovered that we will be in Peoria, AZ close to Eric's family, and Eric starts work in Arizona May 12th! Talk about a change in our lives! Our home is for sale, hopefully with a buyer coming in soon. We have selected an apartment complex in Arizona to live, the same one we looked at to live in 3 years ago when we were engaged and had a dream of moving to Arizona. And here we are, God has MUCH better timing than we ever could. His plans for us are good and are full of his promises. How great is our God!
This blog was created to keep in touch with our family and friends and share our new adventures with you. This is a huge change in our lives, moving across the country, starting a new life style. We also will be Uncle Eric and Aunt Kelly in August as Tracy and Chris are having a baby boy! We can't wait to see the plans God has for us and to give Him the glory through our adventures!