On a lighter note...

I am honest about the sucky parts of life, so it's only fair that I be honest about the good parts of life as well.

Adjusting to life in Charlotte has been miraculously smooth. It helps that we are somewhat familiar with the area and have family so close. Plus my cousin (and bestie) lives just a few minutes away and a best friend from college lives just down the road. I love our home. It feels like home. It did from the moment I stepped in it. Even when it was filled with three young men, their animals, and a lot of grunge. I feel confident God had already planned every detail before we even knew we would be moving.

Our neighborhood is awesome, our neighbors even more so (did I mention our next door neighbor is a nurse who graduated from the college I am applying to and currently working at the hospital there?). I get to walk Aiden to school each morning and walk to the park each afternoon. I get to take evening runs ALONE! I get to have whole nights off with my husband when my mom takes the kids over night. I get to chill in the back yard with my kids, throw the frisbee with the dog, watch my boys search for bugs together, read, play soccer with Aaron and Aiden on the weekends (or more like be absolutely defeated and then cheat excessively), be eaten alive by mosquitoes (not good, but unavoidable). I get mornings off to study. I get to help my mom with projects and talk about things I've never been able to talk about with her before.

Even though I know it won't last forever, I am enjoying this period. This period of good, relaxation, happiness. It is restful and healing having so much time together as a family after so many years of stress, busyness, and hardship. I am learning how to accept blessings. To not worry about future hardships to come. To not feel bad about being blessed. To share the blessing. Ecclesiastes makes so much more sense to me after this year.