One Year Anniversary of the Big Move.

One year ago today we packed up our family, our pets and our belongings and relocated to the Willamette Valley. It’s amazing how far away 3 1/2 hours feels when you uproot from your community and it's also amazing how a place can immediately feel like home. 

We were welcomed with open and loving arms and have found this church family to be a beautiful representation of the diversity that exists in the kingdom of God. And we have also desperately missed our community in Southern Oregon. 

More than ever, I am okay with the fact that two truths can co-exist. I can be both excited that I am exactly where I am meant to be and also sad that my parents aren't right around the corner anymore. Fulfilled and challenged in ministry and lonely for the community that knows me, knows us. Blessed by those here who have already loved our family so well, and sad that summer nights around our fire and outdoor movie screen with our hometown friends are no more.

All those things can exist together and it can all be good. 

It’s true that our path getting here was quite literally a miracle for a number of reasons. I 100% laid out some “I’m not moving unless xyz” situations and those all happened so I added more and those happened too- so I surrendered. Have you wanted something so bad but were also terrified of it? 

Leaving behind all you know and all that knows you is hard no matter how far away it is. 

But guess what? I have been able to do ministry and life with my bestest friends again. Friends that became family. Friends that sat around the table with us for years and cried and prayed and rejoiced. We have been forged together, it’s something special that I know not many get to experience. It is absolutely one of the biggest blessings in my life. To have best friends that are best friends with both of us, it’s hard to come by and we know it. Our kids, more sibling like than ever have each other again and being known is so important. 

We were not done raising our kids together and we were not done doing ministry together and from the moment they moved we began praying: 

“God make it so”. 

And God did. 

And we are figuring it out. It’s only been a year. 

The boys excelled in school and made friends. One last year in elementary school, in a new school but the first even time they were in the same class was so good. God answered our prayers specifically for Jack, who struggled the most with the move. He's made a few solid friends at school and has found several teachers whom he loves and who love him. 

I’m doing ministry in an area I had long felt called to, but had not been in a position to be able to do so before. I am sermon planning and preaching often, creating a discipleship strategy and overseeing the implementation of that alongside overseeing our awesome Hospitality team and helping with series branding and running the social media. I get to work with one of my best friends and he really believes in me and man, does that make a difference!

Trev is continue to do what he’s called to do. He’s connected with several worship leaders in our area, doing what he does in building relationships and continuing to create a cohesive team here at the church as well. He's transformed a junk walkway room into an awesome green room space where his team and others can gather and connect, pray and prepare before leading us in worship (you should seriously see the before and afters). He continues to share the platform with gifted leaders and musicians while still being my favorite... he says this move was about me, positioning me to just take off but for me I wanted to see the pace slow for him and that has been the case (for the most part!)

He wears Carhartts now when he’s working outside, you can find him on a tractor mower-thing some days and I just smile. The slower pace of only one service just on Sunday as opposed to three over the course of Saturday and Sunday (and two other simultaneous venues he oversaw on Sunday) has been exactly what our family needed. We have Saturdays together for the first time since Jack was a baby. 

Slow. Steady. In it for the long haul. Deep roots. 

We’ve found a place to heal from what life threw at us over the past few years and we are healing.  

I’ve launched a Grief Recovery Method practice, I’m chipping away at my classes required for ordination, (on track for May 2024!) and I am learning to live with the side effects that cancer and chemo gave me. We are loving Corvallis so so much - I can’t believe I get to live here. Go Beavs! 

We live about an hour from the ocean, and just barely outside of town so it feels like we are living in the country a bit (don’t laugh- we were real suburban folks before! Also, do we need chickens?) This small college town, is home. I felt it the moment we drove across the bridge and into town on July 5, 2021 and I’m so thankful for it, and for the people here. 

Happy One Year Corvallis. 

Hope you’re okay with 60ish more! (I used to say less for Trevor but let’s face it, my health is way worse and even though he’s 10 years older than me I’m absolutely gonna kick the bucket before he does)