looking back and looking forward

It is a new year here for us. We have been here for one year (actually 14 months!). It saddens me and excites me at the same time. I am sad to realize how quickly time does pass in seminary. I am excited that we are no longer new here. We know people. We know places. We are almost kind of settled. It's a new school year and we kind of know what we are doing. It is still summer, so I am not done with my "summer to do list," but looking at it, all I can do is laugh. We had someone else pick blueberries for us. (Does that count or just make us the saddest couple ever?) I went through one of those phases where I felt like I deserved a gold star just getting out of bed (anyone else have those or am I just crazy?) and on top of that I had an upper respitory infection for a month. Andy worked every Saturday so we didn't do random fun things like go to the farmer's market. We still are not moved. I don't think we saved any money this summer (and we're both pretty extreme savers). But we've had fun and went to Disney with Andy's family (the happiest place on earth and I got to feel like a six year old for a week!) and enjoyed beautiful weather and ate some amazing food and found a lot of things we needed for free or pretty close to free. For this last part of summer I want to look forward and focus on big picture things. I want to:

1. be creative and complete this self-portrait challenge
2. read. we are here to learn and lately that is all I want to do. i have a growing spreadsheet of over 100 books I want to read. i think if I focused I could read 1 (or more if they're small!) book a week.
3. be a friend

So, friends, happy new year! May the rest of your summer days be like a warm hug, as they have been to us.

lately {july} in words and pictures

 

eating blueberry crumble

petting caramel, curly-haired dogs

  

devouring good books

watching a beaver leisurely walk through a front yard in the middle of the city

 

cancelling Netflix and

listening to the Harry Potter series

 

savoring Coffee Crisps and maple cookies from Canada

playing the piano (after a fairly long break from the piano I can all of a sudden play and sing at the same time!)

 

walking slowly in the evening summer breezes

longing for more freshly ground wheat pancakes shared with friends

 

scoring amazing free finds

hooked for life on audio books

 

 

hearing Andy say "I've been reading fashion magazines...stop laughing...it's for my job!"

enjoying life with my best friend

Can hardly stand the wait...

This is what 300 extra square feet, a washer and dryer, and no longer feeling like college roommates looks like.

                                          

around here

I hate moving. I get really emotional about everything. I get restless and can't think about anything but nesting. I worry we'll have the worst neighbors and that we might have made a very bad decision. I freak out about how much stuff we have and want to throw everything away. I start to wonder if Andy would notice any missing books. I stop cleaning everything except the bathroom. I try to convince Andy we could afford a dog.

I'm not a pro-mover. This is my third move. I dream about settling down in a house with Andy for the next twenty years. I dream about actually picking out a place because we like it, not because we had to take the first thing available. But my perfect dream probably does not have as many memories and funny times as our life: cleaning every day to try to get rid of smoke smells, asking the 80-year old neighbor if he could turn down his hip hop music, waking Andy up in the middle of the night to kill bugs, having your apartment at eye level with all the students that walk by and just wanting some sort of privacy, walking out your door and getting nauseous from all the smells, spending three weeks trying to find the laundry room. Andy, it's been a good three years and I promise I didn't get rid of any books and I promise I will be okay just like the other times because I love you.

So far, this summer has not gone at all like I hoped. With trying to move, Andy ending up taking a summer class, being sick, volunteering for things I didn't plan on, and Andy working more and during the times of summer things like berry picking and farmer's marketing it really feels like "the summer we're trying to survive." But I'm learning that the Lord takes care of us, not me. I'm seeing the Lord provide for our unexpected moving costs. I'm seeing my prayer "help me to be a friend" answered in ways I didn't expect. I'm learning to just enjoy life. I'm learning life kind of is having all your plans messed up and your house in chaos. I told Andy I realized that I let having a messy apartment dictate my mood and how I feel and think, when I should only find my peace in God, not in a clean apartment and organized life. (Although I do think there is something to say for having order, but I should not let that be my definition of peace and a good mood.) So, I'm learning to enjoy now and not be sad that we might only get four things checked off our summer fun list. I do hope next summer is slower. I do hope we do not move again next summer unless that's a move with a house, dog, and baby, but I think that dream is still a little farther off than I hope.

summer (to do)

It's summer. Really, it's been summer for a month. Andy has been out of school. The weather has been pretty nice. Life is slowing down. Since we've been married summer has really started to become my favorite season. Long days. Leisurely walks. Everything relaxes. Last month I didn't feel like we were able to enjoy the first glimpses of summer because we had several time-consuming surprises come up. Now we're getting rid of the stress and embracing summer. Let the magic begin.

1. spend as many moments as possible with Andy
2. blueberry picking
3. trail running
4. park exploring
5. visit cave hill cemetery
6. plenty of farmer's marketing
7. go to a waterfront concert
8. WORLD FEST
9. eat good food
10. make our new house a home
11. share it with others
12. long late night walks
13. visit a new city
14. read a book with Andy
15. quit sugar (except for dark chocolate)
16. dance under the stars
17. sit outside on a porch at night
18. write more
19. buy a bicycle
20. go on a million bike rides
21. really keep a dinner diary
22. finish watching Call the Midwife (current favorite show)
23. run 3 miles
24. grow a plant
25. find the perfect elephant for our new place
26. put money back in savings
27. wear my summer little black dress
28. go see a summer movie

life update.

Two semesters are under the belt. We've been here almost one year. We are finally feeling settled.

This first year felt like we were just trying to survive. Really, it was just life. Love, a new city, adventure, and all the hard things that come with that. Finding steady jobs, settling in a new routine, living in a new apartment is hard. Meeting people and making friends, finding a grocery store, finding the laundry room, getting rejected is hard. It felt like I was "growing up" all over again (or maybe I did finally "grow up" or maybe I still don't even know what "growing up" feels like). I was trying to figure out how to do everything all over again: pay bills and cook in a new kitchen and figure out how to balance work and rest and school and activities. Maybe this was all hard because of my personality or because I've never moved. Andy's been a trooper and I don't know if any of this has phased him. 

So we're coming to the close of the first year and it feels good. It was nice to be brand new and invisible in a city. But now it is nice to not be the new person and know people. Just a quick update on what life looks like now:

Andy is planning on taking a summer class. He has the perfect new job for him working as a secretary at a church and also at a bookstore. He is on track with his degree, all is well.

I am working at a library. My days tend to all be the same, which is perfect because I love routine. I am so very thankful that almost a year ago we moved here. There are many things I learned to appreciate because of this move and lots of growing and stretching that I needed.  

We don't know where we are living this summer/next semester. I was hoping all the major life changes and decisions were over for a while, then we were surprised with being evicted due to the Master Plan on campus. I am still stressed because we were not planning on moving at all and finding a reasonable apartment in Louisville is like searching for hidden treasure. However, I've finally decided to see this in a good way. We're excited about not being on campus 24/7 and feeling more like grown ups instead of dorm students. Also, we're hoping for a tiny bit more space to better minister to others and hopefully be able to stay until Andy finishes regardless of any more life changes.

We are so very happy it is summer. We hope it goes by slow. Lots of plans to enjoy the warmth and sunshine and taking advantage of events and things to do in the city, our home. 

our food

Friday night is Som Tam night for the Reeves family.