feeling upside-down

Life has been a little…chaotic lately. For me to finish a task I’ve started would be a major accomplishment. Usually it looks something like I start packing something over here and on my way I see something else that needs packed and get intersected by that and then find something else that needs packed….you get the idea. I wish I could just press a pause button on my brain for some moments. We’ve been running on little sleep and packing until past midnight every night. We will be in the same room but not even talking because our minds are both racing to a million different things. For example, one of us will ask the other a question and instead of responding with an answer to that question, we will answer it in our head and respond with a thought about the next thing. We just aren’t making much sense lately.

We’ve been saying a lot of goodbyes lately. And it’s been so hard. In the midst of pushing through packing I’ll occasionally just break down as the realization hits that we are really leaving. As I look around our apartment and see the massive piles everywhere, it hits me. I haven’t even really arrived at the point of thinking ahead and about what’s next or what life will be like. I’m still consumed by the goodbyes and wrapping things up well here.

We have had some painfully sweet goodbyes. It hurts my heart to the point of aching at times, but I’m glad. I want to feel that ache. I don’t know- it just feels good to love so hard that it hurts.

For now, that’s all the blog-processing I have time for…more boxes await my attention. The moving truck arrives today and we leave tomorrow. It’s go-time. It’s craziness. It’s watching God provide in every way and finding ways to laugh at each other’s make-no-sense-comments. Cherish each moment, right?

On a different, sweet & very hilarious note:

We had Gracie dedicated at church this past Sunday. It was definitely bittersweet as it was our last Sunday at Redeemer but also an exciting day because Gracie was being dedicated to Jesus! We tried so hard to make sure we planned her naps & feedings accordingly before church so she wouldn’t be cranky or hungry during the dedication service. Also, (embarrassingly) it was our first Sunday since Gracie has been born that we actually arrived at church BEFORE the singing started…for us, that is amazing.

We are sitting there feeling great about ourselves…the morning went smoothly, Gracie was smiling & kicking in her carseat, the worship band started playing & we were there on time! This was going to be perfect!

Ha. That’s when I should’ve listened to my better instinct. Our sweet little Gracie Mae is NOTRIOUS for having MAJOR blow outs in her car seat. We call it the car-seat-laxative effect. [about 80% of the time we get ready to walk out the door after strapping her in, she has a blowout & we end up being late (more late) to where we were going].

So the announcements get over & Bob [our pastor] asks all the young parents and their babies to make their way to the front of the church. We excitedly grab Gracie out of her car seat only to find that our darling little daughter had a blow. out. Through her diaper. Through her dress. All over the carseat. True Gracie Mae fashion right there.

We start cracking up. What else are you supposed to do when the church is waiting on you and your daughter has a major blowout on the Sunday she’s supposed to get dedicated? I quick shove a burp cloth under her to protect Seth’s shirt from the damage and we walk up front trying to stifle our laugh. Bob looks as us, smiles & asks if everything is okay. We, laughing, barely mutter the words that she JUST had an accident. He decided to forgo holding her out, haha. Beyond that, though, the dedication service was awesome and we loved being able to dedicate our baby girl to Jesus and for the church family that has helped us raise her thus far. You can check out the dedication service at www. Redeemerlr.org & click on this past Sunday’s service.

I’ll write more someday. Happy Wednesday.

Before we knew what was hiding under there

                               Sharing about Gracie & her verse & thanking the church

  All of us who were dedicating our babies. Love these parents, they've been such a gift to us!

We love you little one.