Hi friends! I wanted to share a cute little Halloween graphic with you! Just right click to save the image, and then you’re free to use it however you like! I’m currently using it as a screen wallpaper and it’s SO cute. I’m going to try and print it as well.
ENJOY!
Hello Friends!! We have been in Louisiana for almost 4 months. Things here have been so busy and so positive. In some ways it feels like we’ve been here a lot longer than we have been.. it’s hard to believe it’s only been 4 months.
For anyone who’s out of the loop, Shelby was hired to be the Head Golf Pro at Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club in Broussard, LA. Every single thing about him getting this job was a “God thing”. We were just talking about that the other night. We are still so extremely thankful for this new opportunity for him. He is totally in his element and was told that he is doing the job he was meant to do. It’s so wonderful, from my standpoint as his wife, to see others appreciate him. Those who truly know Shelby know how hard he works. He will easily outwork anyone around him, and that mentality has allowed him to set a certain reputation for himself that has continued to be true here in Louisiana. He has hit the ground running and has accomplished SO MUCH in such a short time. I truly am excited to see our future unfold here and for him to continue to do well at Le Triomphe.
The kids are living their best life here. There are 15 kids on our street. FIFTEEN. Another “God thing” was us getting this house on this street. It’s been an answer to prayer from the beginning. The kids each have their own “crew” of friends that keep them busy and active. When all the kids get together and play, it just makes my heart so happy. It has been so good for them to have such a great group of friends.
As for myself, I’m also living my best life. My dream for over a year was to be able to stay home with my kids, especially while Harper was little. This opportunity had NO way of working out in Arkansas. It was completely off the table, not even an option. The preliminary plan when moving to Louisiana was for me to stay home with the kids during the summer and trying to find something once school started back. As time went on, we were able to officially make the decision that I would be able to stay home with them long term. I am in my element as well. I enjoy home keeping and cooking and contributing to my family by keeping things going at home. I have also been able to live out another dream of homeschooling my kids. I still can’t believe I’m doing that sometimes!
COVID has prevented us from really digging in and exploring things here, and that part has been tough, but we are praying things are somewhat back to normal soon. We spend the majority of our days at home. We get out to go to the store and run small errands. We’ve been on a few sightseeing trips, Oak Alley being my favorite. We want to experience everything Louisiana has to offer, and right now a lot of those things are postponed. We will be so excited to partake (hopefully) next year!
I’m not working outside of the home, but I feel we are busier than ever. We are really enjoying life here! I am so, so, so thankful for fresh starts and new opportunities.
I feel like this evening is the first opportunity I’ve had in a while to sit down and just BE. Today was the last day of school instruction for the kids, so that will free up quite a bit of time for us moving forward. We are so ready for summer break to be here!
We have about 2 weeks left in Arkansas. The month of May is moving so slow for us, haha. The majority of our home is packed and ready to go, and while that’s SO AWESOME and helpful, it also creates a certain level of difficulty when some of the things you’re used to using are in a box. It may seem silly to some to have your house 90% packed with a month left to live in it, but through many instances of moving trial and error throughout our marriage, we have concluded this is just the way to go.
Shelby has been working in Louisiana for about 2 weeks. It fits his personality so well, and we are just beyond thankful for this fresh start. The area we are moving to seems like such a wonderful place. Everyone we’ve talked to with ties to Louisiana seems to light up when we mention where we are going, and they’re so genuinely excited for us! The people we’ve met in Louisiana so far have been so incredibly nice. It makes the stresses of moving a little easier when you’re able to work with such kind people.
One of the big prayers I had for the new year was to be able to stay home with Harper. I made this a prayer of mine at a time when the possibility of staying home with her was impossible, but look at what God had in store for us. I’m praying that everything we THINK is going to happen actually happens, and I’m able to make this a longer term opportunity than just the summer. I wanted the chance to do the things I WANTED to do with and for my family, instead of those things always coming up second. I can’t help but feel excited for the future. I just can’t wait to get moved, get our house settled, and just start living life. I have so many hopes, and dreams, and plans.. I’m ready to get started.
Happy Thursday!! I’m happy to share some things I’m thankful for from this past week!
I am hoping this next week is a great one for each of us!!
Happy Thursday!! What a fast week it has been. I feel like our days have been so jam packed! It’s also been sort of a rough week, and I’m happy to have some things I’m THANKFUL for to share today!
Girl Time : This past Saturday Kate and I were able to go out for some girl time to a wedding for one of her teachers. It was so special to be there with Kate. It was her first wedding, and she knew both the bride and the groom, so it was a really neat experience for her. We took it ALL in. She got to sit on the center isle for a front row seat of the bride walking down the aisle and the ceremony. She got to sign the guest book. We got to go to the reception where she had wedding punch, and catered BBQ, and wedding cake. Then she got to see the bride and talk to her for a bit. It was a really fun and special time for Kate!
Family Time: My birthday was Saturday, and my dad surprised us by showing up Friday evening .. all the way from West Virginia! It was a really nice surprise, and he brought birthday cake! I’m so thankful he was able to make the trip, and it’s something I’ll remember for many years to come.
My list this week is super short, but extremely sweet. This past week we were plagued with another marathon round of sickness which took out just about everyone in the family (but me). Tristan was sick with vomiting, and other unpleasant things, from Wednesday – Sunday. Work is busy for both of us. We are just feeling tired. I’m hoping the week to come is wonderful bringing us lots of things to be thankful for.
Happy Thursday! Today is the beginning of a weekly blog post that I’m doing with one of my best blogging friends, Elaina. She and I have talked quite a bit about 2020 and the attitude we want to have in this new year. We want to create a positive space for us to thrive and in the meantime (hopefully) create a positive space for people to visit. She had such a great idea to share weekly what we are thankful for. This was such a good “assignment” for me because it forces me to see the positive. Too many times I focus on the negative. We don’t get to talk very often, but when we do, it’s always an encouraging and caring conversation. She genuinely cares about my life, what I’m doing, and HOW I’m doing. I’m so happy to meet her here each week to talk about the things I’m thankful for.
So, without any further delay, here are the things I’m thankful for this week!
Friendship : One of the prayers I pray most often is to be able to connect with ladies I can be friends with. That’s such a slow process for me for some reason. I’d love to have a group of girl friends do to life with, but in the meantime I’ve been blessed with some great work friends. Ladies who I can talk to about intermittent fasting and bible devotionals and kids and recipes. It just fills my tank to interact with them. I am a VERY keep to my self kind of person, and that doesn’t always foster the greatest friendships, as you can imagine. I’m hoping to open up more as the year goes on!
Bible App : one of my friends talked about how she made it through the whole bible in 1 year by listening to it on the way to work each morning. There’s a chronological reading plan that you can follow, and that’s the one she recommended. I go to my reading for each day, and then play it and listen along while I’m driiving in each morning. It’s a great way to start my day, and I feel like I’m learning so much already. The reading is like listening to someone tell you a story, and I think I’m getting a lot more out of it this way. I’m definitely thankful for her recommendation!
Archery : Tristan’s archery team made it to the state tournament and I can’t help but feel so thankful for this thing he enjoys. You all know Tristan, you know he’s a small guy. He’s not super athletic. This is so perfect for him, and he’s doing really well. I’m SO happy he’s able to be a part of something like this. If he continues to do well, this is something he can do all through highschool.
My Life : I’m nowhere near where I want to be in life. I feel discouraged quite often, but I’m hoping 2020 can minimize that a bit. I spend way too much time feeling like I’m not measuring up and I’m not where I should be by this point, but all in all I’m so thankful for my life. Thankful for my family and my job and that I have a safe place to live. I’m working on being more in the moment and not worrying about tomorrow. Just being thankful for where I am each day.
I hope you have somethings you can be thankful for this week! We saw some snow here today, that was special. Happy almost weekend!