It's been awhile since I first {SAW} you

My goodness folks! It's been about 1.5 months since I've even logged into this place and I'm blown away by the sheer fact that it's June already. As in summertime. As in OMG IT'S BEACH WEATHER. And we have plenty of beautiful beaches in the Panhandle of my home state.

 

Enough ramblings... What in the hay have ya'll been up to??

 

Life sort of took over in mine and Hunter's world. God has really been stretching and growing us (it's been painful, not gonna lie), we've experienced firsts and lasts, had our hearts broken and on the rebound, and just really have endured some of our wildest days yet.

 

we clean up pretty good...

Let's catch up...

 

- Hunter got a new job! He's still doing the same line of work {forestry} but he's now with the State so that means a little bit more normal hours. Hunter is currently working hard to become certified to fight wildfires (yes, it makes me nervous, but I'm super proud of him) so he'll be one of those guys that will be deployed when wildfires break out. Be sure to hug a forester today!
 

I seriously swoon over him every.dang.day (And this is during a burn)

 

- I survived sessions here in the Florida Legislature and I honestly learn something new every day. Hunter and I are very fortunate and thankful to have our careers and the ability to have a roof over our heads, food on our table, and a little extra spending money. We live simply but wouldn't have it any other way.

 

- Hunter and I have also been veeerrrrryyyy busy with Young Life in Tallahassee.  Don't know what Young Life is? CHECK IT OUT. I seriously wish I was a teenager or college student again JUST so I could do Young Life and the summer camps. We're actually in our down time right now since school is out but we're super excited for everything to kick back up come Fall. God has some really big plans with Young Life and we're excited to see where it grows to (we're looking at you Quincy, Florida).

 

- We've been dealing with some family illnesses in the last few months. This is where faith comes into play, people. Not knowing what is going to happen, not really understanding why someone you love so much has to get so sick, and not being able to heal them has really forced us to trust solely in God and His purpose. Yes, we don't understand things that happen but HE DOES. And His ways are always good (even when it totally sucks). Faith is having that hope and belief that everything is going to be okay regardless of the outcome.
 

My FIL is literally the best.

For you non-southerners... Sug (n): a term of endearment (pronounced "shoog")

 

- We recently had to put one of our pups down. I won't go into reasons and I'm not quite ready to dive into that topic {and probably won't on the interwebs}, but I can honestly say it was one of the hardest things I have ever done (Hunter will agree with me). I would not wish that decision on my worst enemy. Our hearts are still healing but we know we made the right decision. As bad as that hurt, we survived it and are learning from it. Don't want a pity party, just ask that ya'll continue to pray for us.

- My baby sister graduated high school!! I officially feel old as dirt, thank you very much. Fun fact for all you local folks - she's a photographer. And a dadgum good one at that. Feel free to check out her page on FB and contact her should you want any pictures done.
 

 

All in all, I feel like we've lived a lot of life in the last 6 months. We've rejoiced and jumped around wildly; other days, we've hit our knees begging God to take the pain away. But that's life and we wouldn't have it any other way. It's beautiful, ugly, wild, calm, and above all, it's ours to live. No matter what our circumstances are in that moment, we thank God and give Him all the glory for allowing us to experience those moments.

Hand in hand + Update

As I was talking to a friend earlier this week, I realized I haven't really given any updates at all since we received the diagnosis for my MIL. Goodness, that was back in November!

 

God is faithful and He is always good (yes, even when bad things happen to good people). Shortly after that November post, my MIL continued having regular blood work done to monitor her status. We received a wonderful Christmas present in the form of good news - her numbers were stable. Not necessarily better, but also not worsening which is great!

 

After much deliberation on her part, she decided to seek further consultation and opinions from doctors at another facility. Thank goodness she did and with her team of experts, they now have a treatment plan they are going to try. During July, she will begin "prep" work to start chemo at the end of July. We're just so grateful to have a game plan and her doctor is fairly confident on the success she will obtain from her treatments.

 

At this time, I would like to ask for continued prayer. Pray that God's will is done, whether that is healing through His power or modern medicine (never discount the wonders of modern medicine), or if He has other plans. No matter what, we're seeking His will in everything. Pray for my MIL as she will be affected by the chemo. Strength, peace, and minimal sickness are the goals here. Also pray for our family - this is personal and will be very hard to see her go through this.

 

She's a damn fighter though.