The home stretch....

I have missed the silence and order of thought putting words to a page. The days here seem to blend into each other. No beginnings and no ends. I lay Benjamin on the bed to change him and think how tall he is, how beautifully formed. I thought the same thing about Judah and Audrey. There is something so deeply touching about seeing your child healthy and brimming with curiosity about the world. I place a toy in his hand and hear his words of delight. I recently bought some cast iron stars from an antique store in Shallotte NC and he loves to hold those and proclaim over and over, "Sta, Sta". We had a family vacation for 9 days at Holden beach in a stunning beach home we were able to rent. We were able to take our Rowdy with us as the owner knew the gentle nature of whippets. The children had so much fun. It was a blessing to walk the shore lines with Judah and Audrey in the evening and hunt for crabs. We caught a tiny one in a little crab catcher we had and brought it home for study. The kids could barely sleep for the joy of watching that little thing climb it's cage. We took Benjamin to the sea for his first time and unlike his older siblings he embraced the ocean as if it were his dearest love. It took all my energy to keep dragging him from the breakers. He loved it! His first glace was with utter glee! He kept saying,"Waaauh....(for water)
I finally got him interested in digging in the sand while Judah and Audrey played in the surf with some other friends they made. He ate his share too!

We had some simple family time, plenty of naps in the afternoons which was a treat. I had no idea how tired I really was. This past year has drained me to the core. We had the luxury of eating out most nights. Something we have not done much of in years. It is so nice to have someone else cook.


We also had the blessing of inviting some dear family and friends share our rental. My sister and her husband and baby came a couple of days, then they left and we had another family of three come to share the end of our stay with one of my dearest friends who I have known and loved since the early years of college. Such a pleasure to talk long into the night about ideas, dreams, relationships. I loved each moment.

Soon it was time to leave and I was ready. You miss home after awhile. We pulled into the drive and discovered a pear tree had fallen and we rejoiced! It hit our HVAC unit so we will have a new one put in courtesy of the ins. Co. The tree could not have hit a better spot! It did no real damage to the house. We are so thankful to be getting a up to date unit and will help if we decide to sell in the next couple of years.

I am closing in on my schooling. The month of May will prove to be quite a challenge as I have set the goal of finishing all my clinics , on top of course work , tests, and home life. Even now I am reviewing for the National exam. It is very intimidating to think of so I plan to be over prepared. The other students say you have to test downtown in this room with glass windows , high surveillance,everywhere. You can take nothing in and take nothing out. I feel like a lawyer going to a bar exam. Oh I pray I do well.


June should be a relief as I will just have my coursework to do and no additional clinics. What a blessing to complete this journey. I am ready to begin work and do something I was created to do. One step at a time I remind myself. There is much to get into order before I am able to find a job.


I am so thankful for purpose. Something to do with the days I have been given, the vision becomes clearer and clearer. Our feet are planted on a road I would never want to deviate from. I cannot wait to share what Father is birthing in our hearts but for now I stand guarded in prayer of that beautiful dream. A dream so big......"that the facts don't matter."