Where to begin?

Thank you for your patience with me!

I am such a woman of routine that when outside of a normal day and a normal routine, it is quite hard for me to get things done. . . such as this blog!  So thank you for your patience, yet again, as we have found ourselves traveling around and spending delightful time with family.


I have this feeling of: where do we even begin??  I imagine I might have this exact same feeling when my husband and I are finally reunited. . . ?

The days have been so full and so beautiful and so peaceful.  Here in Raphine; there in Cocoa Beach.

But to begin: Daniel and I celebrated 3 years of marriage, on December 20th.  If I had been diligent, I might have found the time to write and to reflect upon this most wondrous day of my life, but perhaps I will save that for next year?  For now, just a picture or two in celebration of that day that forever changed my life, that day where two became one, husband and wife, best friends for all of time.

To celebrate, my dear friend Anna, remember her?  Part of Manna Monday: Meredith, Anna, and Fawn.  Part of the 3 friends that found one another and became bound together in friendship, in faith, and in lifestyle.  These were the first friends that I met within the military community, and although a year has already separated us, with one of us to Italy, one of us to El Paso, and one of us to Seattle, yet still we find ourselves completely dependent upon each other to survive both the joys and the hardships of being a military wife.  Even now, we find ourselves, all 3 of us, enduring deployment.  One of us about to finish this season, one a little bit more than half way, and the other, just taking the first steps.

To celebrate, Anna drove all the way from North Carolina to Raphine.  She stayed two nights and the time together was so sweet; like we had never been apart, not even for a day let alone over a year.  Several highlights from the day:

Waking to 3 candles and our wedding album placed beautifully on the granite counter top

Skyping with Daniel and also with Anna's husband!

Visiting newborn baby goats at the neighbor's farm 

(amazing pictures credited to Anna!)

I didn't quite know how I felt about picking this one up. . . !

And they kept chewing on my Ergo and my legs!!

Tirzah somehow ended up giving this little one a bath. . . !  We didn't think she would be able to heave him over, but then we looked and sure enough, she had put him inside!  Woops!

and yet another highlight: dreaming of another year together with my husband.  Just like these baby goats, we have so much life ahead of us and I can't believe that I get to walk through each moment with him.  Such an unbelievable gift.