Dear 2013

Dear 2013, 

It's been real. You've taught us that love is everything, that family is all that matters & that incredible things happen when we relinquish all our "control" to Him. 

As we began our 3rd year of marriage, we ventured to the Bahamas and had the best time in the world just being us. It was such a blessing to kick off the new year like that with my amazing husband and it is a trip that we will never forget. In February, my dad came out here to visit us and celebrate his birthday with us. For the 3 1/2 years that I've lived 2,000 miles away- saying goodbye was never easy. It always felt like a piece of my heart was being ripped out every time I had to say bye to family. Moving away from CA was one of those things that I'm so happy I did (our life would be totally different if we didn't take the leap of faith and move to Texas in 2010) but saying good-bye was never easy. It was in February, that my dad told me that he and my mom were thinking of moving to Oklahoma and we were over the moon excited. In March, I headed another 1,000+ miles away from my husband for a couple of months to learn some things for my job. It was hard being away from him but at the same time, I grew. I grew in my quiet time with God, we grew together while being apart, and, honestly, being gone for 3 months wasn't that bad at all..I missed him like crazy but Travis is such a great husband that it was easy. 

Then May happened.... 

One of the best days of Travis' life was when we went to his college graduation in Houston. I am so proud of the man of God he has became, the business man that he is, and the fearless leader that God has made him. He worked so hard for his degree and overcame what many people typically wouldn't. He is a living testimony of what surrendering to God and throwing your hands up in the air and watching Him do the impossible really does. 

We flew back home to OKC on May 19th and Trav and I went back to work on May 20th. He worked in Moore. That afternoon, tornado sirens started going off, Travis' work wasn't allowing them to leave but he was finally able to get out of there and head to our home with a storm shelter. I was stuck at work and had no service and couldn't reach him. I had no idea if he had made it home or not. All I remember was watching a tornado rip through I-35 right where he would have been driving home. I finally got a text from him saying he was in our shelter with the dogs. From the minute we walked out of the basement to see the news and what had just happened, my life was forever changed. I knew families who lived there, shoot, we have family that live there. We wanted to do everything. I finally got home and squeezed my husband so hard. My phone finally got through to my mom in CA who saw it on the news and hearing her voice was one of the best sounds I think I've ever heard. Travis and I started buying what we could to help the city and loved that our church was a central location to help out and spread life to those that desperately needed it. God shows up when we think it's impossible. God showed up in Moore. God has transformed this city so much. His love is evident throughout the entire area. You can re-cap what I reflected on that week here and here. 

Then June 1st happened...

We got to hang out in our storm shelter because there was another nice big tornado heading right towards where we live. We watched it on the news (on our iPad) and heard Mike Morgan say "Heading right towards Tinker AFB. Take shelter now." and I was just thinking..oh great. Really, what else can you think? Thankfully, it turned north right before it got to us and disappeared. After that night, Travis and I had many discussions about how life is short and how we both wanted to be parents and felt ready and felt that God had been answering our prayers (yes, we prayed about being parents long before. We try to do everything in this house based on prayer and becoming parents was no different.). There were people (family, mainly) that for some reason felt the need to tell us we're not having kids for 5-10 years. Why would they tell us these things? I don't know but frankly, it's not up to them, and we felt at peace with that decision after spending a year in prayer about wanting to have our first child. Life is too short. Family is everything. God answers prayers in the craziest circumstances. 

In July, my mom came out here to visit and it was so wonderful having her here. We were hanging out in the backyard, making s'mores over our firepit and I started to feel sick. Off to the bathroom I went and vomit came with me. Fast forward 2 days later....we had a positive pregnancy test. Looking at Travis when I showed him that test is something I will never forget. Tears of joy filled our eyes and we still couldn't believe it. The day before we found out, Travis was offered his dream job. Once again, what some thought was impossible, God proved to make possible. We can mess up. We can really make mistakes. We can surrender. We can give our life up to God. We can let Him take over and God will prove man wrong.  In August, we celebrated my husbands 26th birthday and a month later, we left for Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA to see his family. It was so great seeing them. Sitting in his grandparents living room and hearing his grandpa's testimony is also something I will never forget. I love being married to a man with such awesome grandparents. I can't wait for Hadley to think the same thing about her grandparents. Blessed. I left WA and flew down to CA to spend some time with my family while Travis flew back to OK. My dad and I got to pick out a house for them to live in out here, we got to spend time with my aunt and uncle who I've missed like crazy and all in all, it was a great "last trip home". Now, home is in OK, where my family is. My parents and brother and niece and nephew moved out here in October and in November, Travis and I closed on our new house that is currently being built! I could have never imagined that we would be building our first home together but then again, I couldn't have imagined anything in the way it is in my life right now. I guess I really should have paid attention to Ephesians 3:20 back in the day because it's true, y'all. (See, I wouldn't have even imagined me saying "y'all"). December got here and we spent our first Christmas in 3 years with my family, celebrated 3 amazing years of marriage, my 26th birthday (and my mom's 61st) and started getting Hadley's nursery together. 

Overall, 2013, you were exceptional. God showed up in so many different ways, He was different every time He showed up. He provided life because of His victory. He proved His unchanging love. I tried to live this year in full surrender. I tried to walk through 2013 with my hands held up high ready for Him to pull me out of impossible situations and take us to where He wanted us. I believe He did. I believe that every single thing that happened in 2013 was a result of this full surrender that we lived for. Together, my husband and I, gave it all up to Him. We've seen what a year of surrender does and can't wait to see what this lifetime holds. We gave Him one thing and He did something miraculous with it. Between the paradise vacation, the heartache of being states apart for a few months, the devastation of the tornados and the pieces being mended and the miracles that He made possible helped strengthen our walk with Him and proved that no matter what, He is the God of the miracles and He is all we need. 

So, with that, peace out 2013, like I said, it's been real. We're ready for 2014. We're ready to become parents this year. We're ready to see God show up and we're ready to make a difference in this world. 

{{One & Only Ocean Club @ Bahamas}}

{{About to swim with dolphins @ The Atlantis}}

{{Turner Falls w/ daddy-o}}

{{The drive to drop me off for a few months. Hand in hand.}}

{{He's graduated!}}

{{Love this guy}}

{{Buying what we can to help.}}

{{Church service a couple of days after the tornado.}}

{{Our God, doesn't delay. Our God will come through ALWAYS.}}

{{June 1st tornado shelter party. Complete with the live stream on the iPad and beer.}}

{{4th of July fun}}

{{Guess we should have put Sooner on there also..seeing as how 2013 led us to plant our roots in OK and officially be homestead in OK!}

{{Travis' Grandpa and Grandma in Vancouver, WA}}

{{The guys. Dad, brother, husband. Love them.}}

{{Christmas 2013 at my parents house (with my nephew)}}

{{growing!}}

"Whatever You're doing inside of me, it feels like chaos but I believe, You're up to something bigger than me, larger than life, something heavenly." -Sanctus Real