A New Adventure

In July, we will have been in TN for 5 years.  Wow.  It's hard to believe that the majority of married life has been at Johnson and in East Tennessee.  We were still newlyweds when we packed up everything we could fit into the back of our car and also a rented SUV.  We sold or gave away so many of our Indiana belongings because we couldn't afford a moving truck.  (Which, looking back, it really was no big deal to have less stuff!)  We lived much simpler lives as a newly married couple with no kids!

We have always loved TN.  I was born and raised in East Tennessee.  I know Wes has always considered Knoxville a second home.  So why, you may ask, would you want to leave if you love it so much?  Well, this is our opportunity to share how God has brought us to this point...to leave a place we love and move several states away to unfamiliar lands, i.e. Colorado.  When we left Indiana, we had no idea what God had in store for us except that this was our chance for Wes to complete his Bachelor's degree.  Beyond that, no clue!  After Wes finished his degree, he had thoughts of all the many different places he might get a job, all the while, Johnson was the place for him!  He was able to stay home with Brennan for the first 9 months of his life, which we both consider a HUGE thing.  Wes gained such great understanding and compassion for stay-at-home parents through this experience. 

Being at Johnson has brought such joy to our lives.  Our prayer as a family has always been to be content where God had planted us.  Let me just say that this was not always easy.  Contentment is certainly something that we struggle with and there have been many lessons learned along the way.  And, still many yet to learn!  We will always look back at this time in our lives with smiles on our faces.  Even the things that brought us the most frustration, will be thought of with fond memories.  Our apartment, though small and not always family friendly, will forever bring back memories of early labor pains with both my kiddos.   This community that we have been a part of has touched our hearts in ways that I never knew was possible.  But, now, we know that God has called us to move on.  To leave Johnson and start a new adventure.