2011 - What a year!

2011 was quite a year. Right now, it seems like it was an easy year, but it wasn't that easy. It was crazy. We weathered a lot of changes and were tested in some intense ways. It's amazing isn't it, what a little distance from the crazy will do for you?  God has been good, faithful, and the cry of my heart this year is that I would get to a place of health and wholeness in Christ that helps me free people, see them as redeemed, and to live fully in His grace. Can that happen on earth? I'm willing to give it a whirl :)

SO here's to 2011, thank you God, for seeing us through!

January:
On January 6th, I prayed that God would give Nate a new job. I guess without going into too much detail, grace ran out on his stint at MDS (for me, anyway). I was having a hard time being positive and looking forward to him traveling when our baby girl arrived in April. So I prayed. I remember it being a short, but heartfelt prayer, and then I kind of let it go. I had prayed before, but this prayer was definitely more, "God, here's my heart, do what you will, and I will still love you even if your answer is no".  Well, January, unknown to me, Nate got two emails for potential different jobs. January 8th after dropping my sister and her fiance off at the airport, I confessed my prayers to him, because really, it was his life I was asking God to change :) He didn't share with me at the time, but a few weeks later, he had breakfast with an old high school classmate that changed our life in a big way.
February:
Nate made one of his last trips with MDS. It was on that trip we found out there would be layoffs of employees. He returned to more meetings with his friend, and a pretty probable job at a bank in our area. No more travel. :) Layoffs happened, Nate was kept. It was interesting, because we had a backup plan, we didn't have to worry or fret. So we did what we could and tried our hardest to minister to our friends/coworkers at MDS. It was a really cool season of ministering together and seeing Nate walk in his giftings. I turned 31. Wowee. Nate turned 27.
March:

April:
The biggest blessing of April, and really of the whole year, was the birth of our sweet Katelyn Grace on the 19th. She was born with a true knot in her umbilical cord, which is incredible. She was alive, healthy, and truly a miracle. She's so much more than I could have asked God for in a daughter. She's a delight, so calm, so happy, and just SWEET. I can see so much of God's goodness in her. She was born with a possible heart issue, so that was a little difficult to walk through, but the peace of God was with us.
May:
We got the all-clear on Katelyn's heart condition. Praise God for His care for her and for us! We also celebrated three years of marriage. It seems like a lot more than three, because we've seen a lot in those years!
I celebrated SIX years of service at Global Disciples. I am so blessed!!!!
June:
We went on an extended family vacation with Nate's family to the Deerwood. We were blessed with gorgeous (read: not humid) weather and a wonderful time with his family.
Nate had his last day at MDS - a bittersweet day for sure.
July:
Nate started his new job at Fulton. We feel so very blessed at the way God worked that situation out for us! It's definitely a story to remember as we look back on His faithfulness!
We had prayed very minimally about buying a home. We thought something with a bigger yard a bit more out of the city, closer to our small group and connections at church would be fun. On my way home from Bible study one night, I saw a for sale sign in a yard. We called, checked it out a couple of times and started the process of buying a home!
August:
August 26th, we celebrated our 4th anniversary of dating and purchased our house!  We were blessed with an outdated, but structurally sound home we could work on and move into and expand into as well.
September:
This was a HARD month, I'm not going to lie. I am still working part-time at Global, Nate was still getting used to his new job, we had a very active two year old, a five month old, and were working feverishly on packing and remodeling our house. It was a lot of late nights, a lot of exhaustion, and it was a good reminder of how much we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  We felt humbled and loved as so many friends and family lent us their skills and love to help us. It was mostly a surreal experience for me, the girl who has moved countless times in life!
October:
Friends and family came together once again to bless us by helping us move!
November:
This was a much calmer month. :) We enjoyed Thanksgiving, settled some more into our home, and enjoyed a little less stress.
December:
I guess the biggest news of the month was my sister's wedding in Finland! What a fun trip we had!  The kids had their passports ready, so did we, and on the 21st, we embarked on our first international trip together. For me, it had been almost three years since I'd left the country and boy was I ready! I love being in other cultures, hearing other languages, and experiencing life in a whole different way!
Throughout our trip of many sleepless nights, God gave us much grace and we were able to serve, bless, and ENJOY those we were with. My sister made the perfect and beautiful bride. I cried, they cried, Benson didn't throw the rings into the pond. On the trip, we had SNOW on Christmas day, went on a reindeer sled ride, helped build an igloo, and experienced a week of forced "unplugged" lifestyle. I liked the simple life, it was pretty great. We were busy, but a different busy than here at home.

I have been thinking lately, well really, it's been a big thought to me all year, how much easier it is to trust God in the hard things, in the things that seem like they will shake you.  How much harder it is for me, at least, it is to keep my eyes fixed on God in the annoying, mundane day-to-day things we walk through. I want to keep my eyes so fixed on Him, that I can't help but trust and praise Him in the easy and in the hard and in the just plain annoying.