Summer is upon us! We have been busy closing on our home, unpacking and organizing. The kids are involved in our library’s summer reading program and Lauren is a teen volunteer there. She is loving it! I’m trying to get adjusted to our new town. So far, I’ve gotten lost twice. I’ve learned that even a GPS can get it wrong once in a while!

We are currently packing (again) for a trip out to wild, wonderful West Virginia so my husband can preach at a Jr. High camp there. We’re going to the very church we worked in 14 years ago, when my Lauren was born. She is excited about seeing where she entered the world. It will be a long drive for us – about 1,200 miles one way – so if you think of it, please pray for us. I think going back will be very healing for me. I made so many mistakes as a 21 year old, first time mother, who was also unknowingly suffering from PPD. I fought homesickness and depression. Those emotions clouded what should have been the happiest time of my life! The blessing is, I’m not that person anymore. When depression said, “Give up”, I kept going. I didn’t go fast or far, but I did go forward. I made some bad choices and reacted to my problems in the wrong ways, but the God of second (and third and fiftieth) chances has allowed me to survive and even thrive from my mistakes. I admit that I often wonder what might have been different in our lives if I had handled my problems better. I often think, “You should have talked to your doctor.” and “You should have tried to open up to someone in the church.” But, I can’t go back. I can only forgive myself and move forward. Maybe I can lay some of the “demons” from my past to rest on this trip. Maybe it will be “therapedic”. (as Barney Fife would say!) Maybe this is one more step forward for me.

Here are a few random photos of our summer so far:

After we return from our trip East, I’m eager to get started on decorating the house more. I want to paint above my cabinets in the kitchen and get curtains for some of the rooms. We also have a list of repairs to work on. Gotta love home ownership! 😉 Now that I have an iPhone, I hope to be blogging from the road, so stay tuned for more of our adventures. Oh! And please let me know what your summer plans are, too!