Last Saturday, Payton was invited to a birthday at the park. We found the picnic table where the kids were gathering for the party, and then Anna and I walked down to the play structure to hang out until the party was over. Anna quickly ran to the swings. I walked toward a picnic bench and sat down. As I looked up to admire the beautiful spring blossoms on the tree above it hit me . . . .
I was sitting in this exact spot, on this exact day, one year ago. March 9, 2012.
And, one year ago I had even thought to take a picture of the tree.
March 9th -- It was our first day in Nevada. We had arrived on March 8th (by car and by plane). We slept in our apartment. The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for the day. Scott went off to work and I was alone with the kids. We went to the grocery store and then drove to the park. This park. And I sat on the very same bench.
Talk about goosebumps. This time (2013) I sat there and thought back to that day . . . one year ago. Remembering how lost I felt and in a daze. Taking it one step at a time. Everything was just so surreal.
On our Big Move anniversary I told the kids, "hey, guess what?! Did you know that today we have lived in Nevada for one. whole. year?"
Payton squealed "Yay!" and started doing his hip-shaking dance. I laughed and asked him, "why are you dancing?" He replied, "Because we survived!"
Conner agreed, "We survived the heat!" And Anna moped, "I miss Oregon, and I miss my friends."
Well, there you go.
This week I flipped through my photos from our last day and our first day (March 8-9) and found so many interesting similarities (and differences) between what we were doing then and now. So I thought I would share a little comparison. Life . . . one year later.
2012 // Saying good-bye to our house. And it is SUNNY in Oregon! (I remember Paige telling me that the nice weather that day was Oregon's way of leaving me with good memories)
2013 // Walking to school. And it is RAINY in Nevada!
2012 // Crocus blooming in my front flowerbed
2013 // Daffodils in my kitchen. I was soooo happy to find these at the grocery store. A little tender mercy . . . daffodils grew everywhere in Oregon.
2012 // Our backyard. 4 years in that house and a lot of work. HERE are some photos taken when everything was blooming
2013 // Our backyard. Lots of work ahead of us.
2012 // An empty family room and kitchen -- all moved out. Remember when I had a red kitchen?
2013 // An empty family room with a new paint job! My current kitchen will not be painted red.
2012 // Making our way through PDX with a hobbling Anna. Thanks to a badly sprained ankle she was wearing a cast under her black sock. She was a very good sport with all the traveling.
2013 // Running, sliding, jumping, and swinging at the park.
2012 // Our first breakfast in our new apartment. Scott had gone to the grocery store for cereal and milk that morning. And we can't forget to point out the awesome bachelor pad rental furniture.
2013 // Breakfast date at Jamba Juice with Payton. Just because.
2012 // We played at the park on our first day. And the kids loved it.
2013 // All 3 kids playing Wii together, in our home, and loving it.
2012 // Me then. Polka dots. Ready to run to Anna's kindergarten class for her good-bye party.
2013 // Me now. All black. Hanging out at home after church.
Ahh, and today we are here. Life is so different from one year ago. Things are getting better and better each day.
I still miss Oregon . . . a lot. And I think about my friends every single day. But I know that we'll be in each others' lives for a long time - forever. ;) I'm excited to spend a few days with them in June when we swing through the state! {insert happy dance}
My blog friend, Kim, also went through a big move (Iowa to Texas) a few months before we did. And so she had her one-year anniversary a few months before we did. She posted something on Facebook that day and I copied it down, with the intention of saving it for this day:
Sometimes it is hard to move on, but we must. And moving on doesn't mean forgetting friendships, forcing memories to fade. It means opening our hearts to even more happiness and more experiences....good things keep on coming.
Isn't that perfect? At the time I first read it, though, I wasn't ready to move on. I was fighting it. But now I understand that it's a necessary part of life & change. And like the quote says, it doesn't mean forgetting friendships & memories but opening our hearts to more.
I am feeling good. I almost feel like I needed that one year mark - I needed to cross that milestone - so I could settle down and start to gel with what we have going on here. Still, I'm not too pleased at the fact that we're going to hit 90 today (in March)! -- I don't think I'll get used to the heat -- I guess I'll just have to sweat, stink, and smile through it!
One more tidbit . . . this month in my book club we read A Winter Dream. It's a modern day re-telling of the Bible story of Joseph who is sold into Egypt by his 11 jealous brothers. My favorite part of the book came in the epilogue. The main character, Joseph, shares a letter that his father had given him at his college graduation. This letter had guided him through his life. Some excerpts:
Always, always remember that --- Adversity is not a detour. It is part of the path.
Your challenges, if you'll let them, will become your greatest allies. Mountains can crush or raise you, depending on which side of the mountain you choose to stand on. All history bears out that the great, those who have changed the world, have all suffered great challenges. And more times than not, it's precisely those challenges that, in God's time, lead to triumph.
Abhor victimhood. Denounce entitlement. Neither are gifts, rather cages to damn the soul. Everyone who has walked this earth is a victim of injustice. Everyone.
Most of all, do not be too quick to denounce your sufferings. The difficult road you are called to walk may, in fact, be your only path to success.
Again, perfect. I just loved that.
Thank you for making it to the end of a very long post. And thank you for coming with me on this journey the past year.