Last Saturday was the 2 year anniversary of our move to Vegas so we decided to take a family picture under the famous Las Vegas sign. This might need to become a yearly tradition!
So . . . . two years.
I've been trying to think about what to say on two years. And I realized that I don't have a lot. There were a lot of feelings and reflection on the one year mark, but at this point I feel like our life just "is." If that makes sense. We're living, growing, doing, and normal life just moves along! Things are good.
As I look back, though, I do see a big difference between year 1 and year 2. The first year, truly, was all about surviving. I don't need to re-hash it all, but oh my goodness it was rough. The second year I set a goal to thrive and I feel like I've been able to do that. We're making friends, the kids are gelling at school, etc.
As I look forward to the next year and consider the feeling that I would like to bring into this experience, my mind rests on . . . . love.
Over the past 2 years I have done a small blog series called "love the place you live." This is my ongoing effort to get out and do things and become familiar with the area so we can enjoy and love where we live. With intention I go through these steps and I do enjoy the activities, but truthfully the heart-filling desert love is not there. Yet.
You know that feeling you get when you come home from a long trip and you think, "Oh, it's so good to be home!!" So far, I don't have that. My feeling is more like, "Oh, I'm back."
So my goal is to find that "good to be home" feeling.
We watched Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday and the message was all about positive living (read it HERE). How perfect! I especially liked the last line of the message:
"That’s the power of positive living: the more you look for all that is good and hopeful, the more you find yourself surrounded by it."
I even put this thought into practice this week. When I was about to post a negative comment about the weather on instagram I stopped myself and changed it to something positive. And it felt good. (But I'll tell you right now that I can't promise to withhold sharing my misery come mid-July when we've been at 114 for 8 straight days. It takes a special person to put on a happy face during that kind of heat.)
I thought to myself, what things do I love about this place now?
. . . Getting to enjoy the outdoors from November through April-ish -- walking on the many trails, going on hikes, and barbecuing outside in February while barefoot.
. . . The kids' schools. Honestly feel like we made a slam dunk when moving into this school zone. The kids' schools would be a major factor if we ever needed to move elsewhere.
. . . Our church congregation. It is filled with really friendly people. In fact, I just got a phone call today from one of the elderly sisters in the ward thanking me for a talk I gave in church a few weeks ago. Aww!
I'm hoping to make this list grow and grow. The Northwest will always have a BIG, special place in my heart. Always. But I'm starting to see that I can also love this place -- just in different ways.
* * * * * * * * * *
