And On A More Personal Note...

Happy March!

Stuart and I have been doing lots of traveling over the weekend, and looking forward to some special trips later on in the month, but our thoughts have also been turning homeward as we prepare to journey back to the good ol' USA.

First, let me say that this trip has been a really good time for Stuart and I to get down to some of the nitty gritty of what we want out of life. We've had talks about our goals as a couple long after we've gone to bed at night, spent many evenings on the computer house hunting, and gone for idea filled walks in the beautiful French countryside. It feels good to sort through the numerous areas of our life and decide together:

"Is this what we want?"

Kind of like spring cleaning, but with lifetime decisions! Thankfully, most of the difficult questions had been ironed out long before we were married, but there are always the ones that come up after you're married too! There have been foggy areas, and as we find ourselves on the downhill slope of our closing journey, we are emerging into a sweet clarity that we know has truly come with God's guidance.

That being said, I'm happy to say that after we return home we will be making our permanent home in (or around, depending on the house) Lynchburg. I know, I know! That's where we lived before we came here! But, Stuart has really felt that the Lord is guiding us back there. It is always amazing to see God work. If you had asked either one of us in January where we didn't want to live, we would have said Lynchburg! We were thinking the Triangle, Charlotte, even D.C., but Lynchburg was just supposed to be temporary until I graduated from LU.

But! When we got to France, we agreed to really pray for God's will in seeking our new home, neighborhood, job opportunities, etc. Imagine my surprise one morning, when Stuart told me that God was putting Lynchburg on his heart, more than that, that he actually wanted to live in Lynchburg and raise a family there! Well, this was a 180 from what I had been hearing! I had to laugh as I thought about all the weeks we had been looking for houses in the Triangle and numerous other locations. Trust me, Lynchburg wasn't even at the bottom of the list!

After we made the decision to pursue Lynchburg, we've both had that amazing peace that comes when you know you're headed in the right direction (a peace we definitely didn't have when we were looking elsewhere). It's funny, but now that the decision is made, I want to look at the whole situation and laugh, "Of course! It was there all along! How embarrassingly obvious!"

O'well! They say hindsight is always 20/20!

We've also made numerous other decisions pertaining to our lives, but if I typed them all out, you all would be here forever!

Suffice it to say, that we are extremely grateful for God's direction and the love of our families.

We covet your prayers as we try to find a house that is the right fit, and as I try to find a job in our present economy!

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon....

Love,