2018: Bringing (my) Blog Back!

I've noticed over the years that, as social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have become more and more integrated into our lives, I post less and less on my blog. And I miss writing. A little bit. Sometimes, a quick sentence or two suits me just fine. But today, I'm compelled to write a bit more. Things have changed over the past five years (which is when I wrote my last REAL blog post). We've been in Israel, then back in the States, and now we're overseas again. Spain, to be exact. I never thought I would end up in Europe, but this is where God wants us, and this is where we'll stay for the time being. Here's a little recap of 2017: January: Got new passports, began the process of applying for visas to live in Spain. February: I attended an amazing conference for women, put on by Crescent Project. March: Met with Aaron, our Team Leader for Light Madrid. Brainstormed about church planting in Spain and what gifts/ resources we can bring to the table. Kids started playing soccer and baseball at the YMCA. April: Visa appointment at the consulate. Paperwork is completed and submitted for processing. May: Receive the news that our visas have been approved! Pick those up and buy our tickets to Spain for the end of July. June: VBS, camps, and a visit to my grandparents up in Oklahoma. Duane got ordained to the deaconate. Started packing and sorting through our lives for the past four years (it's a lot more difficult than it sounds)! July: Packing, movers, commissioning service at our church, saying good-bye to friends and family. August: We arrived in Spain! Like most of Europe, August is when people shut down and go on vacation. However, paperwork rests for no man! Trying to get our residency cards and finding an apartment. September: A month of beginnings! We move into our new apartment, kids start school, I start language classes, Duane starts work at the cathedral. October-December: Finding our groove in a new country. Figuring out cultural differences. Learning a new language. Here are a few pictures: