Life is good in the Shenandoah Valley

I've been here in Virginia almost two weeks now. Time is going by slowly, which I'm grateful for because Jonathan will be heading out on some projects come the end of this month and the month of February, so I am taking advantage of the many hours of time God has allowed us to spend together on a daily basis.

We are still working on finishing the basement where I will be living at the Kristophel's home. Been learning how to cut drywall, mud, sand, etc. Fun stuff. Should be moved in within the week, I would hope. I'm currently living above their garage in the game room while my room is being worked on.
The Kristophels are a wonderful family. Doug and Kris have two teenagers-- Kayla and Andrew. They are warm and open, love to play games with each other, and eat dinner together almost every night. And although that was the norm for me for the first half of my childhood-- that is a rare thing in a family anymore--especially with teenagers. And I admire their commitment to staying connected and spending time together. God has blessed me with a good place to live-- and even one that is supportive and inviting of Jonathan being around so much! It is nice to have a place we feel comfortable being at together without feeling like we're imposing.

I spent the past week getting my new license, plates, looking for jobs, filling out applications, updating my resume, and reading through ads and papers... I have a few bites and one job offer, and will probably take that job but I'm going to wait until Monday to finalize that decision. I'll let you know what happens.

Jonathan and I are finding a good niche together living life together semi-routinely (as much as one can in this transition time and with him being a pilot). He comes over for lunch, and spends evenings having dinner with the family and then working on the basement. We sneak away to take walks, or drives, or to run errands.

We visited a church called Alethia on Sunday that we really enjoyed-- a mix of Harvest church and Four14... mostly young adults, good upbeat worship, free food, and good teaching. I think this will be our primary church home.

Harrisonburg is a great city-- I feel very comfortable in it. A million stores and restaurants, and at least 4 thrift/goodwill stores as well as many consignment and outlet stores. A dream come true for me :)

Still working on wedding plans... I feel as if things are starting to calm and come together. We're on the verge of making some large decisions that will give us the freedom to focus on the details.

Emily is coming into town next weekend! So excited!


Prayer requests: job and finances, wedding planning, jonathan's trips to California and Honduras within the next six weeks, getting my room finished, and finding a local church home (and a good pastor to take us through premarital counseling).


Pictures to come soon!