the journey continues

Upon arriving back in Ohio my full time job has been trying to figure out what is going on with our house that we still own and some other things. This is a photo of our lovely dwelling in West Chester.

The frontal view.


And from the rear. Sitting nicely on hole #17, a long par 5, in Beckett Ridge. I loved going out and whacking some balls.


The inside would have looked a lot more homier if I had painted or at least put something on the wall.


Hopefully we will be able to close on this baby in the near future and get away from a mortgage hanging over our heads.


This has been a huge thorn in my side since coming back. I'm pretty sure this car is somehow cursed. There have been so many negative experiences surrounding this vehicle since I got it. This past week it somehow filled with a bunch of water and had to have the carpet removed to dry out. Ahhh I hate leases.


This is one of the dumber things I have done in my life. I guess it could be worse.

I hope to be done with these things and move toward a simpler life.

I recieved a special gift card to a homebrewing supply store in Cincinnati for Christmas. On Tuesday I was finally able to use it. This store doesn't look like much but they have all the necessities to brew your own beer, make your own wine, and even cheeses. Amazing. It just doesn't get any better than that. I can't think of many more rewarding thing than making your own adult beverages.

I love Easter. What a great holiday. Christ died to give us a new life. Sweetest Day or President's Day can't compare to that. This year was an especially great year. Carrie and I are back for a good long time now. I loved getting to reconnect with so many friends and family this weekend. Good food is always a plus too.

We have been back in Cincy for a little over a week now. People have been constantly asking, "How does it feel to be back?" My honest response is that I don't know. It still feels quite surreal. Things have been anything but boring upon getting back. We have wrestled with our cars, house, and jobs you know...all that real world stuff.

The greatest thing about being back is reconnecting with all the great people in our lives here. We have a great family who seems to continually love us more and more, even until it hurts. Our friends never fail to amaze us by how much they love us and add so much richness to our lives. It's all really too much sometimes. I feel like I don't know what to say or do sometimes when things are so awesome.

One of the worst and best things that has happened since coming back here was attending a funeral yesterday of a woman who was killed suddenly in a car accident. It was so painful for the family, but God was there continually comforting them and giving them peace in their time of need. Yesterday was a time when everything else stopped and I realized just how important people are to us in life. The pain I saw in people yesterday never could have been felt if they lost a house or a priceless piece of art. Nothing can be more meaningful to us than relationships. I was thankful for that reminder, while continuing to pray for those family members.

The truth is that I have some amazing people in my life. My time away in Vancouver didn't cost me any of these great relationships, it only gained new ones. I'm thankful for that.

As far as all the other stuff like where I will work or what I'll do... that'll all work out.

I can't wait to see how things shape up in the future.

Well...here we are in good ole Cincinnati. In a days time our lives have changed dramatically again.


Our time in Vancouver was incredibly life transforming and we will hopefully never be the same again.

We will never forget the relationships we made along the way.


I pray that we can remember the sights, feelings, and even smells that we experienced on the journey.


Community is great


Making friends with the natives is really great.


Rain for long periods of time stinks.

And the journey continues...

On to the future.

Last week we had to begin the transition process by moving out of the place we have endured so much life in here over the last ten months. It was a bittersweet day. One of the worst parts about the move is that we no longer have internet easily accessable through the wireless waves. Darn.

What's a guy to do?

It just gives me another reason to go to one of the nearby cafes. Oh well... if I must. So I have been frequenting the coffee shops with the best coffee and free wi-fi. In addition to my work needing attention on the interweb, Carrie and I have recently been given a new book to read.

This has managed to spice up our relationship and we are only into the third chapter. This book is indeed about sex between husband and wife. This is not just about positions or how to have the best night of sweaty passion you've ever had, but rather some other cool insights into your husband or wife that will probably spill over into the bedroom. Every relationship and person is different in multiple ways, so each marriage will benefit from a book like this in different ways.
One of the best things about this book is that the cover isn't so explicit or revealing that you can't read it in public.

Give it a shot. No one else will even know what it's about.

As the host of reading rainbow would say... " But don't take my word for it."

As unbelievable as it seems, the end is finally here. It's really weird actually. I don't quite know how to explain feelings that we have. We have spent the last week saying goodbye to relationships that we have been building here and are focusing on moving into the next season of life. I feel ready to move on; yet nervous, excited, and filled with anticipation for what is next. I wish I could honestly say that I have no fears about the future and what life will look like. I'm sure things won't always or never will be easy. I have faith that with each transition and change in life comes a greater sense of richness and fulfillment. As we close this chapter of life here we Entrust our lives, relationships, and work to God to do with as he pleases.

We had a great closing dinner downtown on Friday night. It was a great time to share stories and a time of prayer and blessing to send us off into what is next. The night was rather intense and at some points hard to swallow, but a great ending to our community here that provided necessary closure to a life transforming experience.

You might be wondering why Carrie and I haven't seemed to blog or email in a while and that is because we have had to move out of our place last week to an interesting house with no phone, Internet, and barely any electricity. In the heart of Vancouver we have somehow gone back to the stone age relying on fire for heat and candles for light. We can't wait to get back.