Made it to Memphis- A New Chapter

We have been in Memphis for about 2 1/2 weeks now, although it seems much longer!  Not in a negative way, just in a "so much has gone down" kind of way.

The night we left Des Moines we headed to my parents house to stay the night there, rest up the next day, and then drive through the night.  Lydia is not a fan of her car seat for too long and driving through the night while she slept was definitely going to be our best bet.  We also gave Samson, our 115 lb yellow lab, some sedatives and they worked well- thank goodness!

With a full gas tank, a sleeping baby and drugged up dog, we were on our way with Starbucks by our side!

We bought a book on tape and listened to some sermons which helped to pass the time.  I slept on and off but not well and Chris drove the whole way.  We were pulling our Mazda on a tow dolly with our Explorer so we had to drive slower.  Combine that with a little detour caused by a wreck and 9 hours later (will usually hopefully normally take less than 8) we were in Memphis!

Move in day is a blur.  The movers unloaded everything and we tried to get to work.  I am not sure how we managed to get most of our house unpacked in less than a week with an 11 month old, but we did!  It felt great to start getting settled in.  Although we are living in a rental home and there are things we have to laugh and roll our eyes about (dish washer barely works, etc) it didn't take long for us to feel at home.

After only a week, I couldn't help but reflect back on how much God had taught me that past week.  I had learned more than ever that my home is where my little family is.  The reason we felt at home so soon, it's because we are.

That first week we took full advantage of the time with had left with Chris before he started work- and the weather!

We started by buying some new bikes!  This is a favorite past time of ours anyway but both of our bikes were stolen when we lived in Chicago...booo!

Enjoyed lots of wagon walks!

A trip to the zoo.  We became members fully knowing it would be well worth our money!  Chris and I go to the zoo of every city we visit.

And of course lots of bike rides!

We also tried out a couple of churches and are continuing to pray to get plugged into the right one- the one the Lord was us to be a part of!

We have also enjoyed getting to know our neighbors, including a cook out with them and their 3 month old baby boy.  I was invited to a mom's bible study which was extremely encouraging.  And we were able to spend some time at the botanical center with some of Chris' coworkers for their little guy's first birthday.  Lydia and Blake were so cute together.

May I just say...hubba hubba

Overall, we have been staying busy!  Chris is truly liking his new job and as his wife it was been so wonderful to see him excited about his future at SCO (Southern College of Optometry) since day 1.  Lydia and I have been keeping busy at home, getting back into a schedule and putting the house together even more.  I am looking forward to getting more plugged into our community, finding a house and just seeing what God has planned.  He is so good and I am continually thankful for His presence.