Summer in review 2019


As summer comes to a close and we celebrate the beginning of autumn in less than 2 weeks (eek!), I wanted to document more of the blessings from the past few months. Moving can be a blur, full of emotions and changes, so sitting down to look through pictures and quiet my mind is a great way to reflect on God's faithfulness in every season. And if you believe like I do, that God is writing your story, you and I may prefer one chapter over the other, but we always trust the Author!

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen ~ Hebrews 11:1

So back to our summer review... We spent almost 2 months living in hotels and out of suitcases, before moving into on base housing. Here is our little munchkin checking out our new space!




Sweethearts modeling the new barstools we bought for our kitchen.

If you are a military family or have ever moved, you need this book! I have read it to our children so many times!


We also spent a lot of time eating at American restaurants we missed while stationed in Europe. Joe's Crab Shack, in Clearwater, made the list!







One of the biggest gifts of being stationed in Florida, are the gorgeous beaches. Truly. No beach is the same and we love to explore them!







Somehow I feel like our baby girl became a  toddler during the summer and we are loving all her new words, dancing, singing, imagination, and excitement! And those big blueberry eyes. Be. Still. My. Heart.






































My Hero is passionate about fishing, so this summer re-introduced the kids (and me) to the fun of fishing in the ocean on his kayak. It's a great family activity - away from distractions and screens, surrounded by some of our Creator's most amazing creatures! Dolphins, manatees, birds, and fish of every shape, color, and size.





We made a quick "Father's Day Weekend" trip to Texas, to be with our Prescott family! We sure wish we could have stayed longer to visit with friends across the Lone Star State, but it was an incredible gift to spend time with Papa & Grandma and all of my Hero's siblings and their families (oh we love ya'll!!) on Father's Day!


Best Daddy Ever!!




We were able to visit with some of our very best friends, TWICE! Once on a quick trip through Pensacola, and another time for Elli's graduation! As much as moving is hard, we would have never met if we hadn't been stationed together years ago! God is so good to write these friendships into our story! We love you Trish, Elli, and Estoria!




Savannah and Levi, spent a week at church camp (so-much-fun!), while Alisa and I planned "Joshua Camp" for he and Cora at our new home. Swimming, movies, fishing, Legos, baking, stories, and a dozen other fun stay-cation-camp-style summer adventures for our littles!






We were able to spend time with Papa & Nana and Great-Grammy Ethel, TWICE!  What a treat to celebrate birthdays together and to share ice-cream with Grammy! So many family blessings!





Our talented guitar player helped purchase a new guitar for herself and she and Savannah began leading worship at the Chapel!




I don't know if I've ever been in a room with so much energy, patriotism, and passionate athletes! The Warrior Games and visiting my Hero's battle buddy, George, was a highlight of the summer for me personally. It's so easy to focus on the trials of military life, but watching others overcome their own trials - life changing trials - puts so much into perspective. We have so much to be thankful for and I'm grateful for the military heroes who inspired and overcame at the games this year!






We spent America's Independence Day, in America! God Bless America!





Amidst the mounds of cardboard boxes, packing paper, and organizing our new home, I tried to take time to rest; writing notes, lingering over cups of coffee, and reading to my cuties.




These two adventurers flew solo for the first time! And loved it, I might add. They went to North Carolina, for Alisa to attend a Culinary Camp with her sweet-est friend Brenna. Meanwhile, Savannah and Bailey (who happens to be Brenna's big sister! Can you say perfect?!) enjoyed a week of shopping, horseback riding, and swimming! To add icing to the cake, they all came to Florida, to stay with us for a few days. Even their mommy, who happens to be one of my dear friends, and we all soaked up time together!






Summer is a great time of grilling! Well, I consider every season to be a great time to grill, cook, or bake! This summer was no exception. And once we received our household goods, it was game on in our new kitchen!







We spent a lot of time in our neighborhood pool and Joshua is officially our 4th confident swimmer!



I started running again this summer. I don't consider myself a runner. I'm slow. *smile*. But I do enjoy 1-4 miles running/walking outside. It's restful and some of my best prayer time. I didn't run in Germany; mostly because I was pregnant and then had a little baby most of the time we lived there. Secondly, because of complications after Cora's birth, I was pretty weak physically and lost a lot of muscle tone. One of my goals for 2019 was to gain muscle and endurance back. And so far, so good! I'm grateful for the new strength my body has and I've truly enjoyed running along the ocean, most of the time pushing precious Cora in her jogging stroller.




There are so many more pictures to post and stories to share, but I'm going to close with a date-night I enjoyed with my Hero at Steelbach . One of several special dates over the summer... moving can be hard on a marriage and I plan to write more on that at some point. But by God's grace and a whole lot of love, patience, prayer, and listening to each other, moving also has the ability to bond a couple together in some pretty special ways. I'm thankful that no matter where I am on the globe, I'm "home" with my handsome Hero!







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