There are lots of things we are looking forward to, as a family, in the next few months. Traveling to Colorado for our staff conference, the girls in my family coming to visit us in NYC, our summer project starting, and so much more…BUT the first thing we were excited about was a trip back to NC!! We decided to travel back over a long weekend to visit current ministry partners, update our church on ministry here in NYC, and to hang with friends.
We were so relieved to be able to go, since Blake has been sick the last two weekends. The first he had croup and had to go to Urgent Care at 11 at night because he couldn’t breathe and the second he was running a high temp for 6 days (it hit 106 one night and with meds and luke-warm bath, I could only get it down to 103.7!!) Thankfully, we were all well long enough to travel. This was Blake the day after his fever finally broke – can you tell he was feeling better?
Getting through security was hectic, but the agents were so helpful and kind and that made a huge difference! Kind of funny, but they even had to check Emerson’s cast to make sure it was safe 🙂 The kids did AWESOME on the airplane. Brynn cried a little, but then slept through both flights, Blake feel asleep on one of the flights, and the girls played with toys and watched a movie. The ultimate key – keep them fed! We had LOTS and LOTS of snacks and it is helpful the airline hands them out too. Kinsley did get sick from a little bit of turbulence but other than that, everyone enjoyed it! After both flights, we had someone compliment us on how well-behaved they were, which is the ULTIMATE compliment after a flight!
Our time in Raleigh was oh so good for our hearts. They say you should get out of the city every month or two months to just breathe and get away from the busyiness and people, and man, this is so true! The kids shared that they enjoyed seeing their friends and visiting our old church and having a house to run around in and be loud at. Their least favorite part? Riding in car seats. Seriously, they said they couldn’t wait to get back and ride the subway, bus, or walk. They also missed their friends in NYC, so that is a huge win!
My favorite parts? It was so good seeing old friends and neighbors and getting updated on their lives. It was so good to stay with friends and stay up WAY too late talking. It was so good to visit our old church and update them and others about life in the Big Apple and how ministry is going. I enjoyed getting to connect with dear staff friends and Juli, the lady who mentored me for many years (see pic below). I LOVED getting to connect with Jenn, my dear friend who feels more like a sister. I actually shed tears pulling away from her house thinking about how I wished we lived closer but being grateful that she pursues me despite the miles and the only part we miss is being able to physically hug and hang out. (and special thanks to Jenn and her family who went down to one car this weekend so we could borrow their van). Our kids squealed with joy after taking the van through a car wash – oh, its the small things.
I was surprised by a few things this weekend and realized some important truths. Surprisingly, I tend to romanticize what it would be like to have a car now, and going back and being in a car all weekend, I realized that I missed walking and riding the subway. I thought it would be nice to have more space to run and to be around more people who look like me, but I realized that I missed having lots of people around me, the sounds of the city, and that there were just TOO many white people. Most importantly, I realized that I really missed the city, which was a HUGE mental turning point for me in realizing that I am learning to love this place we call home. After most moves, it took me at least a year to get there, so I am really thankful the Lord has allowed it to happen after just 6 months. Needless to say, we are really glad to be home.
And in other news, while we were gone, this little stinker turned 3 months old. Here’s to praying 3 months will bring her the ability to sleep better during the day (while not in my arms!) and be a happier baby all the time. Though you are oh so hard, we couldn’t imagine our family without you.
