Kenny had arrived a few days earlier with the U-Haul and a few family members to help. My mom, Kennan, and I flew in on the 3rd and my dad picked us up at the airport. I remember cruising (my dad was driving) down the NJ turnpike wondering what kind of foreign land I had entered. We pulled up to the apartments just as my couch was being hoisted over the patio railing (2nd floor apartment) by about 8 men. I immediately knew we were in the perfect place. Our U-Haul was completely unloaded in no time with the help of our new neighbors and there were all kinds of welcoming faces surrounding us. The next few weeks were spent unpacking and settling in as we began to create friendships with the community.
One of the best things about the place we live (besides the pink tile bathrooms and inconsistent shower water temperature) is the people that are here. Our apartment complex is only open to people who are attending school were Kenny is enrolled. That means almost everyone is transplanted here for a few years while working on their education and then move off to real jobs (or the crazies who stay to do PhD work)! We were blessed to be in a building with MANY MANY children and young families. In fact, our neighbors below us have become our closest friends while we have been here. Their daughter Hannah is 2 weeks younger than Kennan, Alisa was/is a teacher (just like me), and Kevin did Youth Ministry and plans to become a solo pastor (just like Kenny). I don't think God could have planned our location to one another any better!! Nothing says friendship like being able to let the children play together while we are still in slippers (and sometimes pajamas)!!
I guess I am having this flashback for a number of reasons. We just had our 3rd Easter since being here and I have pictures of Hannah and Kennan for each of those years. It is also on my mind a lot as we are planning for the future...conversations with churches, trips to churches, quotes from moving companies, etc. It is so real that there is an end in sight and goodbyes in the near future. We are going to be so excited when the time comes for Kenny to be called to a church for ministry. But, we are going to be so sad when we have to say goodbye to all of our friends...with hopes that we will all see eachother again really soon!
Most of the people that read this blog are from our community here. We love you guys and feel totally blessed by your friendship and the time we have had with all of you!!! (I know we still have some time together so I will stop being mushy.) The rest who read this blog are friends and family back in the great state of Texas. We are excited about being closer to all of you REALLY soon!!!
Okay, for those of you who stuck with me, here are some pictures!! Check out Kennan and Hannah from the past 3 Easters!! And a few other old pictures!
Easter 2006 (Kennan wasn't walking yet but Hannah was on the move)
COLD Easter of 2007.JPG)
Easter of 2008
Kenny with Kennan and Kevin with Hannah in September of 2005 (about 2 weeks after we moved in...I'll have to get another picture of them like this before we move!)
Our family in front of one of the buildings on campus (again, I need to get one of us now...with a 3 year old and new baby)!! 
4 comments:
This reminds me of when we moved from Texas to Nebraska. We drove up and as we went through corn field after endless corn field, I wondered where on earth Chad was taking me?! If you can believe it, moving to Japan was less of a shock to me, maybe b/c Nebraska was the first time I had been far away from family. It's a good thing God is everywhere we go!
I can relate!! Moving out here to California (the land of "fruits and nuts" as many call it, and boy is that fitting!!) was the CRAZIEST thing I feel like I have EVER done. I have never lived anywhere BUT Texas, so it was scary.
We moved (you guys and us) to opposite sides of the country within a month of each other. I remember we were either going to end up really close to each other, only cities apart, in Texas - or on separate coasts of the US. Of course we ended up on separate coasts.
Now you guys have another sweet baby and we have a baby too!! Time went by so fast. We have loved being out here and doing new things. But we will definitely be glad to get back to Texas and see our friends and family much more often!!
J
It is amazing to see the pictures of Kennan so small. I hardly remember him like that. It's so crazy how time flies. We will miss you when you move.
Wow, what a great series of Easter pictures of Kennan and Hannah! We also can't believe how much these 2005 babies have all grown up in the short years we've been in CRW. It seems like a blip, but it's their whole lives. It's hard to think about them all now parting ways with their lifelong little buddies. And those of us who will still be in Princeton (starting year seven...) will miss the rest of you very much.
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