Our *new* New Normal (not in New York)

Well, an update is more than overdue!  My last post was nearly a year ago.  Oops!

Our life looks completely different than it did then, and to really fill you in with all the details that have transpired would take many more words than I am prepared to type tonight. But... I can give you bullet points!


Ministry Updates:

• After 2.5 years of living in NYC, Josh and I knew that our time there was coming to an end. With the blessing and support of our sending church and our church in New York, we began exploring what was next for our family.
• After a long, winding, uncertain and confusing journey, the Lord graciously led us to Soma in Indianapolis.  Josh's official first day on staff was July 1.  We are tremendously grateful for how well we have been welcomed by our Soma family.  I have often said that I love Indy as much as I thought I would, and I love Soma more than I thought I would.

Major life updates:

• We left NYC on April 30.  It was a horrific moving day!  I don't know that I will ever expend the energy to blog about all that went wrong with that move.  Suffice it to say: we finally laid eyes on our stuff again on July 8.  {I won't mention the torrential downpour, the flooded streets, the no-show movers, the too-small U-Haul at the wrong location that couldn't be driven on any major highways in NYC, the second U-Haul that leaked, or the 39 wet boxes (four of which we didn't discover were wet until July 8).}
• We are loving life in Indianapolis!  Before we even knew of a church here called Soma, Josh told me what a great place Indy would be for raising our family and that he knew I'd love it here. We're renting a 100 year old home (which allows Josh to fulfill his dream of living in an old house without having to be responsible for the upkeep!) To compare it with our apartment in Manhattan: our bedroom count doubled, our bathroom count doubled, our square footage tripled, and our rent went down $500 a month.  We still do laundry in the basement, but I no longer need a credit card to wash a load, and when I find a hair on my clean towel I can rest assured that it belongs to someone in our household.  We also gained a full attic; a two-car garage (which is appropriate now that we suddenly own two cars); a yard; and a three-seasons room, where Josh and I enjoy mild Indiana Summer evenings after Owen is in bed.

Updates on the kids:

• Owen is thriving!  He has adjusted so well to our new life.  Josh and I are amazed at the new words and skills he seems to acquire every day.  We lived in this house for about three weeks before any of our stuff arrived.  (We called it "camping".) Owen ran hundreds of laps through the empty main floor of the house and quickly discovered the joy of his voice echoing in an empty room with hardwood floors.  He is also quite certain that a backyard is the best thing that has ever happened to him.
• My pregnancy is going amazingly well!  I cannot get over how incredibly different this pregnancy has been from Owen's pregnancy.  Most days I forget that I'm pregnant-- that's how good I feel!
• We recently learned that this little one appears to be a girl, and she is due October 26.
• For most of this pregnancy, my belly hasn't seemed quite as large as it was with Owen.  However, I officially entered the third trimester last weekend, and I think she's feeling like she has something to prove now.  I'll get a picture for your amusement soon!

So there you have it!  Josh and I know that so many of you have thought of us, prayed for us, wondered how/where we were.  We're grateful for your love and support as we transitioned out of the city.  We're excited to see what the Lord has for us in Indianapolis!