Happy New Year!!

Daniel and I saw 2009 quite a bit sooner than almost all of you. So far, it's a good year. :-)

New Year's is good for reflecting on things past and hoping for things to come... I've been doing quite a bit of that over the last day or so. Somehow, being in a totally foreign country gives you a completely new perspective on things.

Daniel and I have been married about 3 1/2 years now. In that time, we've had quite a bit of ups and downs. Some of the "downs" were (in no particular order) my Momma's death, the loss of Daniel's grandfather, some pretty rough medical issues and surgery, moving farther away from everyone and everything than we had ever imagined, and some tough times financially. Some of the "ups" were (again, no particular order) getting super close to Daniel's parents (emotionally and physically---a 700-sqare-foot apartment with four adults is nothing to laugh at), Daniel's sister getting married, the surgeries working well, good jobs, good friends, our marriage getting stronger, and moving to the other side of the world.

When I look at everything that happened just in 2008, it's hard to believe. In such a short time, our lives changed drastically a few different times. We moved with Daniel's parents from the apartment to a gorgeous house, I had three different jobs (fifth grade teaching, daycare, and South Korea), Daniel graduated college--YEAH BUDDY!!!!, and we've moved into the future (14 hours ahead of the east coast).

I am so grateful that God has blessed us in so many ways. We have had unexpected blessings time and time again. We have had amazing friendships and a wonderful church family. My health is 100%. We have family that is just phenomenal. We have so many things to be thankful for! :-)

When I think about everything we left behind--family, friends, good jobs, warm weather, etc--I get so upset. I can't even imagine why I would ever move so far away from everything I hold near and dear. But then I think about how many times God has come through for us. He has ALWAYS been there--even in the most unexpected of ways. Sometimes I can't see the good that could come out of leaving everything behind. However, I know that His plans are GOOD. I know that we are here for a reason. I am so grateful for this opportunity.

Please know that I miss you all more than you could imagine. But also know that we are truly doing well--we know this is exactly where God intended us to be, and that this was never a surprise to Him. We are here to be a blessing to others, to learn so much, and to be blessed along the way. I don't know exactly where our lives will be headed in the next year or so, and I know that it might be rough at times. But I do know that we will be just fine, even in the bad times.

God is here, and He knows what He's doing.

Jeremiah 29:11.