Life lately... nomad style.

I have felt so discombobulated lately that a blog post has just not been within the realm of possibility. I have lots to update, so here it goes....

We moved out of our house last Friday. It was so bitter/sweet. Whew. I still cannot believe we somehow packed up everything. I am glad that is behind us because it was a lot of work! 

We will not be home in South Carolina until August. Our transition is a little complicated. Mitch will be gone for 5 weeks at ODS (Office Development School) in Rhode Island with the Navy. So, we sold our house and moved everything we own into my parents' garage -- epic. Thank you again Mom and Dad! SJ and I will be staying with Nonni and Boo while Daddy is away. I am not looking forward to our time apart, but I am excited to get a lot of concentrated time with my sweet parents before our big move. 

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Okay... HUGE news!!!! My amazing sister, Ryan is engaged to be married!!! This took place on the same day we moved, last Friday. Listen, this is such a testament to the Lord answering prayer. In 2011, I committed to praying every day for Ryan's husband.  As 2011 ended it was hard to understand why He had not brought anyone into Ryan's life. Well, look out 2012! Derek and Ryan began dating in February and will be married before the end of 2012. Woohoo!!! It is such a treat to see my sister so happy and so loved. Here is Derek (my future brother-in-law) and Ryan right after he popped the question.  Oh, I just love it! I am so happy for this darling couple. I am really looking forward to spending a lot of time wedding planning this summer! 

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One of the most difficult parts of moving is saying good-bye to dear friends. Well, actually I have decided not to say good-bye. We met at the park for a "final" lunch and play-date with Kristin and Kingston. It was SO HOT. We loved it and I am just so thankful for the past 2 years + together. These two will certainly not be replaced :)

I just love these two rosy cheeked 2-year-olds! 

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Mitch was officially commissioned into the U.S. Navy last week. It was kind-of a formality at this point, but it is a special "right of passage" so I am documenting it. I am so proud of my sailor... :)

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After packing and moving, we needed some downtime together before Mitch leaves for RI. We are currently enjoying our happy place -- the beach! 

Scarlett is loving the pool and so is "baby doll" since they are truly inseparable. 

 It cracks me up when we are out-and-about and people ask SJ what her baby's name is. She has named her baby doll, pronounced "baby dawwwl" in Scarlett speak. My girl has got a southern drawl, no doubt!  

Our little fashion plate is really enjoying her monogrammed beach tote from Aunt Barbie! 

We had a first today... We took Scarlett to the movie theater for the first time today. We saw Brave. It was so good. It was a little hard for SJ to understand not to talk during the movie, but she did so well. 

Thanks for reading! I promise not to stay away for long... 

the union of productivity and fun.

My head seems to be whirling around these days. (ha! that makes me think of that song by Will Smith's daughter where she says, "I whip my hair back and forth...") I look at Mitch all the time and tell him that "my words are not good." We have just got so much going on between packing, a long-distance move, internet house-hunting, prepping for him to leave for training, scheduling travel and still trying to make everyday fun for a busy toddler. So, I don't have a whole lot to report! We did have a nice Father's Day together which included a get-together at the park with Mitch's family where we had a little belated b-day celebration for SJ. Mitch got a cute video of her enjoying the splash pad at that park that I will have to post another time.

Since we have been trying to join productivity and fun around here lately, little Miss SJ has become quite the little helper. This is something I want her to enjoy doing anyway, so it has been neat to see her come into that roll. Today she packed up all of our movies and made sure that the packing tape sealed up the box just right ;)

Here she is doing a little grocery shopping... 

We get the funniest "double-takes" when her baby doll is riding around in the cart all hunched over... I guess she looks very realistic from a distance. 

Packing. I can honestly say that I will never look at a cardboard box the same. Who knew the attributes of a box could be so important? Double corrugated, girls...it's the way to go.  I am hoping that our military journey will somehow not involve 4 moves in 4 years, but never-the-less I am in it for the long haul either way. 

Thanks for reading!!

Celebrating 2 Amazing Daddies

Happy Father's Day to one very sweet and involved Father -- Mitch. I am SO incredibly thankful that Scarlett has a father who loves her unconditionally and can show her many attributes of her Heavenly Father. Mitch is very sensitive to what SJ needs and her care. I think that is unique and is something I really love about him. Mitch -- I hope you know how special you are to us everyday!! I love you and so does your little Scarlett Jean, the beauty queen ;) 

Here is our little family of 3 before church this morning. 

Here are some sweet moments from the past month we have had with Daddy...

And to my precious Daddy -- I have always been your girl and by now I hope you can see that will never change. You are so very special to me. I cherish our relationship more and more as I have grown into having a family of my own. Thank you for always using your words to encourage and protect me. Thank you for always reminding me to lean not on my own understanding, but in all my ways to acknowledge HIM. You are one special and wonderful man. I love you!!! 

A special moment: My Dad and I right before walking down the aisle together on Mitch and I's wedding day. 

And to Boo from Scarlett -- I love it when you hold me. I love to come to your and Nonni's house. I love it when you make me french toast in the morning. I love it when we walk through your garden together in the late afternoon. I love you so much already and I am only 2 so lookout!!! Hugs and kisses.   

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

And so, our journey begins...

Hey y’all!! Please don’t think that my recent time away means I don’t want to be blogging... I miss you when I'm away. The thing is I just totally thrive on order and a schedule, neither of which have I had for about a month and a half and I don’t see them coming back into my everyday life anytime soon. Anyhow, Mitch and I’s journey into our next chapter in life started months and months ago, but I have chosen not to write about it a lot on here because 1) I just didn’t want to write about things that still seemed uncertain and 2) I was sort-of in denial that we really could be moving 11+ hours away from family and friends... beginning anew on our very own in a city (well really a state for that matter!) where we know nothing. Well, I have to start off by saying God has not let us down up to this point and I am certain that He will not be letting us down in the future. I will share details on that in a second. So... to catch y’all up (and for the sake of my own record keeping): Mitch graduated from UK’s Dental School on May 6th (WOOHOO! It still amazes me that it is over.). He is officially a DMD. Back up a bit...He made a commitment to the United States Navy a little before the end of 2011 that stated upon graduation he would be entering the ranks of the Navy as a dentist where he will be serving out a 4 year commitment. Soon after his commitment was made, we had to choose from a list of bases in which we would prefer to be stationed. It became apparent very quickly that South Carolina would be the 1st stop on our “military” journey. And can I just say, I never thought I would be a military wife... Not because I have a lack-of-respect for the women (and men for that matter) who support their spouse as they serve our country in any given branch of the armed forces. Quite the opposite really. I just wondered if I have what it takes, you know? So, South Carolina. I loved that the word ‘south’ was in the name of the state in which we would be living. And little did I know until about 3 days ago that I was in for a real treat. Okay, so I think that brings things up to speed. I won’t share the specifics of move-dates, etc. but I will just say our family will be making our way to the lovely SC coast before summer comes to an end. 

In preparation for our move, Mitch and I spent 4 days in the deep south last week. The main prerogative of our trip was to secure our housing, which actually did not happen ;( But, we did get to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary while away and were on the receiving end of a lovely Georgia and South Carolina welcome! Okay, can I just say... I thought that I really I lived in the south. Kentucky is technically considered a boarder sate. But anyway, I think I understand the term “deep south” much more clearly now. Ha! 

This is a little side-note about a very important little person, Miss Scarlett:  While we were away for the longest amount of time I have ever left SJ (the longest I had ever been away from her up until last week was a whopping 16 hours.), we was in the loving care of her Nonni and Boo (my parents). Apparently they are 1000x more fun that Mitch and I, which I can believe. They said she asked about us 1 time while we were away. 1 time!! Boohoo! We have been talking to her about mommy and daddy’s trip for weeks, so I think she was well prepared, but even more I think that she is just nuts for her grandparents. I love it, since I was holding back tears from the moment we left my parents’ driveway. Just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU to Scarlett’s main people -- Nonni and Boo!!! 

Okay I don’t even know how this happened, but this post is going to be a long one! 


We started our trip out in Savannah, Georgia where one of my dear, college girlfriends resides -- Laurelee. You may remember Laurelee from the fun trip I took to Disney World when I was pregnant with SJ. Anyhow, there is nothing like seeing a city with a local. She was the sweetest, little southern belle hostess. 

We took a bus tour of downtown and it was so fun. Our bus driver was a hoot. And the sites were just SO charming. 

This church steeple is where the floating feather in the movie 'Forrest Gump' was dropped from.  

Ohhhh.... the trees. Stunning. 

This is a popular art museum off of one of the downtown squares. 

This is one of the squares. 

The antebellum homes are absolutely gorgeous. The history of Savannah is so rich. And I loved sitting next to my own history buff (Laurelee is a history teacher!). 

This live oak is believed to be over 300 years old. Incredible. 

This is the outside of the Catholic church in downtown Savannah. Apparently the outside is no comparison to the ornate interior. 

Chippewa Square...

After our wanderings in downtown Savannah and a little rest at Laurelee's apartment, we headed to Tybee Island for dinner. 

The beach! 

This was seriously one of the most delicious dinners ever! However, we realized that we are getting old because there was live music at the restaurant and it was SO loud we could hardly even talk! Ha!

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We said our goodbye's to Laurelee early Sunday morning and headed to Beaufort, South Carolina to check out a local church. We think we found the church we would like to attend which is such a blessing. 

While getting acquainted with our new town and house hunting, we stayed at a charming Bed & Breakfast downtown. It was like stepping back in time. 

Here is my sweet Mitch in our victorian room...

Our view of the bay from the sunny bathroom...

And this is our the view of the Port Royal Sound, adorned with live oaks, from our bedroom on our first morning there -- our 7th wedding anniversary! 

Our breakfast nook in the dining room... 

Here we are before taking a walk downtown to get lunch. 

There were always at least 10-15 sailboats anchored in the bay in front of our B&B. Such a pretty site. 

Here is my tea at lunch... sweet nectar! I will be attempting to replicate their pretty presentation ;) 

Mitch and I had a wonderful trip together. Beside him is my favorite place to be. We hadn't been on a trip like this together since our honeymoon. Although we were there on "business" it was such a treat to have concentrated time just the 2 of us. We are praying that the perfect house for us will pop up just when we need it. We did narrow down the areas we want to live in, so our trip was productive in that way. Oh and before I forget... this is so neat and such a tangible example of how God goes before us. On Sunday evening of our trip we had dinner in the home of a family who is stationed in Beaufort with the Navy too. The neatest part -- how did we get connected with this family? Through this blog!!! I still cannot believe that. We enjoyed getting to know them and really appreciated their warm welcome. Thanks Abby and see you soon!! 

While we were away I asked for lots of pictures of Scarlett because I missed her SO bad. This is the picture my Dad text me on our last day in SC. Here is SJ riding the carousel at the zoo... I love that smile!!!

If you made it this far in my post, you are too kind!! Thanks for wishing us well on our new journey... there is lots more to come. 

Able.

How easily I forget how ABLE God is. I love this song sung by Hillsong. I really need this song on repeat right now and I thought maybe some of my sweet readers might need to hear it too. 

Greater than all we seek. Great than all we ask. He has done GREAT things. Amen and amen! 

Lately.

Okay, so maybe it is not so "lately." At any rate, I have missed y'all. I have been meaning to sit down and do a little update only 28 times in the last 3 weeks (gasp!), but our schedule has just been so off kilter. We are LOVING having Daddy all to ourselves. Time is ticking away quicker than we would hope and soon enough we will be onto the next chapter in life and settling into a new routine. More on the next chapter for the Owen's later...    

Here is what we have been up to:

A little fishing at Nonni and Boo's house. Because our SJ is quite the outdoor explorer she almost always has to have her "jacket" on because of the pond out back. Of course I don't take my eyes off of her, but it still makes me a nervous reck! 

Look who has discovered the camera on Mommy's phone... We have been doing a lot of time in the car, so this is a fun and entertaining way for SJ to pass the time. 

We took a trip to visit with my 2 best friends at my friend Beth's house. Beth took us to the Mennonite stores in her county and it was so neat. She bought all the produce for our dinner salad that night and it was delicious! 

How adorable is this sweet girl?!?!? This is the ever darling and growing McKinley (Beth's little girl). LOVE! 

BIG NEWS!!!!! My brother Chaz is ENGAGED!!!! He planned the most thoughtful engagement where both his and Karinne's families would be waiting to celebrate with them just moments after she said "yes!" It was so special. We are beyond thrilled to have Karinne in our family. She is one precious girl. This is a picture of (left to right) Chaz, Karinne, my Mom and Dad. They are planning a winter wedding ;) 

 It has been HOT here, so 'the cuteness' has been spending lots of time in her bathing suit.... Just as you can see here when she helped Mommy wash the car. 

This is completely random, but these chips are SO yummy. Perfect with fresh homemade salsa. I just love food that is natural (for real!) and tastes good. These are a score in both of those categories. Find them in the organic section at your local grocery store ;) 

Striking a pose is what this doll face does best! She just decided to crawl up on Nonni's couch and make herself comfortable. 

Our "new" schedule has made us miss time with this sweet guy -- Kingston. I know this picture is dark, but I had to include it. These two are so fun together. 

Our bathing beauty! As of yesterday this girl has found that the best way to cool off is in her "fishy" pool. 

Oh dear. This picture alone makes my heart have palpitations, if that is possible. This is now what our house looks like... boxes and more boxes and more boxes and did I mention there are some boxes in, oh, every room of our house? The packing has begun. 

 I recently realized that I have not shared much on here about our "next step" after Mitch's recent graduation. Well, I will wait to share all of the details until another post, but I will drop this bit of big news, drum roll please ---- the Owen Range is moving to the great state of South Carolina!!!!!!! 

 Scarlett and I saw Daddy off on a weekend fishing trip today so we are living large with Nonni!! I think little missy here would have liked to sneak into the back seat so she could ride off with the boys.... It was pretty much all of her favorite people all in the same spot :) 

Thanks for reading and catching up on us. Hoping you have a wonderful weekend filled with meaningful moments with those you love.... that's what we are planning on.