180*

Since our last post, we've had a lot of changes. Probably the most impactful was our decision to forego Japan, as the day drew closer to make a final commitment. People have been kind of confused about how it happened, but it went quite smoothly between us, actually. For a long time it had just been an assumed agenda item for me, but we decided to seriously look at where we were and how we were going forward. Once we put the trip in light of our long term goals, as they have distilled in the last few years, it seemed like a kind of peculiar detour in some ways. After praying over it for several weeks we agreed that, though God would have blessed either route, we felt that what we have been learning about eachother and about life was pushing us a new direction from where we had been when we started the application process. It was a much more direct route to plan on staying in the states, and though we missed some opportunities I really looked forward to, we both have a lot of peace about the decision.

Straightening our road by eliminating the Pacific however did not exactly equal short! Since our lease came up when we were planning to leave to Japan anyway, we agreed to move back to Bremerton to set up house near my family. With my family, actually, for the time being. Statistically, the multi-generational household is really in right now, and for us it means a little extra stability to be saving while Kevin looks for work. While we look forward to house shopping and starting a family, it's been a huge blessing to have the old Nipsic house open to us. It's been surprisingly nice to gain a little domestic expertise from my mom (which I necessarily rejected as a highschooler). Of course it's great to just all be together and reconnecting.

In the process of moving, we got sad news that my great grandmother in Luisiana had passed away. In spite of the loss, we were happy to travel with so much of my family to join Nana in Ruston, where we were able to help with the funeral and spend some time with my great aunt, and also my great uncle whom I had never met before. We refreshed our sign language to communicate and enjoyed a Mardi Gras trip to Natchitoches (say Nack-a-dish), the oldest town in the Luisiana Purchase.

While Kevin keeps up the job search, I've been helping my dad with a number of tasks relating to Springtides Corporation, especially his upcoming publishing project. He launched his book, Your Ultimate Sales Force, late last year with a gala event, and now we're working on another project relating to the BizBuilders network. As usual, I really enjoy working with him and getting to spend a little extra time with my busy daddy.

So, Bremerton! We're looking forward to putting down roots and all that means, although it's skipping a few years ahead of where we thought we'd be. The community of Manette, where we live, is a pretty good place to keep playing with the Transition concept. We're also plugging back into Keyport where my family has gone since they moved to Kitsap County, and we're excited to see how new relationships unfold. We're also very eager to keep in touch with the close friends we left behind in Seattle, especially with the wonderful kind of visits we've had lately with Jon and Rachel (who are getting married this summer) and Elizabeth and Jason, among others.

That's a fair summary of the interlude. Keep in touch!