Happy Easter!!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Tonight I was taking the trash out when I cautiously took a breath. I realized that it didn't bite or sting my lungs, so I tried it again, taking a deeper breath. The air was not cold at all and I smelled dirt. I thought, Yes! We've made it! We have made it to Spring! As I returned to the house, I realized that thought not only expressed my feelings about nature, but also my feelings about this journey we are experiencing in beautiful Massachusetts.

This adventure has been driven by faith that the Lord would provide. We have lived in constant cyclical unknowns since we have been here-when one thing gets figured out, another goes uncertain. But through it all, we have indeed been provided for. We have made it! Today we know how we are going to pay for next year's tuition, our summer's rent, where Shawn will coach next year, and, most importantly, how we are going to pay for another adoption. This stress ball that has been tightly wound around our little home is beginning to loosen as unknowns become knowns. We feel so very blessed.

I cannot begin to recap the last few months, but I will share some pictures and a promise that I won't let it go this long again!

Bella and I were blessed to go home to Utah for a week in December and then we came home to Grandma and G-daddy staying at our house through Christmas.

The end of December began a several week long slam by mother nature who buried us in snow and ice. I have not fallen on the ice as many times in my whole life as I have this winter. I have not pushed stuck cars as many times in my whole life as I have this winter-including ours-several times. I have never felt defeated by snow, but this year, I respect its presence and can't wait for it to all just go away!

Hello Spring. We are ready for you!

Happy Fall!

Happy New England Fall!!

We are trying to drink in this beautiful change of seasons. It isn't that hard when you live on this street...

with this yard and this beautiful baby who still likes to go for morning walks even though it is considerably colder.

Today Bella just took off into the trees because the leaves are so deep that the ground is soft and noisy. Don't you wish there was a whole yard full of leaves as deep as your knees?

Oh...I forgot to mention....SHE WALKS!!!!!!

Jordan

He is a hero...he was our student. We are grateful for the time that we got to be a part of his life.

Here is another news article on him.

Concord

Yesterday I visited Concord. I say "I" because, although my husband and daughter came, they opted out of everything so that I could enjoy the literary homes and sights. I will love Shawn forever for allowing me that pleasure.

We went to the city museum which provides an overview of the city and includes some pieces of interest, i.e. one of the lanterns used in the church tower the night of Paul Revere's ride, the entire study and personal books that belonged to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the chair, desk, and bed that belonged to Henry David Thoreau and that he used in his home at Walden. I visited Emerson's home, Louisa May Alcott's home, and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where the transcendentalists used to meet together and eventually turned it into a cemetery to keep the peaceful surroundings. I was amazed by how interconnected everyone was at the time and how they, together, were able to instill change in their community. They (Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne, Carlisle, Whittier, Melville, etc.) could not have known how their talents would affect the rest of the country. Some of what I learned by touring the area made me understand the authors better, thus allowing me to understand their work better. (I kind of miss teaching...I could add so much after having this experience) The experience was incredible and I like them all even more! Next time we will visit Walden, the Old Manse, and all of the Revolutionary War history-cause it kind of began in Concord-bless their hearts!!!!

On the miracle note: We are seeing miracles unfold as we are here. This is an incredible experience.

Hot Days of Summer

Two weeks ago I complained about the rain and the clouds and last week I was praying for it to come back. It has been an average of 96 degrees last week and we don't have air conditioning. I have never sweat ALL DAY and felt like I was going to pass out by the time evening came. It has been so humid and SO HOT! We have passed the time with a little popsicle eatin' and swimming.

This was the first popsicle that she controlled herself. She, obviously, thought it was fantastic.

Heyah Mista Ferriola...you wanna soma pop sicle???

(We had students who talked to Bella like they were Italian and she thought they were funny.)

Learning Lessons

#1...Shawn has been super busy with two-a-days (including weekends) and has been leaving at 7:30 in the morning and not coming home until between 7:30-10:00 at night. He has seen Bella an average of 30 minutes a day and I have been worried. How will all of this affect them? I feel like my relationship with Bella is strong and we are happy, but she has seen less of her Daddy than she has in her whole life. Heck! I've seen less of Shawn than I have our entire marriage. On Sunday, she woke up but she wasn't quite the happy kid she normally is. I fed her some milk and put her back in bed by her dad.

I think they'll be okay.

#2...Change is good and wonderful and happy but it is also SCARY! We received our last true pay check and it hit me that I have got to put into practice those skills of frugality and provident living that I have been learning in Relief Society my whole life. This week I made homeade wheat bread. I have had everything I've needed for it for a very long time, I just haven't had the time. It is delicious and it will save us at least $2.50 per loaf! I also made homemade tortillas and homemade laundry detergent this week. It feels good to use the skills and the knowledge that I have been taught. It feels good to be home.

#3...This isn't actually a lesson learned but it is a picture of the gate to Shawn's school...where he will learn lessons! Isn't it beautiful?

There is a river that runs through campus. (This picture is just the run off from a dammed up area of the river) We are on a bridge that goes to the track and field area of campus. This river is used for crew...the sport...the one I never heard of before we came here.

#4...The other day Bella found her umbrella stroller. She actually hates the umbrella stroller unless she can push it, and it that case, she will push it around forever. Well, I opened it up for her to push around in our house while I was doing the dishes but she kept running into things and getting caught. She would fuss until I straightened it out and I realized quickly that this was frustrating both of us, so I decided we would go outside. I had to peel her away from the stroller to go get our shoes and she cried and kicked in her one-year-old tantrum way. I laughed to myself and thought, I wonder if we act like this towards God sometimes. How many times do we "throw a fit" when God is actually leading us to something better...we just can't see it?

I needed to learn that important lesson this week.

#5...You aren't weak if you need help...sometimes you just need it. I have needed more help these last few weeks than I have in, seemingly, my entire life and I have felt stupid asking for it. I have felt humbled. I have always had a sense of independence and I have always had the means to take care of things myself. Things have changed. Let me repeat... I have been humbled. I am aching for the opportunity to serve someone else.