2020

Randy and I have very different packing styles. We’ve know this since about day 3 of walking the Camino, and yet still we haven’t quite figured out how to mesh our styles. Randy is a hurry up and get it done packer. I’m slow and methodical, making sure everything is in its perfect place. Dusting it before it goes into a box, maybe conjuring up a couple memories, feeling all the feelings that go along with that particular item. The one thing we do have in common is that we are both procrastinators. So even though we’ve known since August that we were moving to Mexico, even though we’ve known since August that we would have to pack up our entire house and put it into a 16-foot trailer, even though we’ve known since August that we would have to itemize every single box in order to satisfy Border Patrol, we still waited until 3 days before we had to be out of our house to start packing. We were busy! We had a party to plan. Work to do. A yard sale to have. Friends to ...

Dia de los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) is a tradition celebrated in Mexico. It is believed that at the stroke of midnight on October 31, the gates of heaven are opened and the souls of lost loved ones (children first, and later adults) are allowed to return to earth to celebrate with their families through November 2. Randy and I had a going away/closing the business/embarking on a new adventure party last week, and two of his daughters used the theme of Dia de los Muertos to decorate for us.  Randy wanted to have the party to celebrate all of the people who made his catering business a success, and in turn he was shown how much he is loved. It was an incredible evening. Over 200 people showed up to say goodbye to their favorite caterer, as well as to learn more about our calling to Mexico. The challenge of having a party of any size is that you don’t get enough time to spend with everyone, but I did hear from so many people how much they love Randy (a...

I have to admit, life has been pretty stressful the past couple of months. We're excited and we're busy and we're happy, but we're also tired and overwhelmed and are struggling to find time for just the two of us without a to-do list in our laps. We tried to have that day on our anniversary last month. We booked a room in Dayton, Ohio, and had big plans to hit up our favorite restaurants and theaters and whatever other adventures we could find. No budget conversations. No packing lists. No calendars and organizers. Just the two of us.  Only we were sick. Achy flu-like symptoms. Rand napped all afternoon while I curled up in a hotel chair and read. We forced ourselves to go downstairs for the complimentary hotel dinner... hot dogs and macaroni. Not exactly the day we had planned. But it all made this past Monday that much more special! Last Christmas my brother bought us a "Culinary Walking Tour of Sacramento" and we decided to cash it in this week...

One year ago today, on the steps of the old Auburn courthouse in Auburn, California, Rand and I said our "I wills." I will love you, honor you, cherish you... from this day forward. It's been the best year of my life. Filled with joys and challenges, family and living more intentionally , finding a regular routine and making the leap to a new calling. This Sunday we will renew our vows in Wilmington, Ohio. We sat down with the pastor yesterday and went over the words of a typical vow renewal ceremony. While obviously meant for a couple who has been together many more years than we have, we were touched by the words and how much they resonated with our experience, especially over the past two months. Since making the decision to move to Mexico we've changed everything from our names to our forwarding address. We've had bills and goodbyes to contend with. What to leave behind and what to take with us. Baby steps and big leaps to close doors and chapte...

One of the most important things to be intentional about is relationships. Randy and I are especially feeling this right now as our moving day gets closer and closer. Who do we need to see before we cross the border, not knowing when we'll be back? Who do we want to see? How do we manage to see everyone in such a short window of time? First on our list was Matthew, Jennifer, and Riley, my brother and sister-in-law and niece in Texas. We were able to spend a week with them, and thanks to our frequent flyer miles only had to spend $25 to get there. The week was perfect! From the beach to the brewery, the mall to the merry-go-round, football games and delicious food, we made the most of our time together. Riley, at age 4, opened our eyes to the fun we have in store for us in Mexico. Just look at these beautiful centerpieces she created for our dinners each night! One of the most special times for me was the afternoon Jennifer and I spent together. It reminded me how much...

Does anyone else get overly dramatic when the stress starts to get to you? Or is it just me? I just took on a new client for work. Randy is in the midst of wedding season. Jovi is still recovering from surgery. Grandma got her biopsy results. The perfect vehicle to meet our needs in Mexico is over our budget. It's becoming really real that we are giving up so much to follow this call, particularly the ability to see our families whenever we want. My closest friends are ghosting me. We put out a call for financial support for our mission work and not one person responded. It was starting to feel like everything was against us. So when Randy and I were having a hard financial conversation last weekend I completely went off the deep end. I had us living in our car for the next two months, eating nothing but peanut butter sandwiches. And I'm not talking Jiff extra crunchy on whole grain. I'm talking closeout at the bread outlet and Great Value economy size because every penn...

One of the challenges of being intentional is recognizing that there will be times that you have to intentionally be unintentional about the things you were being intentional about. My initial intentional goals this year were to read more books, take more hikes, write more blogs, do more for others, grow in my faith, and date my husband. As the weeks and months went by, I added to my intentional list: stretch, celebrate, and take care of my health (ie. make & go to doctor's appointments). And now that we are a mere two months away from moving to Mexico indefinitely, there are seemingly a million more things to be intentional about: paying off debts, selling half our stuff, downsizing from two vehicles to one, spending time with family, raising money and awareness for our ministry , working from a distance on projects in Mexico, continuing our regular work of writing and catering, celebrating our move and closing down Randy's business. Not to mention the unexpected ...