Wrapping up February

At this moment, I am sitting on the front porch in shorts in February. The past few days have been a sweet taste of spring. Hallelujah!

First signs of life

Well, it seems like I sneezed and February has passed. Of course it's a shorter month, but seriously, where does the time go? Our lives are full of blessings, even though I am often slow to acknowledge them and even more slow to give thanks to God for them.

China buffet insanity

One of the small but very filling blessings have been the friendships we've found here in Salt Lake City. Davis and I often get silly ideas and for the most part, people enthusiastically join in. This past Sunday after a little hike in the foothills, we decided to taste the humor and MSG of an immense China buffet. This one comes with an enormous gate. We all laughed and ate until we rolled one another back out into the parking lot once finished. It may not seem like a big deal, but to Davis and I it's the continuation of a silly tradition enjoyed in Colorado.

Over President's weekend, we took a trip back to my native land, North Carolina, to visit with part of Davis' family. His sister, brother-in-law and two nieces live outside of Asheville, my hometown, in Black Mountain. Davis' mom flew in from Mississippi too. It was close to Julip's fourth birthday, so we were able to celebrate with them. We mostly shared space and company, it was a sweet time. It's hard to get to know family you marry into when you live far away. I love them but because they are family, it just seems harder to really get to know one another due to lack of time shared. Every time we visit, it seems like the relationship is strengthened and encouraged. Life definitely seemed a little less  enjoyable with the void they all left when we returned home.

Eloise, Davis and Julip.

Davis and I enjoyed putting the doll house back in order...
almost ;)

bear hunting with Julip

children = stickers everywhere

modern children = random selfies (of Julip)

We enjoyed playing with our nieces, sharing stories, cooking, exploring, eating, visiting Asheville and the Biltmore House, and strengthening bonds in Christ. We are hopeful they can sometime visit us in the wild west!

Biltmore Lion

External details of staircase

After four days of fun, Davis and I headed back to Utah. Every time we see family, we long to be closer but are torn because we do believe God has us in Utah for a time and a reason. We want to be present while we are present. So, here we are soaking in this pseudo-spring and friendships.