Journey, Continued....

Well ....
So, here we are two - or maybe three - months since my last blog post.

Move #9.  We are professionals.

We have been on a JOURNEY, I tell you.
Life has been Epic as of late.
Good epic - but insane Epic - nonetheless.
And I feel like I've lived inside a tornado for weeks.

Our new digs.

So, let's see here, my Loves.....
Since the whole point of this blog is to have it printed out at the end of every year into a hardcovered book for you all to have as a "journal" of your Mama's - and of our family's life -...and since, this next year's book will have ten or twelve weeks missing....here's a bullet point nutshell of the highlights.

Our sweet little backyard - overlooking a horse farm.

Since we last left our heroes ~
: Sir Rancey Pants turned the big five years old early last month.  (Crazy town).
: Kaden and Jesse were both baptized by their Daddy at church.  (Super special).
: Kaden has whirled into his first season of hunting with - at this present time - 5 partridge and 2 turkey slain.
: We have experienced our first blizzard of the season.  (Shoot me now).
: And we have moved into our own little house - all by ourselves - back out in God's Country.  (Speechless).

(THIS happend the weekend we planned to move.  Insanity).

Life has been busy.
And it's been unexpected.
It's been hairy.
It has been breathtaking, and crazy, and filled to overflowing with God's gifts and goodness galore...
...And I am just now able to sit down and really wrap my brain around all that has happened in this past little while.

Our living room with a window looking into the kitchen.
And two out of my four Hoolies playing the Wii.

 Several weeks back, I wrote about our Grand Social Experiment of Glorified Dorm Life Married with Children in which we have partaken of for the past thirteen or so months.  On my long list of many "nevers," one of the things that I had stood rock solid firm on was the fact that I would never ever live with friends.

Someday I shall learn to rip up said list...

"Just think of the havoc it could wreck on relationships should anything go south during an experiment such as this one!" said I.  "It can never be done!  We are too much for ANYone to handle!" Enter many meals of eating crow and God showing up in huge ways to show us this was a gift He had in store for us.  Enter these two crazies (who wrote such beautiful words here) who had the bravado enough to even suggest such an idea, and up went our house for sale and away we went on the ride of our lives for a good solid year.  Five boys, one baby girl, two mamas, two daddys, all under one roof - sharing meals...and laundry...and the kitchen....living Life...and sharing the messy that often comes with all of that.....Together.

Dear Ones....

We agreed to do this for 12-18 months.  Nobody had any real idea of what would come after this Adventure...but that's how we've tended to live out this marriage of ours, and it's also how God has seemed to like to walk with us.  And so we have learned to trust.  And to rest.  To wait.  To just be still and let Him have His way.  It's always good.  No matter how scary it may feel in the moments.  It's always good.  And it's always full of grace and unexpected gifts.

Our little dining area...the place where we live most.

Something that I said I would never ever do became a season of deep growth for me.  It was a year of letting go of "things" that I felt I needed to define me.  It was a year of stripping away and of obliterating any facades of perfection.  It was a year of living life humble, living life raw, living life as TEAM with another family; and it was a year of knitting souls together in such a way that those boys now feel like my own, and that couple is as blood to me.

My Happy Place.
Props to Angie for painting my cabinets.
Props to Rachael for painting my countertops and my kitchen walls.

I will forever remember this Chapter.
It has changed me.
And hopefully, for the better.

Enter old friends who live in a sweet little house in the country.  And enter a random text blasted out to us at 10:00 one evening with the words:  "Hey! The Bentley's are moving to Texas! Do you want to buy a house?!  We've leaving within a matter of days...we have our tickets bought...and this house is the last detail that needs to be worked out."

And one month later, here we are...

Our box spring would not fit into the room.  For now we sleep European style...
Props to Ruthie for stripping wallpaper.
Props to Lisa for edging and painting.

There are just way too many details to write about in one short blog post.  And the details don't matter to you boys right now...but someday they will.  Maybe someday you will need to be reminded that God cares about the little things.  That He is the Author of the details, and that He is the writer of all of our chapters.  He leads and we follow.  It's as simple as that.

After all....this life we are living is His-Story, anyway...

Our little hallway.  Doorway on the left is the Littles room.  Doorway on the right is ours.
Props to Kevy for hanging my pallet. I heart my pallet. I heart my hubby for hanging my pallet.
Props to Angie for doing some finish work on the walls going down to the basement.

And so here we are.
Once again, blessed beyond measure with hearts overflowing.
Ready for another Chapter.
Ready for another Ride...

The basement.  And the Hoolies play area.  And George the deer.
Props to Kevy for not hanging him over our bed.
Props to Angela and Angie's sweet girl for helping me paint the shelves.
Props to Rachael and Shandy for getting the shelves back up...and for not hating me too much in the process.

To our friends who blessed us beyond what words can express...
The ones we lived with...
The ones who painted, and primed...the ones who made meals...and the ones who moved my chicken coop in the dark...the ones who walked with us and prayed with us...the ones in Texas...and the ones who watched our babies for the hours and hours of painting and moving....

We thank you...

Props to Lisa for edging and painting.
Props to Rachael for bringing me sanity on the day we moved in.
And props to Lara for feeding us that night.

London and Ransom's room...
The Large One's sleep downstairs in a room off the basement.
I didn't post pictures because I gave them free reign to decorate...and, well...I like to take pictures of things that bring me joy...

Ransom sleeps like Rip Van Winkle.
London sleeps like a gnat.
This sleeping arrangement works out well....

And to the Greatest Gift Giver of them all....
The One who is able to bless exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that we could ever ask for or imagine...once more, I am speechless.

Once more, You have proven Yourself faithful.
Once more, I stand in awe and humility...
And once again, I am thankful that You are the Author of this crazy life and not me, your kid....

To the Ends of the Earth I will follow You...
You and the man whom You gave to me to walk this awesome Journey....
Thank you for this Life...