It's official. We have the coolest families and friends. Who knew that three days together in Illinois and Indiana could be filled with so much love?

It was so, so good to see parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters. To visit my dear Alma Mater, which is now my sister's Alma Mater too (and will be my brother's in just three years). To visit with old friends, who seem to know our dreams and fears better than we do. To celebrate Mark's 25th birthday with a peanut butter chocolate cake and the gift of a new Chemex. To drive on those beautiful country roads lined with green grass, trees, and freshly planted cornfields. I laughed a lot, cried a little, and loved every second.

It's Friday night and Mark is working late at the ol' coffee shop while I work on some left over work-work and watch him make some deeeee-licious drinks. Apparently I'm not doing a very good job with either since I'm currently blogging. So it goes.

Our days feel really, truly full right now. I mean, that's good, right? We both feel really, really lucky to have jobs that challenge us and fill our hearts to the brim. Sure, the days are long, but when I crash onto the bed at night, I feel satisfied. I'm not sure I could ask for much more.

And it's about to get even more exciting! Mark starts seminary next week!

Okay, so that really has nothing to do with me. Let's be honest: so far, the most exciting part of my month was learning how to bake bread. Getting my bangs cut comes in at a close second. That said, I'd like to think that the grand and inevitable entrance of seminary into our lives will be an exciting one. In reality, it will probably mean more late nights at coffee shops and complicated conversations about God and the church. Bracing myself...

The start of seminary also brings a brief trip back to Indiana to watch my sister graduate from college. She's the prettiest and coolest little thing and I'm super proud of her. Plus, it's looking like she'll be making a move later in the summer to join us out here in the West. So that's really great too.

I'm struggling to understand how I feel as we near our 25th birthdays, the one-year mark in Colorado, and four years of marriage. There's so much to celebrate! And still so much I want to ask God.

It's going to be a good summer, though...I can just feel it.

Life lately through the lens of my iPhone:

1.  Waking up to the bright and early Spring sunshine.

2.  Hiking on a warm Saturday afternoon.

3.  Braving a freak snow storm for some Starbucks.

4.  Receiving Bread and Wine in the mail.

5.  Spending an evening with dear friends from Taylor University. 

6.  Re-stringing the ol' guitar along with a bunch of other weekend chores.

7.  Watching a really funny play at a local theater (my parents bought us tickets for Christmas). So what if we were the youngest ones in attendance? We loved it.

8.  Hanging out at an Avalanche game (in one of Joe Coors' suites, nonetheless!) with great friends and coworkers.

Last July we moved 1,100 miles away from our families.

Maybe you're thinking, "What's the big deal? People do that all the time." Well, that's exactly what I've been telling myself since we made the decision to move. But, wanna know the honest truth? It doesn't really make me feel any better. When I hear that my family spent a weekend together without me, or when I see photos of my nephews - who've practically become teenagers since we left - I think, "This IS a big deal. What in the world were we thinking?"

Some days it feels like we really weren't thinking.

(Cute nephews wearing the Colorado t-shirts we sent for Christmas.)

These dear people have given us so much for so long. We owe them dinners at our house, free babysitting, and help with home improvement projects. We owe them our presence at graduation ceremonies, birthday parties, and holidays. We owe them advice amidst complicated decisions, shoulders to cry on during the worst days, and lots of hugs on the best. But we still left, and they still found some way to love us anyway.

I feel like I need to shout, "We didn't want to leave our families!" from the top of my lungs. I desperately hope that leaves you thinking, Well, duh. That's a given. But I actually had someone say to me recently, "I'm not like you, Lauren, I need to live near my family." And it hurt.

It hurt because leaving the Midwest and all of its comforts - starchy food (not kidding), good jobs, a house, close community - was hard. And if I've given the impression that it's been easy or that I don't care about what we left behind, then I need to apologize. This has been the most challenging thing we've ever done. However, when I think back on the last year, there were two things that made it all okay:

1. God. The calling he placed on our hearts for this city and His church is enough, or at least it should be. Some days I don't feel like it, but I know that it is. 

2. Our families. They stood behind us, proudly believing in us and our mission - even more than we did sometimes. And yet, at the same time, kept their arms wide open as if to say, "You can always come home." We felt valued, yet free to go. 

In other words, we're finding ourselves happy here, but not because we were unhappy somewhere else. It's because our families love us so well, even from over 1,000 miles away. We know that everything is going to be okay.

So, to our families, thank you, thank you, thank-you for letting us leave to follow Jesus. You are brave, selfless people and we're the luckiest to have you. And we will figure this out, you know, how to live apart in this season. Sure, we have to be more intentional, but I think intentional is good. After all, I would hate to take you all for granted, because I think you're pretty great.

Saturday reached 70 degrees! It was just so perfect that we couldn't resist enjoying some quality time outdoors. Although, as we trekked up a trail on Saturday afternoon - and not a very difficult trail, mind you - it became clear that we definitely have some work to do before we get back into tip-top mountain hiking shape. We have big dreams for this summer, people! And they involve mountains! That's all I'll say about that.

Other weekend highlights:

1. Watching a movie at this place. Okay, hold up right now: the whole experience totally blew my mind. I don't think I can go back to watching movies at a cinema that only serves popcorn and candy at a counter. Find one near you and GO. Now.

2. Eating Lebanese food at this place! Neither of us had ever had middle eastern food before, so this was a really big deal for us taco-loving, pizza-munching Shepherds. Y'all, we've come so far. 

3. We're moving to a two-bedroom apartment! It's a long story, but we decided to stay at our current complex and upgrade to a larger apartment at the end of May. What can we say? The price was right. And seriously, it's twice as big as this snack-sized joint. 

I hear it's supposed to snow again (what?), but there is still so much to be thankful for at the start of this week. Happy Monday!

Whenever I get a thoughtful note or gift from someone I love, I always think, "They're amazing. I should be more intentional like that." And then I think, "I will be more intentional like that...when things calm down and I get in a good routine."Okay, but seriously, I've been saying that since I graduated from college and oh! my word, that was 3 years ago. I'm not going to wake up one day and magically live my life in perfect balance. Lord knows I can hardly remember to buy groceries each week.

I'm super lucky to have faithful friends who love me relentlessly and expect nothing in return. But still, I'm trying to find ways I can be more intentional through phone calls on my commute home, dropping letters in the mail, and even spending a few extra dollars to buy a plane ticket for a weekend visit.

Mark was out of the house last night (I am seriously more productive when that boy isn't here), so I sat down and started writing letters, notes, and long over-due thank-you's until I ran out of stamps.

Because my friends and family need to know I love them, pray for them, and miss them everyday. 

And that's the honest truth.

I'm going to make this quick, because I'm throwing this up while I make dinner...and let's be honest, I enjoy eating just as much as blogging, so I'm going to have to excuse myself to eat some tacos. Also, if I try to do both at the same time, I will spill stuff. That is a proven fact.

My thoughts on our weekend:

I don't particularly love doing laundry, but a pile of dirty clothes is pretty high up on Lucy's list of favorite things...right along with ice cubes and sticks. The second I threw the comforter off the bed, she came running. It's like she knows - even from rooms away - when there will be an unattended pile of goodness for her to lay on. Really, it's a win-win for everyone: we eventually end up with clean sheets and she doesn't beg for food for an entire hour. I don't know about you, but that's the mark of a good Saturday afternoon for us.

This might seem silly to you, but I'm still giddy over the fact that I can hang out in a sweet city whenever I want. I mean, I grew up outside Chicago and all, but let's just say that getting downtown was a big ol' fat and stressful event. So we didn't go too often. But I love being in a city. There's something so beautiful about the energy, excitement, and diversity that a big city offers...and not to mention the food! Goodness gracious! So. much. good. food. We met up with a few friends Saturday evening, took the light rail down to Union Station, and then laughed late into the night over food and games.

Speaking of games, let me get specific: we played Clue! Like, we busted out the real deal - board game, tiny plastic weapons and all - in a coffee shop. None of us had played in years, so admittedly we had to reference the rules sheet more than once, but it was totally worth it.

Also, I realize this photo is exceptionally grainy - but that's because the lighting was so dark. And yes, we did try to use the flash, but Mark's baby blues couldn't handle the bright light and this happened:

And then, after filling up our Sunday with church, lunch in the park, and a few naps, we had ice cream! Because it's finally ice cream weather! And we love ice cream!...and then I convinced Mark to order Lucy a puppy sundae because you can actually get crazy stuff like that in Colorado. (...Ever ordered a "puppaccino" at Starbucks? It's real.) Not that I have any room to judge because I did order it and I've included more photos of Lucy than anyone else in this post. 










We had a great weekend, mostly because it was filled with people and places we love. And now, to conquer the week!

When I walk into our bedroom, she's doing this like 78% of the time. Then she looks up at me and is all, "What?" as if I'm the weird one for not walking around with a blanket on my head.

You guys, she's so funny.