I'm feeling it. I always do.

There's something about being me that I used to not appreciate at all. I still struggle to see my Creator's plan in me sometimes, but at least I know I was made how I was made for a reason. A purpose. There is a plan for me and for the heart that I have on my sleeve. It's true. For those of you who know me well, this is no shocker. For those of you who know me less well...give it time...you'll see. I put myself out there like an infantryman on the front lines in most cases. But instead of getting hurt all the time or cringing at my own vulnerability, I now see there is a plan. Even if I don't know it yet.

As I walk through my city right now, my heart (which is on my sleeve) is beating fast and hard. It's excited and sad and holding it's breath a little. I am looking around at my home and my family and my friends and I am seeing how much this city has meant to me - to all of our little family. I have decided to start a journey of taking pictures of the places and things and people that mean so much to me here. It's like what Joshua did with the Israelites when he had one man from each tribe get a stone to make an altar. It was to remind their children, generations later, what the Lord had done at the Jordan River. So, these photos will be my stones. I will pile them up and lay them at my Creator's feet. They will be a testament to my children and grandchildren. I will document all that has been joyful and painful for me in my 7 years here. Although rather than label things bad or good, I will just list them. Some things may seem overtly bad or overtly good, but that's really not for me (or you) to decide. They are just stones. They are parts of me and my family and no matter how ugly or beautiful they seem, they are His, and He is in charge of our future. I know that future is for good and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope.

So, feel free to journey along with me as I say goodbye to Jefferson City. It has been my wilderness experience in so many ways. You will laugh and cry, and then you will know the heart on my sleeve and why it's there just a little bit better.

Alright friends, let's start. We moved here in October of 2004 after a year and a few months of marriage. We had no idea what we were doing..

This is the view from our first apartment at 202 Lafayette.

This is Capitol Avenue and just between the trees is the Capital building.

We enjoyed walking into downtown from our place.

This was our first place. We had half of the top floor,

which included that big screened in porch.

Sean moved to Jefferson City before I did, and took a chance on a job.

We moved in together after 3 months apart to see if the job would really pan out.

I had just finished college.

Sean had a great paying job, but worked 4-midnight mostly.

We knew nobody.

We had only each other and a cat, whose picture I will not include

because she was just plain mean.

I remember both loving this place and feeling so so lonely.

There was much strain in the marriage back then, and

very little leaving and cleaving had been done before we left KC.

And our lives were about to change forever with little Lilian on the way only one month after moving here...

More to come soon...