For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. --Ecclesiastes 3:1

Here it is…the long-awaited “real” update on what we are up to. In October, I announced that we were going to be parked for awhile in Bozeman. We love Bozeman and all it offers, and we are delighted at being here. Planting roots feels really, really good after being on the road for 18 months. We have loved every minute of it…and wouldn’t give that time back for anything. But it was for a season...and now it's time for a new season. Learning that we were going to have another baby was a great motivator to settle down, of course, but even when I was 8 weeks along, we still had plans to continue traveling until the spring. But by then, I was really having a hard time traveling with nausea and all the joys that the first trimester brings (side note: tummy photo at 15 weeks here).

For some of you, our decision to move back to Bozeman may seem like it was made in an instant, but in reality, it was pondered over since we left here in July of 2007. When people around the country would ask us where we would eventually settle down, our answer never strayed from “Bozeman, of course!”. We left our hearts in Montana, and we knew God had put that in us for a reason.

So, after arranging for a place to park (and live in) the RV in Bozeman through several God-aligned circumstances, we made the long trek West. Our hearts were instantly at peace when we arrived on Oct. 17…and they still are. We have jumped right back into our church…Matt is playing on the worship team, I am co-leading a Beth Moore study, and we are helping with the small group ministry. And of course, we have frequented our favorite local restaurants and coffee shops that we missed so dearly! :)

We quickly realized that living in a parked RV is a bit more challenging than living in a moving one ☺ You don’t have the built-in requirement of cleaning from top to bottom every 3 days so you can drive away, so things tend to pile up and the walls begin to close in. Combine that with the fact that I was really sick during the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy (and not physically able to clean all day, etc), and it’s a recipe for insanity. We had originally planned to stay in the RV until a month before the baby was born, but plans change.

After several weeks of searching, we found an adorable little house close to downtown…just ½ block from our favorite park. It also happens to be 3 doors down from a neat family that we hung out with a little bit when we last lived here. We moved in on the 1st of December and have met the neighbors just to the south...and get this, she wants to do "city chickens" with me in the spring :) Yay! We're going to combine a part of our backyard to make a chicken run/coop. Oh. My. Goodness. Giddy I am, I tell ya. I've always wanted chickens...for fresh eggs, to watch their antics, and to teach Bella about them! Turns out there are several other families in our neighborhood with chickens. I love these people!

The owner has agreed to let us replace all of the flooring and paint all the walls, at her expense (it was VERY worn). That might seem like a nightmare to some, but for those of you who have been around this blog for awhile, you know we love it and we're up to the challenge ☺ We started the remodel as soon as we moved in and we love it so far. We’ll be able to make it our own little home...one that we are planning on staying in for awhile! There is a wood burning stove in the living room, open floor plan, and 2 BR. Even though it’s a freestanding house (not duplex/apt), it’s still just over 800 square feet. With a little garden plot and shed in the backyard, it’s the perfect size for our family. And yes…I will, of course, be posting before and after photos of the inside. But it won’t be for a few months I would guess.

As for the RV, it’s going on to a new owner who will love and cherish it just like we did ☺. We are in the final phases of selling it to a wonderful couple who will use it for their own kind of tour. I'll be sure to share more details on that later. We have also sold our little veggie car (it did not like to start up in the Montana cold!) and we're now the owners of a used minivan. I could not be happier. I love that thing!

Matt is starting his own handyman business, and is also snow plowing this winter. I will continue to work for my parents from home (helping to run the administrative side of their business) and will be doing some photography as well.

We are just thrilled to be here...every morning when we wake up, Matt and I look at each other and smile...so content and ready for change. We're looking forward to meeting new friends, spending time with family, and establishing a consistent rhythm of life. Bella is super excited to start taking gymnastics and figure skating lessons...and to go to library story time twice a week. But most importantly, she has what she has often asked for..."a house without wheels".

We will not soon forget all of the talented, amazing people we met during our life on the road. We still keep in touch with so many of you daily and we are forever changed by the special moments we shared. We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see our country and enjoy the freedom of travel. But now...our hearts are aching to plug into a community and settle down. For everything there is a season...and we're looking forward with hopeful anticipation to see what God has planned for us here.