Josh and I tend to live life at a breakneck pace.  We like to go, go, go and work, work, work.  I am easily bored and Josh's mind never stops thinking.  So we plan and produce and then we plan and produce some more.

This past December however, nearly drove us both into the ground.  Josh, in his passionate desire to be productive and fruitful, booked a schedule that was just plain TOO FULL! And I, in my stubborn determination to also do everything I wanted to do (i.e. visit friends, make Christmas cookies, Christmas shop downtown, etc...) filled every extra minute with more "to do"s!

The results were . . . less than ideal. 

Praise God that He delights in showing Himself strong when we are weak and in doing mighty things in spite of our failures!  We still saw God work in big ways in and through our ministry AND we enjoyed lots of wonderful time with friends and family.

This month, though, has been completely different.  For the first time in . . . well, EVER, we planned for an extended period of rest.  In contrast to our 20+ ministry events in December, this month we had 7!  When we weren't doing one of those services, we mostly stayed at home.  We have done some homeschooling, booking and practicing.  But we've also done a lot of playing in the snow with our new "puppy", making new friends, helping with the goats, reading, coloring, cooking, playing games, and watching netflix! :)

Who knew resting could be so . . . RESTFUL!? :)

Because of our slower pace, I have found myself often sitting in silence (Can I get a "HALLELUJAH!") while the boys play outside or in another room, looking out over God's amazing creation and just thinking.

Sometimes I think about how breathtakingly beautiful this place is and how insanely blessed I feel to call this home.

Sometimes I think that I NEVER ever want to leave.

Sometimes I think about how privileged I feel to be on this great ministry adventure with my kids and husband.

Sometimes I think about how BIG God is and how small I am.

Sometimes I think about how incapable I feel, how short I fall, how much mercy I need, and how unconditional God's love is.

And sometimes I just think about how cold it is outside! ;)

Next week, we will head back out on the road.  We will spend two months in California before coming home for Easter.  It will be hard to leave home.  It will be hard to say goodbye to our landlords (who have become family), our house, and our dog!  It will be hard to trade the comforts of our own kitchen and bathroom for our little trailer and RV park showers.  But, we are READY!  We are committed to following God wherever He leads and we are excited to see what He has in store for the upcoming months. 

He never ceases to amaze us! :)

I sat down to try to write a blog several times each of the past 4 or 5 days and honestly, I just haven't had much to say.  :)  We are loving this month of rest and refreshment.  While Josh has still been working on some booking and recording, the boys and I have done some homeschooing, and we have had a few ministry events.  Overall, it has been an extremely light work schedule and we are so grateful for it!  However, although I don't have much to report or any random thoughts or musings to share, I do have a few pictures I thought you might enjoy!

Living so far out of town means a whole different kind of grocery shopping!  (This is only about 2/3 of it, the rest I had already put in the fridge and freezer!

Family Day!

When getting his picture taken, Curly prefers closeups to candid shots!

We ended our day with a little less violence! :)

I'll write more...eventually! :)  Happy Weekend!

As promised, here is a picture of the newest addition to our family! :)  Curly is part Great Pyrenees, part Komondor, and part Anatolian Shepherd.  We love him!  The temperatures here finally warmed up a bit (from -6ish to the 30s) so we're all having fun playing in the snow! 

God was so generous to give us this beautiful place to rest!  We are enjoying every moment here and looking forward to what God has in store for our next ministry tour to California! :)

Last Sunday, after ministering in northern Idaho, we completed our trek home! I cannot put words to what a gift it is to be here, in our own home, in this beautiful snowy place! 

We got here late Sunday evening, after a long drive and a stop in town to grocery shop.  We were greeted with a fire blazing in our wood stove and a decorated Christmas tree with presents underneath... We felt so loved!

There is not cell service out here without a network booster, which was down along with our internet for the first several days. . . Which was okay with me!  We've enjoyed the peace, quiet, beauty and rest.

I wake up every morning and tiptoe into the living room to open up my blinds to this! . . . I am overwhelmed by God's kindness!

The boys bundle up each day and go play in the snow.  Josh has been helping feed the goats and dogs.  I've enjoyed unpacking my few decorations and pictures and getting settled into the house.  We'll be here a month before we head out for another ministry tour and we are soaking up every moment! :)

Today we got another fun surprise!  Mr. S (our "landlord"/neighbor) said that we could "have" one of the big puppies as our pet/guard dog!  He'll stay on our side of the ranch keeping us and our stuff safe and making our boys very, VERY happy!  I'll post pictures of "Curly" soon! :)

Josh and I are working hard to prepare for our next ministry tour as well as finalizing plans for this upcoming year.  I'll try to get back to keeping you posted more frequently now that I have internet again. :)  Blessings from our home to yours! :)